Artie’s Back in the Saddle Again

October 20, 2009
Photo: The Howard Stern Show

Howard kicked off the show noting that Artie was back in the studio, proving Fred – who’d speculated that Artie might only return as a guest – wrong. Fred welcomed Artie back: “I’m happy for Artie. I hope he’s doing well.”

Artie confessed: “Listen, I had what you might call a mini-nervous breakdown…I was in therapy doing well and I had a pattern of repeating mistakes in my life and that’s something my father had.”

Two-City Breakdown

Artie said his therapist thought he was subconsciously trying to live a life of mistakes, as it was the model of masculinity he’d learned from his father. Artie said his breakdown began after doing a charity gig in Detroit and being hit with “anxiety, depression, all that shit…I just turned 42 and I didn’t realize how tough that was going to be.”

Artie added that the charity gig for a paralyzed guy in a wheel chair compounded his anxiety about aging: “I hadn’t really been next to [a paraplegic] since my old man and it affected me.” Artie said didn’t go to therapy when he returned home: “I made myself physically ill. I was dry-heaving. I was sweating.” His girlfriend cared for him while he convalesced: “I love my girlfriend. I’m in love.”

Almost a Relapse

Artie said he’d canceled most of his gigs after the end of the year: “2010 I will not be on the road…this schedule and the road is bad. And this is more important – of course.”

He might even do a detox diet: “Stacy wants me to do the Robin thing…I just like cheeseburgers so much. I don’t know if I can be a part of it.” Artie claimed he was glad he didn’t turn back to heroin: “I was close to going to the bad shit because I just wanted anything to feel better…you start to question everything in your life.”