This book had me laughing and crying. It really helps you understand the man who made us laugh, when deep down inside he was crying.

I'm nearly finished with this book and am at the point were the book is getting depressing. This book chronicles the life and times of Chris Farley, through the hilarious, through the heartwarming, through the"Wow, I never knew Chris Farley was like this", through his final days. It is an absolute MUST READ for anyone. Wether you are interested in Chris or not, It is an amazing story that tragically came to an end way way to early.Tom Farley and Tanner Colby did amazing jobs making this book. I have to personally thank each and everyone who wrote this book because it is a wonderful read.

Just finished the book and once again am glad I bought this book. This book touched me because my best friend died last year in a similar way. You see it coming and then its too late. I know how these people feel because I feel it for not only Chris Farley, but for my best friend...
Maybe you can show this book to someone close to you with a similar disease and help them help themselves before they are gone.

I'm nearly finished with this book and am at the point were the book is getting depressing. This book chronicles the life and times of Chris Farley, through the hilarious, through the heartwarming, through the"Wow, I never knew Chris Farley was like this", through his final days. It is an absolute MUST READ for anyone. Wether you are interested in Chris or not, It is an amazing story that tragically came to an end way way to early.Tom Farley and Tanner Colby did amazing job making this book. I have to personally thank each and everyone who wrote this book because it is a wonderful read.

Who would have expected Chris Farley to be such a loving man? A devastating story that will seduce those who even hold just a passing interest in Farley's work. The question is, why did we have to wait so long for his story to be told?

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 funny, revealing, touching, maddening and ultimately tragic. There is a period in Chris' life where he really had his stuff together he was on top of the world and I was unaware of that. I was not prepared to for the Chris Farley that was sober and on top of things and brightening the world around him. That high period in his life makes his ending all the more depressing. Especially since it really seemed he was going to keep his addictions down and go on to break out from the "fat guy falls down" comedy and truly make something great one day.

What surprised me was the unanimous love for Chris by everyone that is interviewed. Surely they could have found someone out there that knew Chris that thought he was a jerk? Even at his most outrageous he could still find a way to make people love him. To me, that's another tragedy of his life. He was greatly loved and it seems he really didn't see it or, if he did see it, feel he deserved it.

It's also impressive for the honesty of all those interviewed. Sure, they all loved Chris but they do not airbrush his faults. Even some of things that made him endearing could become a pain in the behind if a schtick was carried on too long. His drinking, his drug use, his rehab and the problems of and caused by his family are all addressed here. It's an honest book and in a biography, that is all that you can really hope for.

The Chris Farley Show is basically his brother Tom and a bunch Chris' closest work, high school, and college friends talking about their experiences with Farley.

The book is broken up into three "acts", the first is about Chris as a youth and how he became an aspiring comedian, the second is about making it to Second City and eventually SNL and then to his feature films and the last act is about Chris' demise.

The book is almost overwhelmingly (70-80%) about Chris' addictions and demons. He was in and out of probably every rehab center in America but could never truly stay clean.

I am a huge Chris Farley fan and love all of his work, he was truly a great talent and by all accounts a very generous and caring individual. He was also extremely insecure and riddled by almost every addiction known to man (overeating, alcoholism, drug use, obsessive compulsive disorder).

Anywho, this was a quick read at 330 pages mainly because it's set up like reading a movie script. Each person opines about a given topic and then the next jumps in. There are a lot of celebrity memories in this book from SNL Alums including Chevy Chase, Tim Meadows, David Spade, Alec Baldwin and so forth.

The best parts of The Chris Farley Show were when his friends would reminisce about the funny pranks that Farley use to pull as a kid, such as eating a box of white tic-tacs and then banging his mouth on a church pew and spitting the tic-tacs out like they were his teeth! or every time a pretty girl would walk by Chris would get down in the push-up position and start counting 198, 199, 200. It was the little things in this book that made it a good read.

The Bottom Line: Everyone knows Chris' story but few knew the man and after reading this book you will have a bit more insight into how great of a person and talent we lost.

Highly Recommended for even casual Farley fans

I bought this for my dh's birthday and we've been fighting over who gets to read it. We're actually keeping two bookmarks in the book so we can read it simultaneously.

It's really a sad story. But a very honest look at Farley's insecurities and his fatal struggle with drugs and alcohol. I find myself feeling sorry for him.

The interview format makes it a pretty quick read.

