November 2009

EXPRESS: For those who haven’t read your book, can you tell us how you got hooked on heroin after kicking coke?
» LANGE: I fell into it on the road one day, as I documented in my book. A comedy club manager in a certain city, I told [him] I was taking a lot of pain killers to deal with the shitty plane rides and hotels, and somehow getting back to work on Monday morning at 6 [a.m.] — which every comic I worked with on the road told me they didn’t know how I did that. I dunno how I’ve done it either; I’ve done it for almost a decade. The guy got me in touch with a dealer for heroin because it was cheaper. And the name of the chapter of the book — the guy actually said this — “Do heroin, it’s better for your liver.” I was popping 50 Vicodin a day, so in his own way he probably had a point.

» EXPRESS: How long have you been clean now?
» LANGE: I hired two off-duty New York City cops who specialize in this to get me off heroin once and all. As of April [2009] I’ve been clean from heroin; haven’t touched it. I lost 50 pounds right away — being on Subutex, this opiate blocker [to quell heroin cravings], helps you gain a lot of weight. I’ve always been heavy, but never near 300. … Anyway, I got off the Subutex, lost the weight, got healthier, [but] I still have bouts with depression.
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