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.”
Artie added that the charity gig for a pralyzed 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.”
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.”