I could not put this book down! I have always been a fan of Chris Farley and after reading this I fell in love with him all over again. I cried, laughed, and was mad as hell. It really made me realize that we sometimes forget that celeberties are real people just like you and me! I pray that someone will read this and change some destructive things in their lives to LIVE!

All SNL fans will **LOVE** this, guaranteed. It'll make you laugh, it'll make you cry. I haven't burned through a book so quickly since "Live from New York".

Who has not seen a Chris Farley movie? Most of us have seen them on t.v,or even own a couple, but do we really know who he was? This book tells of the world behind the laughter so to speak. It shows that Chris was a very religious man that felt he had no control over what it was that he was doing, adn in the end this is what killed him. It shows a boy that would go to partys become the life of them yet in the end, when his friends were off with girls he was there alone. I would say this is one of the best bios o have ever read, not just cause it shows the side of a man that i have loved to watch, but it shows what other poeple close to him have to say, both good and bad.

I want to start off by saying that I'm not a huge Chris Farley fan. I always liked him, but I always thought he was playing the same character over and over. Still, I picked this up simply because it looked interesting.

And it was.

I've never really liked the structure of oral histories. They always seemed so disjointed with the narrative. But, this one worked. The insights were actually valuable and engaging and, coupled with the narrative text, told a surprising complex story about an actor I hadn't really considered to be that complex.

I smiled a lot remembering some of his skits. I laughed out loud at some of his lesser-known antics. I felt my stomach drop when the story went into depth about his drug and alcohol problems. I remembered the grief so many felt at his passing. To let the reader experience that many emotions in one quick read is definitely a testament to both the authors and their subject.

While THE CHRIS FARLEY show does tell us many interesting stories about the late comedian, as a reader, I felt as though I was still sitting on the outside looking in. I thought that with the Farley family heavily involved, I would get a better feel for what Chris was really like and why his life turned out the way it did. Yes, he was funny and yes, he was an addict, but author (Farley? Colby?) fails to deliver any answers to the questions any reader would have. Chapters begin with average writing by the author setting the time and place, but gives no real explanation for a single twist or turn in Chris' life. We hear from friends, family and co-stars who offer tidbits and stories, but their stories only move the narrative along without taking us into the psyche of the main character. While most voices heard here remember him fondly, the observant reader will note that in the end, all these people had abandoned him and he died alone, except for one lone hooker who left him dying or dead. At one point, the book offers up that Chris was clean and sober for a period of time. Anyone who knows addiction would know that, while off drugs and drink, Farley had supplanted those addictions with food and other addictions. His behavior seems inappropriate throughout. I'd have preferred Tanner Colby to have researched addiction and its many causes before attempting to write a book dealing with the issue. He and Tom Farley have spoken publicly suggesting that THE CHRIS FARLEY SHOW in some way would help families and friends deal with drug abuse and addiction. That would be a mistake as, while there are apologies for failings, there is no thought given to what could have and should have been done

Still, I have to admit, I watched the train go off the tracks. I don't have a lot to add to the positive reviews posted here. I was really touched by some of the warm anecdotes in here about the "good" Chris Farley, but there's not a lot of upside to this book, ultimately, beyond the obvious anti-drug subtext. I give the participating family members credit for sharing this painful story. As a companion piece, definitely worth reading the "Belushi" bio by co-author Tanner Colby, which has more to offer in the graphic-design department. Eerily similar ending, of course.

I wish I could personally thank Chris Farley's brother for writing this book. It was wonderful to get to know what Chris was like when he wasn't on stage/screen. I have battled with depression in my own life and reading about someone else's experience was educational and helpful. I was only 13 when Chris Farley died and I still miss him today. Thanks to this book I felt like I got to know this beautiful and unique man a bit more.

The quilted style of this book covers the man's life from numerous overlapping angles. Illuminating, highly readable, and truly sad (ever cried while reading a biography before?... jeez.)

I would have liked to know a little more about Chris's mental health history and treatment for depression (we read that someone obviously prescribed him Prozac, right? Who? When? Why? Could he have been Bipolar ...)?


I feel for his family and for Tom Farley, his brother and one of the authors. This was a fitting, appropriate, fair, and sensitive way to honor Chris and to show us a more complete version of their loved one.

