A Case for Artie Lange

Artie Lange, a fixture on Howard Stern's radio show, gathered media attention when he had an on air fight with his personal assistant, known as "Microphone Teddy." The two men brought their argument of money onto the show and hashed it out in front of the entire listening audience. The fight escalated to the point that Lange offered his resignation and left the show, stunning audience members and staff alike.

During my college years, I got an opportunity to work as a DJ for a local radio station. I was teamed up with a girl that I was already friends with, and we were excited about all of the fun we were sure to have. Kim and I had very similar personalities, in that we both laughed at the same types of things and we were both very passionate about what we cared about.

Since the show was a local college show, we continuously announced events that were scheduled to occur nearby that college students would be interested in. I was looking through the local paper while we were on the air, picking through different events to find something I wanted to talk about. When we went to a commercial break, I saw the event that I wanted to discuss. There was going to be a local gay pride gathering in the area. I had recently come out as a lesbian, and I thought it would be a great forum for me to get the word out about this event.

I had told Kim weeks prior to that show about my sexuality, and I thought she had handled it well. I didn't realize she had some issues of her own to deal with regarding lesbianism. I pointed at the event in the paper and told her that when we got back on the air, I was going to bring it up. Kim quickly shot me a look and informed me that was not appropriate. I was amazed. Not appropriate? We were in a college town, on a college radio station. It seemed perfectly appropriate to me.

We were still in the middle of the discussion when the show came back on the air. I quickly started the dialogue by stating that while I wanted to announce a local gay pride event, the other DJ didn't feel it was appropriate. Sarcasm dripped from my voice as I said the word "appropriate."

Kim was aghast that I had actually brought this up on the air. For a moment, she simply sat in front of her microphone, face drawn up in a pinched fashion. She was contemplating her next move like a seasoned chess player.

Finally, she shot me a look that told me clearly that she was not going to accept what I had just said. She then told the entire listening audience that she wasn't the only one who thought it was inappropriate. So did God and a good part of the country.

It was then my turn to be aghast. I had thought, in my ignorance, that I would make my comment and Kim would then apologize. I don't know where I got that idea from, but it's definitely not what happened.

I took my cue and jumped all over Kim. I was yelling all kinds of things, most of which are not meant to be in an article of this nature. We both attacked each other verbally to the point that one of us was going to have to leave in order to keep the altercation from getting physical.

I jumped out of my seat, took my keys to the office out of my pocket, flung them on the floor, and announced that I was quitting. Kim, face flushed with anger, gave me a wicked smile, told me and the audience that I was crazy, and requested that I never come back.

That day marked the end of my radio career. After all of that drama, I decided to never step foot in a radio station again.

When people bring something personal in front of an audience, it can be very dangerous. Emotions can run extremely high. The idea that the emotions are on display for an audience only adds fuel to the fire. Suddenly, it becomes incredibly important to be seen as right in front of everyone. That can cause the fighting to become more severe. That's what happened in the case of Artie Lange, and that's what occurred with me as well. The fight took on a life of its own to the point that it could not be calmed.

Both my argument and the fight that Artie Lange had with his assistant started out simply enough. Lange and I both felt strongly about something, and we were so sure that we were right that we were willing to allow it to be played in front of an audience. Then, when it didn't go in our favor, we both became infuriated with the situation and overreacted.

Sources: Adam Abramson, "Pet Rock: The Pop Culture Blog", Newsday.com