Wanna Bet? A Degenerate Gambler’s Guide to Living on the Edge

Comedian and actor Lange returns with his third memoir (after Crash and Burn), a collection of tales from his drug- and sex-fueled life. The stories are linked by Lange’s belief that “risk and thrill” are the driving forces to his creativity, so he decided “to pinpoint a handful of the biggest risks” that have defined his life. Some of his tales will be familiar to his fans, such as how he quit a job as a longshoreman in Newark to take a stab at a career in comedy. Newer stories detail the numerous sexual relationships he had during the height of his success as part of the Howard Stern show from 2001 to 2008, and the many ways he’s managed to win and lose thousands of dollars gambling, as part of his being “addicted to thrills and allergic to boredom.” But while his constant need for “action” can become repetitive, the heart of the book is how stand-up comedy, for him, is “the ultimate risk” (he rails against “spineless” younger comics who “work out a safe set of material that does not offend”). Lange’s entertaining book makes it clear that, no matter how wild and risky his lifestyle may be, he takes comedy more seriously than anything else. (July)