Adam Sandler released a musical tribute to his pal Chris Farley, who died 21 years ago today
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It’s been 21 years to the day since Chris Farley died, taking with him one of the biggest comic presences of his generation, and adding a sad new chapter in the tradition of young, dead stars living the lifestyle he himself dubbed “fatty fall down, make funny.” A number of comics, from those who only knew him in passing, to those who worked with him intimately, offered up their tributes tonight:
But none were as elaborate as the one posted online today by his old pal Adam Sandler, who released a video excerpted from his recent Netflix special 100% Fresh, offering up his musical appreciation of “the funniest guy I ever knew.” The end result is remarkably sweet, even if there’s something kind of morbid about the crowd of fans who keep cheering even as Sandler’s song delves honestly into his friend’s self-destructive streak.
But Sandler’s affection—and his willingness to talk about the uglier aspects of Farley’s life—all feel lived in and genuine, even if “I wish Chris Farley was alive so he could be in Grown Ups 3" is one of those sentiments we’re just going to have to sit with and chew on for a while. It’s the sort of sweetness you don’t necessarily expect from guys whose fondest memories together were of raging parties and fucking with David Spade, but Sandler’s love for Farley obviously shines through.
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I wish Chris Farley was alive so he could’ve starred in that aborted Fatty Arbuckle biopic. He would’ve been perfect for that role, and I’m convinced it would’ve been a career maker. A sad what-if.
We just watched Planes, Trains and Automobiles and I wondered aloud to Mrs. F. about the career heights John Candy could have reached. Extraordinarily high I think. Exceeded by Phil Hartman (Oscar?) but still high.
I was surprised at how many people were in the crowd- didn’t know Sander could still pack ‘em in like that.
He doesn’t do a lot of traditional standup anymore, so it’s probably a pretty popular show. In fact the special was cut together from several shows, because you can see him in multiple venues. You can kind of see it at the end of the video.
I feel like I hate Sandler a lot less lately. I think it’s because his movies go straight to Netflix. Also the older I get the more I understand how being lazy and phoning it is just a lot easier when you have a family and other shit you want to do with your life. It just doesn’t bother me that big studios give him money to make movies when talented and hungry filmmakers are out there slobbing knobs with blue shirted perennially thirty-something agent bro-boys trying to get their passion project off the ground like it used to.
His last 3 netflix projects including this one have been good to great too.
I’m not saying it’s staged, but Netflix wouldn’t film a special in an empty theater. I’m sure there were seat fillers.Also, considering there are enough douchebags with backwards ball caps and Oakleys out there who voted Trump , so there are enough schmucks out there who think his “shmidddy bibbity wibbity” man-child shtick is funny.
I still remember wondering around outside in shock when I was 10 after finding out he died. My mom told me his heart exploded because he was fat.
Yeah, I watched the special and the majority of it was hit or miss — but then he had the two’fer of the Chris Farley song — which was incredibly and surprisingly moving — and then I sort of found it lovable-in-a-doofus way that he wrote a version of the “Want To Grow Old With You” song for his wife.But, seriously, the Chris Farley song was extremely good and I highly recommended everyone watch it if you were ever a fan.
That’s so sad. It’s a good song though.
Tommy Boy has so much (really funny) juvenile humor, it’s easy to forget how earnest and sweet it is.
Tommy Boy is great and probably affects me more than it should (thanks a lot, unresolved dead dad issues!)
I’ve always been pretty ambivalent about Farley. On the plus side, his friends do speak pretty glowingly about him after all these years. Compare that to SNL alums who now seem more famous for being despised by other cast members (Chase and Piscopo), or the man Farley is inevitably compared to, John Belushi, who even close friends like Dan Aykroyd must admit could wear out most of their patience when he was at his worst.But I think the (naturally) excellent Nate Rabin article on his biography that’s linked to this article neatly encapsulates how I feel about him. Rabin, though initially despising him, by the end of his review really does seem to want to like him, but always seems to come back to the things that made you dislike him, namely that he, “epitomiz[ed] the shift in attitude from the
halcyon Carvey/Myers/Hartman/Lovitz era to the adolescent monkeyshines of the
Farley/Spade/Sandler epoch,” or even more pointedly that compared to the more anarchic, anti-establishment Belushi Farley,“was more like the Man’s sycophantic jester.
There was nothing anti-authoritarian about Farley. He swore proud allegiance to
the Catholic church, various 12-step programs and the Republican Party. If
Belushi was the symbolic figurehead of punks, rebels, slobs, stoners, slackers
and no-goodniks then Farley belonged to frat boys, jocks, Young Republicans and
the assholes shoving you in a locker this exact moment”
And that last point really does get to the heart of it. Whereas comedy had always been conceived as sort of the nerd’s ultimate revenge, the Sandler/Farley/Spade regime just epitomized ascendant douche-bro culture. That, and the final transformation of SNL from anti-establishment to the ultimate establishment institution, which in a way paved the way for the ascendance of Jimmy Fallon.
““If Belushi was the symbolic figurehead of punks, rebels, slobs, stoners, slackers and no-goodniks then Farley belonged to frat boys, jocks, Young Republicans and the assholes shoving you in a locker this exact moment””Rabin must have not been thinking too clearly. from the day Animal House was released Belushi absolutely belonged to frat boys, jocks, Young Republicans and the assholes shoving you in a locker this exact moment
Watch Animal House again. The young Republicans were at Omega House (“Assume the position!”). The Delta’s, including Bluto were the rejects and the non-WASPs (i.e. “John Blutarsky”). Admittedly, Delta House probably wasn’t a very realistic depiction of Frat culture in that regard.
