| In Association With... |  |
|
|
|
The Chris Farley Show: A Biography in Three Acts | 
 enlarge | Authors: Jr., Tom Farley, Tanner Colby
Publisher: Viking Adult
Category: Book
List Price: $26.95
Buy New: $15.54
You Save: $11.41 (42%)
New (19) from $15.54
Avg. Customer Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 99
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 368
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 9.5 x 6.3 x 1.5
ISBN: 0670019232
Dewey Decimal Number: 792.028092
EAN: 9780670019236
ASIN: 0670019232
Publication Date: May 6, 2008 (New: This Week)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: ALL BOOKS ARE BRAND NEW!
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Amazon Best of the Month, May 2008: You don't have to be a rabid Chris Farley fan to enjoy The Chris Farley Show, an honest, endearing oral biography about a truly funny, deeply troubled addict that is as likely to make you cry as it is to make you laugh out loud. Made up mostly of excerpts from intimate interviews with family, childhood friends, famous castmates, and writers, The Chris Farley Show is a vivid portrait of a performer, told plainly by the people who knew him best at every stage of his life. These hundred or so interviews piece together the complex back-story of a hugely talented, big-hearted guy who could make the funniest people in the business laugh with "just a look," but whose vulnerability and "puppy dog personality" charmed friends and family into letting him off the hook--preventing him from getting help when he needed it most. Funny and heart wrenching, The Chris Farley Show is a must-read for fans of Farley and of the people who loved him (including David Spade, Chris Rock, Tim Meadows), as well as anyone looking for a glimpse into life on the stage. --Daphne Durham
Product Description
A biography of the Saturday Night Live star as told by his friends and family
No one dominated a stage the way Chris Farley did. For him, comedy was not a routine; it was a way of life. He could not enter a room unnoticed or let a conversation go without making someone laugh. Fans knew Chris as Saturday Night Lives sweaty, swaggering, motivational speaker; as the irresistible Chippendales stripper; and as Tommy Callahan, the underdog hero of Tommy Boy. His family knew him as sensitive and passionate, deeply religious, and devoted to bringing laughter into others lives.
But Chris did not know moderation, either in his boundless generosity toward friends or in the reckless abandon of his drug and alcohol abuse. For ten years, Chris cycled in and out of rehabilitation centers, constantly fighting his insecurities and his fears. Despite three hard-fought years of sobriety, addiction would ultimately take his life at the tragically young age of thirty-three. Fame on SNL and three straight number-one box office hits gave way to a string of embarrassing public appearances, followed by a fatal overdose in December 1997.
Here is Chris Farley as remembered by his family, friends, and colleaguesthe true story of a man who lived to make us laugh and died as a result. The Chris Farley Show is an evocative and harrowing portrait of a family trapped by addiction, a father forced to bury a son, and a gifted and kindhearted man ultimately torn apart by the demons inside him.
|
| Customer Reviews:
I cried through the last two chapters. May 12, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This was such a moving tragedy, I just couldn't help myself.
I was 17 when John Belushi died. I still remember being interviewed by some guy at the MEPS when I went into the Army in 1982 - "You don't do any of that stuff like Belushi did, speedballs or anything, right?" Considering that Belushi died in 1980, it was something that this memory was still fresh in the minds of so many people. Chris Farley could have been somebody like that. In many ways, I found him more likable than Belushi was, and every bit as talented. It is a tragedy that all of this pure talent, this spirit that Chris was born with, had gone to waste like that.
This book should be required reading for anyone studying substance abuse and the effect it has not only on the individual, but on those close to the abuser. I could feel the exhaustion that the interviewees felt as Chris sunk further and further toward oblivion. They all wanted to save him, but in the end, they were powerless to do much of anything. I couldn't imagine being one of those who subjected themselves to the brutality of 20/20 hindsight later on - "if only I had...."
I read that he was originally cast as Shrek with particular interest, and I imagined what that film would have been like with Farley delivering the line at the beginning of the film, "this is the part when you RUN!!!!!!!" I will be first in line when they sell the Shrek DVD with the Farley soundtrack. That must have been, as Chris might have said, "awesome."
question May 9, 2008
0 out of 4 found this review helpful
this isn't really a review but i recently bought this book and near the end of it there is about 2-3 chapters of the book "ten year nap" by Meg Wolitzer. it doesn't seem to fit, i was just wondering if its supposed to be there or not. it seemed to skip from Chris's last stint in rehab to the epilogue. so if someone could answer my questions so i can return the book and get a new copy it would be greatly appreciated.
Farley and comedy fans, this is a must read book! May 9, 2008
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
I thought the book is well written and provided insight I had not been aware of. I did not expect any of what the book exposed.
This book has amazing stories about an amazing person.
If you thought you know the Farley story, you have no idea.
Heartwarming and heartbreaking.
Hopefully this book can help other people who have family members who are trying to overcome "addictions".
The amazing story to me is, that Chris made it famous even though all this stuff was going on, he still found a way to shoot thru the system. It is very hard to get on SNL and even harder to star in movies, he was simply really funny and really amazing. But he also was completely out of control at times.
Paul
How sad... May 6, 2008
4 out of 34 found this review helpful
The day I heard Chris Farley died, I was shocked. Almost in tears, really. I was about 14 at the time and I couldn't understand why Farley died the way he did. Chris Farley was my favorite actor on SNL. And on top of that, Farley's movies were hilarious. To this day, I still watch Tommy Boy and Blacksheep and the rest of his films regularly. I still laugh at everything, and each time I watch it, I feel a certain sadness overcome me (or perhaps it's pity or a little bit of both). Every time I watch it, I wonder about what was behind the man? What were his thoughts? Why did he let himself go the way he did? Perhaps there is something about the life of being an actor/comedian that drives a man to loneliness and a constant fight with drugs and alcohol. I wonder what his last moment in life was like? Perhaps he found too late the answer to his problem. I would like to think that Farley is up in heaven right now making everyone laugh by his hilarious acts and charming self. I hope he knows that he has many life-long fans left in this world - including me, I will probably be a fan of his movies for life.
I hope this book brings answers to my questions about Farley. Perhaps an understanding of what he did and what he went through. Perhaps through Farley's death we all could learn a thing or two. Perhaps, ultimately what he left behind was hope for those who suffered the same illness he did.
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| |
