Tanner Colby

The Chris Farley Show
A Biography in Three Acts
By: Tom Farley, Tanner Colby
Narrated by: Therese Plummer, L. J. Ganser, Mark Boyett

This book doesn't just deals with this wonderful comedian's professional career but it goes much deeper. It goes into the parts of Chris Farley's life that few people know. It tells about his family, how his addiction was a family affair. His family were all alcoholics except his sister. His father was almost 600 lbs. But nobody discussed the father's alcohol or weight.

Chris was also very religious and was very regular at mass. His family was Irish and Catholic. He had a close relationship with his priest.

It described his goals, his failures, how he handled each. His school life. Childhood experiences. Then on to his comedy career. How he started, friends, how he affected others.
His self destructive behavior of addiction and his many rehab admissions. Then the night he died and the funeral.

This was a heartwarming and heart wrenching story about a funny, caring, wonderful man that died too young. At the age of 33, the world lost so much. It's so sad that addiction takes so many young lives.… (plus d'informations)

Chris Farley's career emerged and ended during my childhood, so I was never aware of his struggles. He was well loved and well paid, and neither aspect was enough to conquer his addictions. I do wish 'oral history' books like this would acknowledge the voices that are missing - I know not everyone will want to participate, but sometimes an unacknowledged absence can make you wonder (his mom and sister were missing, despite all the brothers participating). It highlighted the dominance of male voices in this book.… (plus d'informations)

In browsing other Goodreads reviews for this book, I’m surprised to see this pattern: “I really wanted to like this book, but…”

Some folks wanted it to be more research-y and informative. Others found it boring for what they felt was a dearth of personal interviews and narrative. Colby was criticized for saying only what black people already know and for saying only what white people want to hear. One reviewer took issue with the “dull facts and figures regarding...church-going (Catholic church-going, at that)”.

The nerve of this man, to bore us not only with information about church, but information about CATHOLIC church. What is this, Rome?

Not in the least. This book explores the uniquely American fits and starts that have characterized the process of attempting to integrate black people and white people in neighborhoods, schools, churches, and business (specifically the advertising business). Colby describes the clashing efforts of people whose motives and actions fall all along the spectrum: noble, practical, reluctant, resistant, and (of course) racist. He talks about why government-mandated desegregation could have been the solution that most undermined voluntary integration.

What Colby does so earnestly and to such compelling effect is ignore the minefield of political correctness. It’s true, as another reviewer points out: his cavalier approach to our convoluted language boundaries results in such collegiate-feeling insensitivity as, for example, calling a group of old white men “whiteytown.” But it also allows the author to speak candidly and honestly -- and tres amusingly -- about why integration is so damn difficult. Colby’s self-deprecating (and white-deprecating) humility also moderates the squirm-factor of his unceremonious delivery.

And although the facts of his accounts are depressing because of what they describe about human motives and behavior, Colby communicates his conviction that integration is not a lost cause and his hope that we Americans of both (or all) races will commit to the long-term hard work required to realize Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream.… (plus d'informations)