The Chris Farley Show: A Biography in 3 Acts

I just finished reading the new Chris Farley biography. It was a book that I couldn't put down. I've always been a fan of Chris Farley since he first started on Saturday Night Live. I loved Tommy Boy. I even really liked Black Sheep. There was one part in it that even when I think about it I crack up: where a big rock hits their cabin and it sends Chris and David Spade falling out of the cabin. Chris goes and takes down the door, and every time I crack up. I even liked Almost Heroes and Beverly Hills Ninja. So, I was excited to read his biography.
It was a lot of testimonials about him from others. They had friends from his childhood, people who went to camp with him, friends from college, coaches, SNL writers and actors, and his family. The first few chapters are about Chris' school and early career, and there were some stories in there that made me laugh out loud. At one point I had laughed so hard that I spit all over the page. It's hard to get people to laugh at something they are reading, and to get somebody to crack up is nearly impossible, but some of the stuff he pulled was awesome.
The end was more about his addictions and his death, and it was so sad. He was such a good guy who couldn't kick his addictions. He volunteered to help elderly people. He would go to hospitals and just hang out with kids in the cancer ward. He was always trying to help people. All of friends said that he was always encouraging them and building them up to feel like a million bucks, even when he was in high school. I didn't really know about any of that, but it makes me like him even more.
I remember I was driving home for Christmas vacation from college. It took about 9 hours to get home, and as soon as I got into the city I turned on the radio, and that was the first thing I heard, that Chris Farley was found dead in his Chicago apartment. I didn't even know him, but I went through the stages of grief. I went through denial: "it's not him, it's some other big guy," actually came out of my mouth. I think it was because he seemed like somebody you could hang out with and talk to. He was just a very friendly guy, and that came out in his public life that I saw. And in his private life, his friends and family say that was who he was too. I wish his life didn't end with that tragedy, I think he could have done a lot more good for this world. But if you like him, or even if you didn't, it's a great book to read.

Here's one of my favorite sketches that he did, but it wasn't on Saturday Night Live, it was with Tom Arnold (of all people):