May212008
Like virtually every red-blooded American who owned a television in the ’90s, it doesn’t get much funnier for me than the late Chris Farley. And the brief Saturday Night Live clip above is from one of my favorite Farley sketches, “Japanese Game Show,” which I thought I knew inside and out.
Then I read The Chris Farley Show, a biography of the comedian’s brief life. It’s been floating around the office where I work the last few weeks, and over the weekend I plowed through it.
I’ll get to the clip in a moment, but first, a bit about this book: It is a sad, sad story. Heartbreaking. Not only a touching history of a comedian’s too-short career, but one of the most moving books on the nature of substance abuse I’ve ever read (and I own a copy of Junkie).
Likely inspired by 2002’s SNL account Live From New York, The Chris Farley Show uses an “oral history” format, recounting interviews with Farley’s friends, family and colleagues to trace his personal and professional life.
Yet The Chris Farley Show actually feels superior to that book. At times, the fragmented “he said/she said” tone of the oral history made Live From New York feel like a petty, tell-all expose (albeit a captivating one), rather than the thorough piece of television criticism it should have been. However, it felt somehow appropriate for Farley’s drug- and booze-filled story. Anyone who’s ever had an addict in their lives will recognize The Chris Farley Show’s endless stream of testimonials from friends and relatives who bared witness to his self-destruction, night after night and bar after bar. At times the interviewees (David Spade, Bob Odenkirk, et al) sound like they’re taking turns at a friend’s intervention.
And yet the book also contains moments of great joy—particularly in its second part (of three), during which Farley enjoys three years of sobriety and produces his greatest work, including “Matt Foley, Motivational Speaker” and “The Chris Farley Show.”
It also celebrates Farley’s generosity and genuine glee. Which brings me back to the clip. I’ve probably seen “Japanese Game Show” a dozen times, but never noticed the strange glance Farley gives to his left in the moment above, or if I did, took it as some odd trait he had given to his character. But Norm MacDonald, in the book, explains:
He would do little asides, especially to [Adam] Sandler, even if Sandler wasn’t in the sketch. One time Chris was in a Japanese game show sketch, and when he went to write down his answer for the game, he just took a big whiff of the Magic Marker and did a look to Sandler off camera… If you watch the tape you can hear him laughing off-screen.
I found this incredibly touching to read, and even more so to watch. I’m often cynical about comedians cracking up in front of the audience, which, in my opinion, can be just another way for a performer to get you to love them. But Farley’s aside is almost imperceptible. I certainly didn’t notice it. I’m not sure it was meant to be noticed. If anything, it seems like Farley was trying to have some fun without anyone noticing.
So watch the clip again and laugh. And then mourn, I suppose, for the passing of the kind of guy who, with 10 million people watching him on national television, cares only about making a friend 20 feet away laugh.
Chris Farley is my favorite comedian and reading this brought a genuine smile to my face. Thanks for posting this Patrick.
Reblogged from Patrick Cassels 100% For Actual!.
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