I finished reading "The Chris Farley Show". I grew up with SNL and still watch it. Chris was a show stopper in most of his skits. The thing I didn't know that with all of his problems he was a kind, compasionate, caring person. Taking homeless people to dinner and ball games, visiting with sick kids with cancer, doing benefits and donating his salary to the benefit. I also didn't know how shy and insecure he was. His brother Tom did a great job compiling all the interviews and writing the book.

I never write reviews on Amazon, or about books for that matter. But, I wanted to let people know that this book is a fantastic read. It's insightful, funny and disheartening. I found Chris's life story to be fascinating in both good and bad ways. If you are at all familiar with his comedy, or who he was as a person, then you should definitely read this book.

I never saw Chris Farley on TV when he was on SNL and only saw him in his movies, which weren't much (though Tom Farley and Tanner Colby valiantly make a case for the greatness of TOMMY BOY), but now I'm a fan, thanks to this book. The oral history format is intrinsically flawed, but the authors do their best to balance out the variegated comments of Chris's friends with some solidly told narrative, so that we don't lose our bearings too often.

One thing I thought was interesting was that Chris was in so many rehabs, and kept them very private, that they were unable to find many details even from Chris' doctors about what clinic he was in on what date--the only way they were able to even get a vague idea about when he was in and when he was out was from contemporary diary notes made by his poor mother.

At first it seems like he's his own worst enemy, but then halfway through, you realize, his father was his worst enemy, and he suffered from an Oedipal fixation which involved being a slave to his father and always needing the father's love. This involved ignoring what the surviving brothers call the "elephant in the room--literally," in that the father was 400 pounds and drunk all the time, and yet because he was the breadwinner in the family they all acted as though he was Joe Normal. Chris was urged to lose weight, and he said that he couldn't, he had to be heavy to be like his father or his father would get hurt, spotting an implied rebuke. Oh what a dilemma. But then finally you see how he spent upwards of half a million dollars on rehab and nothing worked because basically, the lure of cocaine, alcohol and heroin is stronger than reason and eventually, stronger than money and love.

Sometimes the authors go too far, I think, in their breezy summations of history. It's tasteless to say, for example, that "in the comedy epidemic of the twentieth century, John Belushi was Patient Zero." What an insult to people with AIDS and the hundreds of thousands who have died of AIDS. I also wonder if they aren't overestimating Chris' place in culture. "That Saturday night," they write, "with one unforgettable performance, the phrase 'van down by the river' assumed its permanent place in the national lexicon." After reading this paragraph I did a straw poll and asked 20 people if they knew what that phrase meant, and only one did. Then I watched the skit in question and it was funny, etc., and it made me a fan, but "permanent place in the national lexicon" is overkill. Now I sound like Scrooge, sorry fans!

An unflinchingly honest, yet sympathetic look at the life a performer that ended far too soon. I was moved to laughter and tears, sometimes in the same chapter. A must if you're a fan of Chris Farley or even just Saturday Night Live.

But read this book anyway because I like to read about SNL and Hollywood. The reason I tell you this is that it would be easy for one of Chris's fans to think this book is great. It's like me reviewing a book about, for instance, Dr. Who.

But I found I liked this book a great deal more than I thought I would have.

Honestly, it didn't exactly make me miss Chris Farley all that much more. But it did open me to the possibility that his loss was a greater waste than I'd previously thought.

I think a book that can do that is pretty good.

I bought THE CHRIS FARLEY SHOW in hopes of learning more about one of my favorite comedy stars. Sadly, all I got was more stories about Chris and zero about why he was the way he was. The Farleys ignored the problems Chris displayed as a child and he paid the ultimate price as an adult. Here, Tanner Colby, as the "real" author, ignores the problems and just compiles a series of new stories coupled with ones we've all heard before to create a narrative. But after reading hundreds of pages, I didn't feel I knew Chris Farley one bit better. I had hoped that with his own family participating, we'd get to know him better. Noooo! Pretty Sad! So, if you get off on hearing meaningless stories from other celebs and friends, then the book is "OK". If you want to better understand addiction or the addict, then THE CHRIS FARLEY SHOW is a bloated let down, which is what Chris ultimately became. Like a friend at a memorial for a suicide, we want to know why this had to happen. All Tanner Colby and Tom Farley tell us is that it did happen and some cute stories along the way. At one point in the book there is concern at SNL that they didn't want another "Belushi". Ironic as Colby penned an equally generic bio of John Belushi. Why?

