The Chris Farley Show: A Biography in Three Acts
by Thomas Farley, Tanner Colby
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 188)
There's some real interesting tid-bits about his career.
It's real depressing to read about his endless struggle with his addictions.
But it was even more interesting to see his relationship with his 600 pound father and how he lived to please him. They were never able to acknowledge their problems with drinking and eating.
Another thing that took me aback was how deeply religious Chris Farley was. You would never have known that.
He comes across as basically the nicest guy in the world, b...more
It's real depressing to read about his endless struggle with his addictions.
But it was even more interesting to see his relationship with his 600 pound father and how he lived to please him. They were never able to acknowledge their problems with drinking and eating.
Another thing that took me aback was how deeply religious Chris Farley was. You would never have known that.
He comes across as basically the nicest guy in the world, b...more
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I tore through this book. Like the history of Saturday Night Live called "Live from New York" this is an oral biography of Chris Farley (interestingly, in this book the "Live from New York" book takes a pretty harsh hit from someone claiming he was misquoted in the SNL history). The oral format worked for me. As Tom wrote in the introduction, Chris Farley lived the type of life where all his friends had "Chris stories."
This book, like its subject's life, is funn...more
This book, like its subject's life, is funn...more
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For many, Chris Farley might invoke an image of yet another tragic comic lost among a series of actor/comedians such as John Belushi and other overweight, overeager, and overdrugged performers struggling to balance addiction and fame. However, after reading The Chris Farley Show, my image of Mr. Farley has expanded beyond that of a blubbering clown lecturing about living in “a van down by the river;” as Cindy, the starving Gap girl; or as the barely-competent son of a businessman seeking no...more
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Read in May, 2008
This book is an incredibly quick read. Chevy (by far my favorite insurance agent)* could probably finish this one in 2.4 dooks large (with a .3 margin of error for the possible Chi dook revelation). This book is essentially a collection of excerpts from interviews with people who knew Chris Farley during the various stages of his life.
This book more or less delivered what I expected. The one possible exception is that, as an MU grad who has probably heard all of the MU-related Farley stori...more
This book more or less delivered what I expected. The one possible exception is that, as an MU grad who has probably heard all of the MU-related Farley stori...more
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This is an oral biography, which means that whoever decided to put the thing together just interviewed a bunch of people for hours, then cut and pasted whatever they said that was vaguely interesting together to form some sort of narrative. I've read a few of them over the last couple of years, and although they're entertaining, I always walk away from them feeling that I've somehow been cheated. You're not actually gaining any information from an authoritative source that's done extensive res...more
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I feel that everyone who likes to laugh, has to have a favorite SNL personality. I mean, the show's been on for so long, transcending multiple generations. Anyone with a sliver of a sense of humor must have seen the show at least once, and therefore associated their experience with one of the fine performers.
My favorite was Chris Farley. I grew up at the end of the Wayne's World years as they transitioned to the crew of Farley, Sandler, Spade, Schneider, MacDonald, Meadows, and so on. Of...more
My favorite was Chris Farley. I grew up at the end of the Wayne's World years as they transitioned to the crew of Farley, Sandler, Spade, Schneider, MacDonald, Meadows, and so on. Of...more
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Read in July, 2008
My husband, kids and I are all fans of Chris Farley. I think especially because he was from Wisconsin. I hadn't read much about the circumstances surrounding his death before other than the obvious overdose. I don't think I was ready to hear it until now. Plus I was comforted by the fact that it was co-written by Chris's brother so although I expected it to be honest, which it was, I didn't think it would be all about the bad, which it wasn't.
That said, I am really glad I read this book. I e...more
That said, I am really glad I read this book. I e...more
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Read in May, 2008
I'm not typically into biographies or memoirs much, but this one intrigued me, particularly after EW and People magazines gave it extremely good reviews.
Turns out they were right.
It's like Titanic, in that you know what happens in the end. But the build-up is absolutely fascinating, tragic, and devastating.
The Chris Farley Show is presented in three acts of Farley's life. Farley's brother interviewed what must have been nearly 100 people who were close to Chris during his life...more
Turns out they were right.
It's like Titanic, in that you know what happens in the end. But the build-up is absolutely fascinating, tragic, and devastating.
The Chris Farley Show is presented in three acts of Farley's life. Farley's brother interviewed what must have been nearly 100 people who were close to Chris during his life...more
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Read in May, 2008
This is a sad tale of a very funny man's demise. My family have really enjoyed his movies and it was interesting to read the stories behind them. The book is written in narrative style with direct pieces contributed by Farley's friends and family. Strangely, Adam Sandler did not make an appearance in the book.
