VERSE TRIBUTE
A Friend Named Chris Farley
There was once a comedian who was larger than life
“The first time I saw him he was sweeter than shit
Plaid jacket and belt too tight, he wasn’t even doing a bit
Then he cartwheeled around the room and slow-danced with the cleaning lady
He was an one man party
You know I’m talkin’ about, I’m talkin’ about my friend Chris Farley”
— Adam Sandler, Farley
The first time I watched the 1995 movie “Tommy Boy” (directed by Peter Segal) I remember thinking to myself, “What the hell, this overweight dude is a f**king firecracker, a house on fire.” That man was Chris Farley. And yes he was, both on and off screen.
The problem was, he was consistently a livewire in real life due to his active usage of cocaine and morphine. Combining both to be known as “Speedball” was the cause of Farley’s untimely death in 1997. He was only 33, the same age and killer, that took his idol — another American comedian named John Belushi.
Throughout the 90s, Farley was the comedian of the hour. He was such a memorable character, outstanding in numerous movies and television shows, that the movie — now a cult classic — Tommy Boy was written based on Farley’s real-life family road trips.
“On a Saturday Night my man would always deliver
Whether he was the Bumblebee Girl or livin’ in a van down by the river
He loved the Bears and Ditka, danced at Chippendale’s with Swayze
When they replaced his coffee with Folgers he went fuckin’ crazy
The sexiest Gap Girl and Meatloaf in the band
Without him there’d be no Lunch Lady in Lunch Lady Land
You know I’m thinkin’ about, I’m thinkin’ about my boy Chris Farley”
Like a double-edged sword, his energetic comedic talent coupled with his overweight image got him recognized. He became a member of the Chicago’s Second City Theatre and later a member of the sketch-comedy show that launched the career of many comedic talents in Hollywood, Saturday Night Live (SNL).
For the five seasons Farley was there on SNL, he raised an inferno of great talents that complemented his, both in and out of the show, such as Adam Sandler, David Spade, Tim Meadows, Rob Schneider, Dan Aykroyd, George Wendt and Chris Rock, to name a few.
Together they rose to fame, became thick as thieves, often crashing at each other’s place. But they were also helpless in helping their friend Farley clean up and get treatment at numerous visits to rehab — a total of 17 times.
“After a show he’d drink a quart of Jack Daniels then stick the bottle right up his ass
But hungover as hell that Catholic boy always showed up to morning mass
We’d tell him “Slow down, you’ll end up like Belushi and Candy”
He said “Those guys are my heroes, that’s all fine and dandy”
I ain’t making that shit up, that’s the truth about my boy Chris Farley”
Lorne Michaels, creator of SNL and a close friend, was so concerned that he fired Farley from the show in an attempt to force him to seek serious treatment. Many still questioned the decision. Other friends and fellow comedians Bob Odenkirk and Chris Rock have openly accused Hollywood of using and abusing Farley.
It is hard to imagine Farley being anything less than what he is, and to do that, he needed to be high. The substances that killed him was also the architects behind Farley’s brand of comedy. It is equally difficult to imagine Farley sober and still. I doubt Farley himself would know what to do.
Odenkirk was just as upset with Farley for abusing himself:
“With Chris there is a limit to how wonderful it is to me and that limit is when you kill yourself with drugs and alcohol. You know, that’s when it stops being so fucking magical.” — Taken from an interview in the documentary “I Am Chris Farley”
People also found it difficult to pin Farley down for his flaws as he was a great friend, a good son and a kind-hearted person. When Sandler wrote the script for “Grown Ups” the role played by Kevin James was written with Farley in mind. The movie was Sandler’s imagined portrayal of how the friends would continue their antics and grow old together with their families.
December 18, 2022 marked the 25th anniversary of Farley’s death and it remains difficult for his friends.
David Spade was too distraught he didn’t attend the funeral. He went into seclusion, kept himself away from friends and the limelight to mourn. It took him many years later to reveal how it was too upsetting he couldn’t speak about Farley.
“I saw him in the office crying with his headphones on
Listening to a KC And The Sunshine Band song
I said “Buddy, how the hell is that makin’ you so sad?”
Then he laughed and said “Just thinkin’ about my dad”
The last big hang we had was at Timmy Meadows’ wedding party
We laughed our balls off all night long, all because of Farley
But a few months later the party came to an end
We flew out to Madison to bury our friend
Nothing was harder than sayin’ goodbye
Except watching Chris’s father have his turn to cry”
In a 2018 Netflix special “Adam Sandler: 100% Fresh” to commemorate 21 years of Farley’s passing, Sandler performed “Farley” a song he wrote as a tribute to his friend. A year later he performed it on SNL. The gig revealed how Farley remains a strong presence and a tough bitter pill to swallow.
Still affected by his friend’s death Sandler opens up:
“The first few times, we played that song, I would tear up and I couldn’t really sing it well because I’d get so emotional and then I felt it and was able to get it out there,” Sandler said of the tune. “It’s weird, but when that song starts, I go, ‘Oh f — k, alright, don’t cry and don’t do that’ still. I’ve sang it maybe a hundred times already, but it rocks me.”
No one feels it harder than Farley’s comedic soulmate David Spade who starred alongside in Tommy Boy. Spade’s deadpan smart ass humor was the perfect balance to Farley’s dumb goofy loveable personality. “We always laughed. We were like an old married couple — except we slept in the same bed.”
When Farley died, Spade went into a deep depression. Many thought there was a fallout between the two close friends when Spade was absent at the funeral. “It was just to … emotional, and I wouldn’t be able to handle it… It took months before I could go OK, I can talk about this. It comes up in my life every day, and I think it will forever.”
“Hey buddy, life’s moved on but you still bring us so much joy
Make my kids laugh with your YouTube clips or Tommy Boy
And when they ask me who’s the funniest guy I ever knew
I tell ’em hands down without a doubt it’s you
Yeah, I miss hanging out watching you trying to get laid
But most of all I miss watching you fuck with Spade
You’re a legend like you wanted but I still wish you were here with me
And we were getting on a plane to go shoot Grown Ups 3
Yeah, life ain’t the same without you boy
And that’s why I’m singin’ about, I’m singin’ about my friend Chris Farley
And if we make enough noise, maybe he’ll hear us
Give it up for the great Chris Farley”
The beauty of Farley was not just his energy for life and gift for comedy. He left behind a legacy of love, friendship and loyalty that remains palpable among his friends. It doesn’t happen often in a place like Hollywood. It doesn’t happen to many of us in life.
Sandler’s tribute through “Farley” is a testament to how, in its simplicity of diction and delivery, so much is revealed about the depth of love the men of comedy have for each other. Hard to believe such magic is possible to come out from the filth of toxic Hollywood, the same circuit that have robbed many lives in the pursuit of fame and success. Farley wanted to be a legend like his idols John Candy and John Belushi. Indeed he became one. If only he took a longer journey to get there.
For his surviving mates, there are days they laugh, there are days they cry. Today, it’s about singing the memories.
Rest in peace the great and lovable Chris Farley.
