The text of Chapter 1, “A Motivated Speaker,” was transcribed and condensed from a speech given by Chris Farley at the Hazelden drug rehabilitation facility in Center City, Minnesota, in the summer of 1994. The Chris Farley quote at the opening of Chapter 13, “The Devil in the Closet,” was taken from the article “Chris Farley: On the Edge of Disaster,” which appeared in US magazine and was written by Erik Hedegaard. Some quotes from Tom Davis were drawn from his forthcoming memoir, 38 Years of Short-Term Memory Loss. Other books that were helpful as general references include Live from New York, by Tom Shales and Jim Miller, and Gasping for Airtime, by Jay Mohr. Otherwise, all of the quotes and material in this book were drawn from original interviews conducted by the authors between the months of October 2005 and May 2007.
Given the confidential, anonymous nature of drug and alcohol rehabilitation, not to mention Chris Farley’s nonexistent filing and organizational skills, very little hard documentation exists as to the exact dates and places of his attempts at treatment and his attendance at various recovery meetings. The facts and time lines presented here were drawn from personal notes kept by Mary Anne Farley over the course of Chris’s life.
To every extent possible, the stories presented by the interviewees were checked against contemporary sources as well as the accounts of other eyewitnesses. In many instances, however, no such verification was possible. And, naturally, the opinions and recollections recounted by the participants vary wildly and often directly contradict one another. (Chris Farley was many different things to many different people; such was the nature of his personality.) We have endeavored to present all points of view—even some the authors and the Farley family do not agree with— in the belief that everyone’s opinions have merit and deserve their day in court. Somewhere in this tangle of foggy recollection, iffy hindsight, and outright delusion lies the truth, and readers are invited to find it on their own.
THE - OGRAPHIES
FILMOGRAPHY
1992
Wayne’s World, dir. Penelope Spheeris as Security Guard
1993
Coneheads, dir. Steve Barron as Ronnie the Mechanic
Wayne’s World 2, dir. Stephen Surjik as Milton
1994
Airheads, dir. Michael Lehmann as Officer Wilson
1995
Billy Madison, dir. Tamra Davis as Bus Driver (uncredited)
Tommy Boy, dir. Peter Segal as Thomas “Tommy” Callahan III
1996
Black Sheep, dir. Penelope Spheeris as Mike Donnelly
1997
Beverly Hills Ninja, dir. Dennis Dugan as Haru
1998 (POSTHUMOUS RELEASE)
Almost Heroes, dir. Christopher Guest as Bartholomew Hunt
Dirty Work, dir. Bob Saget as Jimmy (uncredited)
SELECTED VIDEOGRAPHY: NOTABLE SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE APPEARANCES
1990-91 SEASON
09/29/90, Host: Kyle MacLachlan "Tim Peaks,” as Leo the killer
10/20/90, Host: George Steinbrenner "Middle-Aged Man,” as drinking buddy "Weekend Update,” as Tom Arnold
01/12/91, Host: Joe Mantegna "Bill Swerski’s Super Fans,” as Todd O’Conner "I’m Chillin,” as B-Fats
01/19/91, Host: Sting "Hedley & Wyche,” as British toothpaste user
02/16/91, Host: Roseanne “After the Laughter,” as Tom Arnold
02/23/91, Host: Alec Baldwin “The McLaughlin Group,” as Jack Germond
05/18/91, Host: George Wendt “Bill Swerski’s Super Fans,” as Todd O’Conner
1991-92 SEASON
09/28/91, Host: Michael Jordan “Bill Swerski’s Super Fans: Michael Jordan,” as Todd O’Conner “Schmitt’s Gay,” as house sitter
10/05/91, Host: Jeff Daniels “The Chris Farley Show,” as himself
