Can You Handle Comedy With A Reckless Abandon?

Chris Farley was one of my favorite SNL cast members of all time.  He performed comedy with a reckless abandon that was a thing to behold.

Chris occasionally referred to his form of comedy as “fatty falls down”, which is understandable when considering that his comedy was very physical and some of his pratfalls are legendary.  But there is an edge to some of his best performances that went beyond mere slap stick.

I remember the first time I saw Chris play “Matt Foley”, the motivational speaker.  I was stunned. The character was accurate as a pathetic motivational speaker to just the right degree to be a hilarious parody and yet he was oddly demented to just the right degree that he was actually a bit disturbing.  The character displays a comic genius that is way more than just “fatty falls down”.  I’ve seen the Matt Foley sketches dozens of times and they still crack me up.

Likewise, Chris’ portrayal of the confused and misplaced tourist on the Japanese TV game show is sheer beauty.  His reaction when the contestants begin cutting off their fingers, as the price for losing a round in the game, is hilarious and priceless.

I love Chris Farley.  I sure wish he was still around to make us laugh.