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Villa Park man tells unusual story of meeting the late Chris Farley

Chicago comedian tells story of meeting Chris Farley pre SNL and then becomes Farley impersonator!

It was a cold Chicago night back in 1990 when a relatively unknown Chris Farley stood outside of the famed Second City theater by himself, when suddenly he was approached by a 24 year old aspiring comic! "Chris we're going to start a Chris Farley fan club!" Said Matt Kissane a recent graduate of the Second City's Players Workshop, "Hey come across the street and have a beer with us!" And Chris Farley did just that. That night would be one Kissane would never forget, "We sat in the corner of the Old Towne Ale house on Wells across from Second City waiting for Farley and then he showed up! I was with my friend Kerry and we teased him saying hey we really want to start a Chris Farley fan club?" The fact that over a decade later Kissane would perform a tribute to Chris on The WGN Morning News as Matt Foley the motivational speaker was even more surreal. "I was doing occasional comedic characters on their show and I'd go to the local thrift shops looking for goofy outfits to wear and then one day I saw a exact replica of the Matt Foley checkered sport jacket like the one he wore on TV" That jacket cost Kissane all of $7 and has helped him land several gigs as a Chris Farley impersonator and even landed Kissane some commercials! "I never set out to be a celebrity impersonator it just worked out that way! I love doing it, Chris was loved by so many it really makes me feel good"

Kissane is looking forward to watching the upcoming documentary I Am Chris Farley on Spike next month, "I really hope it helps people get a new view on Chris' life and opens up a new image of how dedicated he was to his craft."

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