11/16/91, Host: Linda Hamilton “The Chris Farley Show,” as himself (with Martin Scorsese) “Schillervision: Secret Taste Test Gone Wrong,” as angry dinner patron
11/23/91, Host: Macaulay Culkin “Bill Swerski’s Super Fans: Thanksgiving,” as Todd O’Conner
12/14/91, Host: Steve Martin “Not Gonna Phone It In Tonight,” as himself
01/18/92, Host: Chevy Chase “Bill Swerski’s Super Fans: Quizmasters,” as Todd O’Conner
05/09/92, Host: Tom Hanks “Mr. Belvedere Fan Club,” as Mr. Belvedere fan
1992-93 SEASON
12/05/92, Host: Tom Arnold “Bill Clinton Visits McDonald’s,” as Hank Holdgren “Bill Swerski’s Super Fans: Hospital,” as Todd O’Conner
02/13/93, Host: Alec Baldwin “Gap Girls,” as Cindy “The Chris Farley Show,” as himself (with Paul McCartney)
02/20/93, Host: Bill Murray “Fond du Lac Men’s Jazz Ensemble,” as dancer “The Whipmaster,” as bartender
04/10/93, Host: Jason Alexander “Weekend Update,” as Bennett Brauer
05/08/93, Host: Christina Applegate “Motivational Speaker,” as Matt Foley “Gap Girls,” as Cindy
05/15/93, Host: Kevin Kline “Weekend Update,” as Bennett Brauer
1993-94 SEASON
10/02/93, Host: Shannen Doherty “Relapsed Guy,” as the relapsed guy
10/23/93, Host: John Malkovich “Of Mice and Men,” as Lenny/himself
10/30/93, Host: Christian Slater “Motivational Speaker: Halloween,” as Matt Foley
12/04/93, Host: Charlton Heston “The Herlihy Boy House-Sitting Service,” as Mr. O’Malley
11/11/93, Host: Sally Field “Motivational Speaker: Santa Claus,” as Matt Foley
01/08/94, Host: Jason Patric “Cold Open: Giuliani Inauguration,” as Andrew Giuliani “The Herlihy Boy Dog-Sitting Service,” as Mr. O’Malley
01/15/94, Host: Sara Gilbert “Gap Girls,” as Cindy “Lunchlady Land,” as the lunch lady
02/19/94, Host: Martin Lawrence “Motivational Speaker: Scared Straight,” as Matt Foley
03/12/94, Host: Nancy Kerrigan “Pair Skating,” as skating partner
03/19/94, Host: Helen Hunt “Weekend Update,” as Bennett Brauer
04/09/94, Host: Kelsey Grammer “Yankees Game,” as Andrew Giuliani “Iron John: The Musical,” as singer
04/16/94, Host: Emilio Estevez “The Herlihy Boy Grandmother-Sitting Service,” as Mr. O’Malley
05/14/94, Host: Heather Locklear “Bill Swerski’s Super Fans: Letter to Michael Jordan,” as Todd O’Conner
1994-95 SEASON
09/24/94, Host: Steve Martin “Clinton Auditions,” as himself
11/19/94, Host: John Turturro “It’s a Wonderful Newt,” as Newt Gingrich
12/03/94, Host: Roseanne “A Woman Exploited,” as Tom Arnold
12/10/94, Host: Alec Baldwin “Japanese Game Show,” as contestant
12/17/94, Host: George Foreman “Motivational Speaker: George Foreman’s Comeback,” as Matt Foley
01/14/95, Host: Jeff Daniels “Congressional Session,” as Newt Gingrich
01/21/95, Host: David Hyde Pierce “Little Women,” as Toby Adams
02/18/95, Host: Deion Sanders “Strange Visitors,” as SWAT agent
03/25/95, Host: John Goodman “Bill Swerski’s Super Fans,” as Todd O’Conner (with Brian Dennehy and Dan Aykroyd)
02/18/95, Host: Courtney Cox “Motivational Speaker: Venezuela,” as Matt Foley “Gap Girls: Gapardy,” as Cindy
05/11/95, Host: David Duchovny “The Polar Bear Pit,” as himself
1997-98 SEASON
10/25/97, Host: Chris Farley “Cold Opening: I Can Do It,” as himself “Monologue,” as himself “Goth Talk,” as rowdy friend “Morning Latte,” as Gil “Mary Katherine Gallagher,” as overweight classmate “Motivational Speaker: Spinning Class,” as Matt Foley “El Niño,” as El Niño “Sally Jesse Raphael: Giant Baby,” as the giant baby “Monday Night Football Recording Session,” as Hank Williams, Jr. “Bill Swerski’s Super Fans: Ditka Goes to New Orleans,” as Todd O’Conner