Synopses & Reviews
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 Live's 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 othersa 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 colleagues the 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.
Review
"Essential for Farley and SNL fans, and a sterling example of oral biography well-structured, consistently engaging and simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking." Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
Review
"A bittersweet, unabashedly fond remembrance of a troubled funnyman." Booklist
Review
"As with any good oral history, The Chris Farley Show moves briskly and the reporting is deep....[T]his unflinching, well-written book outshines any Farley highlight reel. (Grade: B+)" Entertainment Weekly
Review
"[A] well-organized compilation of vivid reminiscences from family and former schoolmates, TV and film personalities, and community center workers. A heartbreaking story of a complex man emerges....Essential for fans." Library Journal
Review
"Perhaps the authors are too close to give a complete picture. Perhaps everyone associated with SNL remains too scarred by Wired to open up to any biographer....It's not that they gloss over his addictions; it's that the details are frustratingly vague." USA Today
Synopsis
A biography of the Saturday Night Live star as told by his friends and family, The Chris Farley Show is an evocative and harrowing portrait of a family trapped by addiction and a gifted man torn apart by his demons. Two 16-page color inserts.
Synopsis
The New York Times bestselling biography of an American comedy legendAfter three years of sobriety, Chris Farley's life was at its creative peak until a string of professional disappointments chased him back to drugs and alcohol. He fought hard against them, but it was a fight he would lose in December 1997. Farley's fans immediately drew parallels between his death and that of his idol, John Belushi. Without looking deeper, however, many failed to see that Farley was much more than just another Hollywood drug overdose. In this officially authorized oral history, Farley's friends and family remember his work and life. Along the way, they tell a remarkable story of boundless energy, determination, and laughter that could only keep the demons at bay for so long.
Synopsis
An irreverent, yet powerful exploration of race relations by the New York Times-bestselling author of The Chris Farley Show Frank, funny, and incisive,
Some of My Best Friends Are Black offers a profoundly honest portrait of race in America. In a book that is part reportage, part history, part social commentary, Tanner Colby explores why the civil rights movement ultimately produced such little true integration in schools, neighborhoods, offices, and churches—the very places where social change needed to unfold. Weaving together the personal, intimate stories of everyday people—black and white—Colby reveals the strange, sordid history of what was supposed to be the end of Jim Crow, but turned out to be more of the same with no name. He shows us how far we have come in our journey to leave mistrust and anger behind—and how far all of us have left to go.
Synopsis
An irreverent, yet powerful exploration of race relations by the New York Times-bestselling author of The Chris Farley Show Frank, funny, and incisive,
Some of My Best Friends Are Black offers a profoundly honest portrait of race in America. In a book that is part reportage, part history, part social commentary, Tanner Colby explores why the civil rights movement ultimately produced such little true integration in schools, neighborhoods, offices, and churches—the very places where social change needed to unfold. Weaving together the personal, intimate stories of everyday people—black and white—Colby reveals the strange, sordid history of what was supposed to be the end of Jim Crow, but turned out to be more of the same with no name. He shows us how far we have come in our journey to leave mistrust and anger behind—and how far all of us have left to go.
About the Author
Tom Farley, Jr., Chris's older brother, is president and managing director of the Chris Farley Foundation, which educates young people about substance abuse and addiction.
Tanner Colby is former head writer of The National Lampoon Radio Hour and coauthor of Belushi: A Biography.