The scenario in the film is not actually mappable to the fans of the film. That’s not to say that Belushi did not have fans outside that demographic. but preps, jocks, and fratboys loved Animal House and especially Belushi. Belushi was an acceptable way to rebel for privileged white boys.
Jesus…nobody fucking TALKS like that. You have ruined all joy.
Well, Rabin talks like that (much of the reply was quoting his article). A lot of people around here talked like that when the AV Club comment section community was known as one of the best on the internet. As opposed to now.
I liked Farley, at least at the beginning of his SNL career (I’ve never watched more than a few minutes of any Farley movie), a lot more than Rabin did. Before Spade and Sandler showed up and “fratire” took over, Farley had this weirdly intense energy that would grab your attention away from cast members who seemed to be starting to burn out. But, I think that, if he’d lived, he would have been the subject of a #MeToo moment. There was a mention of an incident in that that Rabin linked to, in which Farley wouldn’t stop touching a woman who he was sharing a limo with, that’s also mentioned in the Chris Farley biography. He’d also roll up to random women on the street, try out some sleazy come-on, and insist that they must be lesbians when they turned him down. The last woman to see him alive was a hooker who took his money and left when he started having trouble breathing. He wanted to be Belushi so bad, but he also could have been the star of the Shrek franchise (he’d almost completed his voice work on the new movie when he died). And, although there were numerous other Belushi wannabes, nobody really wants to be the next Chris Farley.
He definitely would have. He had a serious “madonna/whore” complex, and basically couldn’t see women as anything but sexual objects that caused him frustration unless they were family, friends, church or work peers. However, if a lady was in his “circle,” he was very kind and gracious to them, and would go to great lengths to be a gentleman. Which, if you think about it, wasn’t his whole life that same dichotomy? It’s like he had no idea how to be anything except fantastic or horrible.
I generally agree with Rabin’s criticism but not here. As another post above me rightly notes, Belushi was appropriated by frat douches and young Republicans about 10 seconds after Animal House came out. And on the flip side, while I don’t care for their comedy I don’t think schlubby Jew Adam Sandler, scrawny nerd David Spade, or desperate fat guy Chris Farley necessary fit the Kavanaugh Jr. type either.I’m fairly ambivalent on Farley and don’t know much of his work other than the greatest hits. And while it’s clear he had self control/addiction issues, the fact that his friends speak of him with the same level of affection that Phil Hartman gets from his fellow performers I tend to give him the benefit of the doubt.And on a completely unrelated note, the least funny thing I’ve ever seen in my life so far was a girl at my high school talent show doing the entire Matt Foley skit alone on stage.
“Whereas comedy had always been conceived as sort of the nerd’s ultimate revenge” Wut?
The amount of outright stupid unevidenced assumptions required for Rabin’s critique to make any sense is a higher number than Farley’s cholesterol. However it does make for a neat demonstration of what happens when you stop looking at a comics material and instead try to shove them into a political category based on your own bitter highschool experiences. But hey, that’s what a lot of media criticism is nowadays.
reading that was a wild ride of the classic “I’m gonna talk a lot and not actually say anything” and is clearly an example of someone trying to take down the work of a dead man because they hate that popular kids can be funny
Very Important Thing has always been conceived as a reflection of me and what is important to me. What don’t you get?
Sandler paved the way for Samberg. Fallon was hired as an impressionist.
I think he paved the way for both.
Nice that it felt “genuine.”Of note that it’s an excerpt from his current Netflix special.
When I watched the Sandler special this hit me like a ton of bricks.
Man, that’s a fucking good song. Didn’t no Adam could play like that.
Also, Gibson strap on a Fender. Ballsy.
it’s been out for about a decade now, but The Chris Farley Show is a really great book that delves deep into his psyche and is entirely made up of testimonies from his friends and family
“I wish Chris Farley was alive so he could be in Grown Ups 3″
Kevin James sure doesn’t.
Farley is one of a long line of “I’m fat and obnoxious, therefore funny” comedians. I was not a fan then, and seeing his shtick as an adult, it hasn’t aged well.
The part of the song that really kills me is the line “slow down, you’re going to end up like Belushi and Candy, and he says those guys are my heroes, that’s all fine and dandy”.
Worth saying again: this Sandler special really surprised me. Can’t speak for anyone who isn’t a 30-something and grew up with They’re All Gonna Laugh At You, but I was gut laughing at this multiple times. And this song, sappy or not, really hit me too.
If Farley never died, would Paul Blart: Mall Cop exist?
If there was ever any doubt as to what may have contributed to this man’s death, look no further than…
Yeah, the dude had severe coronary atherosclerosis at 33. Even if he hadn’t OD’d, he wouldn’t be around today. Even if he had gotten clean and sober in ‘97, he most likely wouldn’t have made it out of the 90s.
Adam likes to make expensive movies so he can hang out and fuck around with his friends. He wished Farley could be in Grown ups 3 so they could hang out together and have a good time. I think it’s a sweet sentiment even if the movie would suck.
I’ve met a few celebs over the years. But my truest Brush With Greatness” was sitting with Sandler at a $10 black jack table at the Hard Rock in Vegas. He was with a gang of friends, quietly entered the casino and we spotted him. He is short and sorta blends in. We tracked him to the table and his group took up all the seats but 3rd base, right beside him. So I sat down and played. he didn’t really know how to play and his friends helped him get the basic hang of it. He was quiet and the group spoke little to each other. I made a little joke about one of his hands and he laughed and looked at me. I acted like I didn’t know who he was but the pit bosses kept coming by and asking if he needed anything. He seemed to just want to be left alone to chill with his friends.
Boring but true.