paints a true, heartfelt, loving portrait of one of the funniest human beings to ever live.....i was in tears especially at the end...while reading this book you feel you truly KNOW Farley and you feel for him and you wish you could have been there to try to help steer him in the right direction.....not only was he a great comedic talent he was a very caring, loving person that anyone could envy, unfortunately he didnt see past what most ppl saw him as - the funny fat guy......its almost unbearable to read the final 30 pages or so ...of his downward spiral into uncontrollable alcohol and drug addiction that destroyed him.....its been over a decade since his death but almost feels just like yesterday

I learned so much about Chris Farley from this book. From page 322 on if you aren't in tears you aren't living. The book is well put together and a fast read. Excellent job. A good print. Only two typos in the book - minor. Buy it. Read it. Think about it. He made us laugh, oh so much. If only we could have given him back the love he gave to us. How could he know? Sometimes life itself just isn't enough.

If you are a fan of Chris Farley, read this book. It offers insight from the people who knew him best. However, I wonder why Adam Sandler and Rob Schneider didn't contribute more to the book. Just looking at the "public persona" of Chris Farley, you would never know about the dysfunctional, co-dependent family, the over-the-top, self-destructive, addictive behavior, all of the people who tried to help him and constantly warned him about his actions, and the deep seated self-doubt and insecurities that the man had. This book wasn't the humorous book that I expected, but I feel like I know and understand Chris Farley after reading it. Act I tells of his formative years, from childhood through his early experiences in comedy (Second City), to eventually being hired by SNL, all the while trying to keep his binges in check and surviving as a "functioning" addict. Act II is a sort of "what could have been" had he stayed straight. Act III is terribly heartbreaking as the addiction takes control of his life and ultimately kills him.

Chris Farley was hilarious, a great friend, a devout Catholic, a generous giver and a raging alcholic and hardcore drug user!

This biography of his life, written by his brother Tom Farley and Tanner Colby is excellent. I think they paid a great respect to Chris by writing this book. It covers Chris's life from childhood to highschool/college, from his early comedy days in Chicago all the way to SNL and his untimely death in December 1997.

The book features short stories from over 100 of Chris's friends, family and fellow comedians. Tim Meadows, David Spade, Chris Rock, Lorne Michaels, John Goodman and Tom Arnold just to name a few.

Like most of America, I loved Chris Farley on SNL and his movies. Unfortunatley he couldn't love himself or get over his idea that no one really liked him for him, they just wanted to see "fatty fall down". Not to mention his constant battle with drugs, alcohol and depression throughout his career.

This book will make you smile and laugh (hard) at times and then make you sad as Chris slips away up until his death.

Before Chris died he had many other projects set up that we never got see like, The Gelfin w/ Vince Vaughn, which was never finished. Chris was the original Shrek, wow, how funny would that have been and he was in line to play the lead character in the movie Cable Guy, Jim Carrey eventually took the part.

Great book, amazing life story of a once in a lifetime comedian!

My favorite period of SNL was from about 1988-1993, I recognize that the first five seasons were actually the best, the most creative, the most daring, and just something completely new on the scene. But 88-93 was just goofy fun, and if I'm honest with myself, those are my fondest memories of the show.

Chris Farley was no small part of that, he was a talented sketch comedian, and had a real flair for physical comedy. But, and you knew there was one coming, for me, his talents didn't translate very well to the big screen, at least as a lead. This book, while it's very entertaining, and somewhat informative, tries to white wash Chris Farley, and blow up his more than modest talents into something they weren't. Chevy Chase tried to explain this to Chris when he found out that Chris even idolized the way John Belushi died; boiled down, he basically told him, "I knew John Belushi, and as talented as you are, you're no John Belushi."

I know the book was put together by his brother, and it's natural he would want to focus on the positive, the stories about Chris hint at a dark side that sounds more interesting than some of the bland, glowing, anecdotes that we get here.

Live From New York is a great book that has some good Farley stories, and it kind of whets your appetite for more, this book is ok, but could have been much better. Still, I reccomend it, the memories that his friends share are touching, like Chris Rock still seething with anger over a skectch he felt just made fun of Chris' weight, he thought it was just plain mean.

Chris Farley was no John Belushi, but he was Chris Farley, and that's still pretty good.

I can't find much to complain about in the book. I was a little worried about reading an "approved" biography, but the excerpts on the web for the book convinced me to give it a shot. I was not disappointed at all. Highly recommended for anyone that was a fan of Chris Farley.

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."

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.

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

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.