Chris Farley couldn't seem to emerge from the shadow of either his father or the Catholic church. I have know several friends who had similar issues with Catholicism to the point of ...more
Chris Farley couldn't seem to emerge from the shadow of either his father or the Catholic church. I have know several friends who had similar issues with Catholicism to the point of ...more
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Read in May, 2008
If you were a fan of Farley and SNL you should like this book a lot. I love the set up of this book. It is unconventional. Imagine walking into a room and about 40-50 people from throughout Farley's life are telling you the story of his life. The book is just one quote or story after another from family members, friends, college roommates, SNL friends and others he worked with. These stories are brilliantly spliced and put together to tell his life story. Some of it was funny, some of it w...more
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Read in June, 2008
Saw the author (Tom Farley, Jr.) at the Schwartz Bookstore on Downer Avenue last night. Was a great talk. Glad I was there for it. Plus, I got my book signed.
I totally miss Chris, and many others, I'm sure feel the same way. Truly a comedic prophet whose time on Earth was cut short.
Haven't been to Madison in a while to pay my respects (he's buried at Resurrection Cemetery, which is on Regent Street, heading west, away from Camp Randall and the Fieldhouse). A pretty drive and a quiet, tr...more
I totally miss Chris, and many others, I'm sure feel the same way. Truly a comedic prophet whose time on Earth was cut short.
Haven't been to Madison in a while to pay my respects (he's buried at Resurrection Cemetery, which is on Regent Street, heading west, away from Camp Randall and the Fieldhouse). A pretty drive and a quiet, tr...more
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Read in July, 2008
Interesting format, reads more like a documentary with the lions share of content in interview form. Known as a brilliant comic who's career was cut short due to his overindulgent lifestyle, Chris Farley spent his life trying to please his fans, family, and especially his father, who's addictive tendencies were passed on to Chris. His father, a denial ridden enabler, was in his own right a larger than life character like Denehey in Tommy Boy. His family was at once partying with Chris and trying...more
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Read in May, 2008
I had to sit down for a few minutes after finishing this book. There's a part of me that identifies so closely with Chris, not the drugged out crazy man, but the big funny guy who always has to be "on" around certain people.
I was extremely happy with this book. More a collection of anecdotes than a linear narrative, there were so many instances of five different people saying the same thing about the same subject that it gave that statement a heavy truth.
There are no really u...more
I was extremely happy with this book. More a collection of anecdotes than a linear narrative, there were so many instances of five different people saying the same thing about the same subject that it gave that statement a heavy truth.
There are no really u...more
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Read in September, 2008
I read the second half of this oral biography first, reading all of the salacious stuff about Chris Farley's addictions and fall from grace BEFORE reading about his childhood and formative years (because I subscribe to Entertainment Weekly and couldn't help myself). Even though it was a very quick read and somewhat familiar and predictable (if you're a fan of Saturday Night Live, you may have heard some of these stories before), I enjoyed the book. I think it's an interesting look at Chris Farle...more
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Read in May, 2008
Oh boy. Speaking as someone who didn't give a damn about "SNL" when Farley was on it -- and who thought his movies were stupid, too -- this book is a sad, sweetly funny, enthralling, deeply moving account of a life that was, by all accounts, filled with incredible promise, both on and offstage. A horribly sad waste of life and talent that Farley's friends and family are still obviously trying to make sense of. (read for review)
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Read in June, 2008
Chris' brother clearly wanted this book to be a cautionary tale as well as a celebration of his life, which makes the book a really heartbreaking tale of addiction, rather than merely a long-winded, superficial eulogy. Plus, being an Irish boy from the Midwest with a more than passing familiarity with Wisconsin culture, I felt like I was reading about many of the people I know--a cousin or an uncle or older brother. They got the totality of a life: all the sweetness, the talent, the insecurity...more
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This book was absolutely fantastic and devastating. As a big Chris Farley fan, this book appealed to me because it was written by his brother, and was a collaboration of stories from his family, friends, fellow SNL stars, and even a few bits from Chris. It told the story of his life through the eyes of others, and the honesty and emotion was tangible through all the personal anecdotes strung together in a chronological manner. It will definitely make you left, but overall I was left with a lot o...more
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I thought this was really good. It is written the same way as the Live from New York book (sequential quotes used to tell the story from family, friends, coworkers, etc). There was a lot of behind the scenes stuff that went down with Farley that no one really knew (Paramount blocking his projects until he made Black Sheep, etc). I would highly recommend this to anyone who is a fan of the SNL and/or Farley. It has a lot of facinating stuff. It's a pretty tragic story and isn't really like Belushi...more
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Read in July, 2008
I like oral histories, where you hear a story from a wide variety of sources through direct quotes and only minimal clarification/set-up in between. The contributors are Farley's friends and family, priests, girlfriends, cast members from Second City and Saturday Night Live, film directors, etc. It was definitely well-done, but I was hoping for a heavier emphasis on funny anecdotes from the SNL days, but a lot of it focused on his addictions, which I guess were a big part of his life and proba...more
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I am not a fan of books about celebrities, but chose this book for personal reasons. I was hesitant because of the style. It consists of interviews with people who knew Chris Farley throughout his life. I thought it might be disjointed, but it was not. It flowed smoothly and told the story of his life in an interesting and sympathetic way. Ultimately, I liked the book very much, and came to admire Chris Farley.
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