Artie Lange - It's the Whiskey Talking
As this fearless 47-minute set amply demonstrates, Artie Lange is not your typical observational comic that goes for the universal experience. "You know when you are [defecating] in the woods…and you're on heroin?" is a representative query. Lange, who appeared onMadtvbefore holding court as a core ensemble member on Howard Stern's radio show, clearly has issues, and free from  FCC-mandated restrictions, he riffs through them all in graphic and profane detail. Lange is at his best when tackling his vices (drinking, drugs, gambling), his lackluster movie career (he refunds one audience member's $10 when he offers aDirty WorkDVD for Lange to sign), and phobias. In a politically correct world. Lange asks, "Can't we be offensive anymore?" Short answer: Yes, he can, as witness his hysterical bit onSesame Street's inclusion of an AIDS-diagnosed character to the Muppet ensemble ("Here's Grover with today's letters: H-I-V"), and his hilarious homophobic spin on a Foghorn Leghorn cartoon. Lange is a raging bull onstage, but with his unshaven countenance and his rumpled jacket and jeans, he suggests another Robert De Niro character; Travis Bickle gone to seed. Put him in the driver's seat forTaxi Driver 2.--Donald Liebenson