Here is a brief review of Too Fat To Fish from Mutt on SFN
Here are some very quick comments:Out of what I’ve read so far, it’s 3 stories I knew + 2 new ones. Now I know you are thinking why would I want to read stories I already heard on the radio but each story had much greater detail than I had ever heard on air plus he’s much faggier in the book than on air. (and I mean that in the most loving Artie way) On air, he’s the tough guy but in the book he opens up and gives us more emotion than I expected. Even if it’s done in a joking manor or if he tries to man it up with sports references, the point is still there. He’s insecure, he loves his family, his friends, and misses his dad. I’ve really enjoyed it.Also, each story has several sidetracked stories buried in it which you haven’t heard. He might get off track on some back story or anecdote about one of his buddies before getting to the point. Some may call it disorganized. I call it conversational. It gives you the impression that it’s how he would have told you the story if he was sitting next to you. Fans will dig it.
One of the stories was the bank robbery. I thought I knew all about the time Artie gave the teller a “this is a stick up” note but my recollection wasn’t even close to what I read. Basically, it was like a whole new story to me. What a piece of work Artie was / is. I laughed out loud at the girls fathers comment to him afterward. That’s right, I laughed out loud while reading a book. When was the last time you did that?
Another story was the “meet me at short stop” story he told on Letterman about his dad & the 77′ World Series. The 3 minutes he talked to Dave about it does not compare to the chapter. It really tells you about his father & their relationship.
I also got the the
. Frankie was a big deal to his family & friends and when they met, he couldn’t have been cooler. It really meant alot to their family even years later. I could easily pull out Frankie’s name & drop in Artie for us. It helps me realize that much like Frankie, Artie really is just a guy from Jersey. (it’s not just something he says)I got the dad falling off the roof story too. It not only shows his admiration for his father but the guilt he felt blaming himself and the resulting downward spiral where his life sort of fell apart. You really feel for him, his family, and the heartache they went though without it getting to boo-hoo-ish.
The last story I read was how he lost his virginity. After he wrote the book, he mentioned the Brazilian hooker to Howard but never told the story. It’s a good one and I’m glad he saved it for the book. I don’t want to give anything away but I was very surprised. Still, surprised or not at the end of the chapter it was an Artie move and it made me think about some of the other Artie hooker stories we’ve heard about. Just didn’t know it all went back that far.
Oh, I forgot Howard’s forward. It’s laced with sarcasm, it’s fun, and it’s funny. Considering how Artie’s friends growing up would bust his balls, it was perfect way to kick off the book.
I hope this gives you a little idea of what you can expect in Artie’s first book without ruining it for you. I can’t wait to get back to it and read a little more. It really was that good. They’ve already green lit a second book so maybe you’ll be hearing from me again next year.
