A Tribute to the Late Great Chris Farley: Photos, and Poem by Daniel Ari

Update: The great poet Daniel Ari is my brother.  He is way better with words than I can hope to be, at least in the short term.  His poem perfectly describes both my reverence for Farley, and our encounter with a street performer portraying Farley.

"When you’re living in a van down by the river"

—for David

Future generations, Chris Farley
was a corpulent comedian
a little like John Belushi—if
you still know him. Both played their poundage.
Chris did a Chippendale’s parody.

(That’s a male stripper.) He was undone
young by his weight, and drugs. In Vegas,
where cos-players busk for tips downtown,
a fat man had Farley’s hair, glasses,
manners and stripper dance to a T.

My brother was transported by his
embodiment. I took their picture
and a video as they sang quotes.
David gave him a buck, then two more.
An artist, too, he lives cannily

and values showing gratitude for
homage of such funny sorrow.

He had the mannerisms down, the little head-flick to throw his hair back, compulsive pants-pulling-up, etc.

Thanks, Daniel. Your poem brought a tear to my eye.  I was moved by seeing my open emotion reflected so honestly by your words.  You are amazing at what you do and it makes the world a lot better.  Cheers!

"You'll have plenty of time to think about it when you're livin' in a van down by the river!"

older post:

Chris Farley's comedic genius was equal to that of John Belushi.  Sadly, so were his personal lifestyle habits. He had no illusions of long life; he well-knew what his fast living would lead to.  I shed no tears for his choice: it was after all, his choice, and he enjoyed his life to the fullest.  I am sad to lose such a talent who brought much laughter to this world.

This man was keeping Chris's spirit alive and fairly healthy-looking, on Fremont Street in Las Vegas. I tipped him and got a sampling of two of Farley's memorable characters: Matt Foley, the motivational speaker who lives "in a van down by the river!", represented by the plaid jacket; and Barney, the prospective Chippendale's dancer who auditions alongside Patrick Swayze, represented by the black slacks and bowtie. 

"It amounts to JACK SQUAT!"

"For the Fuzz" Poem by Daniel Ari, illustrated by free radical

For the fuzz 

by Daniel Ari
illustrated by David Fleischmann, the free radical

Now that it’s refused me, I’ll refuse hair.

That’s how I decided twelve years ago

to strip my head razor-clear and take air,

snow and sight without the diplomacy

of coiffure. Know my mind, world. It is here.

Since the divorce, my do has kept a low

profile, though I spot it on the fringes

at times. It has never regained the glow

it had when my follicles were engines,

the sex machines of our honeymoon years.

Now, Fine Gray Fuzz, I sometimes get twinges

when I see some full-headed guy, recall

you at Burning Man, my shock of orange.

At 22, we pulled a ponytail.

How could I ever have cursed you, Jewfro?

I was young and could complain my gall out

without recognizing there’d be fall out.

For the Fuzz

"Queron" poem by my brother, Daniel Ari, with my art

Queron,
by Daniel Ari

Within the one everything everything is,
i have felt pressed against a dividing skin,
a curtain that both separates and marries
each real something with its counterpart non-thing.
On the other side of the invisible

schism, bardo and its shadow denizens
spiral and split, folding and complicating.
The exact opposite parallel reason
counterbalances both sides of everything.
The divide, like Carroll’s Caterpillar, says:

“Who are you—unifying and zeroing—
a clay body pressed into a clay background?
Do you invent names so that you needn’t sing?
Are you in the courtroom or on the playground?
How do you come to enjoy taking my quiz?

The dimensionless alchemy between sound
and silence underpins them both, I have found.”

Queron
by David Fleischmann, the free radical

To see more from Daniel Ari and his upcoming book of illustrated poems, visit http://fightswithpoems.blogspot.com/ .