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Last night's Farley tribute really hit me hard. When I first started at BNC, one of the partners was his publicist. Like every other 22 year old, I was obsessed with him so I asked the partner if I could "help" on the account. 1/
"help" = I want to meet him so I could brag to my college friends. A few months later the partner said if I could get Lakers playoff tickets for him (for him and the writer of the infamous US Mag story) I could join. I got the tickets. 2/
So a few days later I in a stretch limo with Chris Farley, his brother, a writer from US and the partner. Chris immediately started calling me "Rat" (from Fast Times) because I was the young nervous guy tagging along with his publicist. 3/
The fact that Farley nicknamed me is still one of the best things to ever happen to me. We get to the game and it started out awesome. Everyone was all over him asking him to say lines from Tommy Boy and SNL. I thought I was the coolest person ever just being by him. 4/
At halftime, he goes "Rat! Can you come outside with me?" We go outside and it was my first lesson in fame isnt all it is cracked up to be. He started pacing back and forth and was really self-conscious about everyone coming up to him and "expecting me to be on" 5/
I wasn't even a year out of college (and also guilty of the same thing) and just reassured him he was great and just be yourself, etc. I HAD NO IDEA WHAT I WAS DOING. He thanked me. We went back in the game and I thought I was really good at this stuff. 6/
After the game, he suggests we go to Sky Bar (that was a BIG DEAL back then). We go, sit down and order drinks. Immediately the women flock to the table. He says he'll be right back leaving me, the publicist and the US writer at the table. 7/
45 min later we realize he left us (and took his new friends in the limo). The writer was not pleased. It was my first true Hollywood story and at the time I loved it. 8/
A couple of months later I saw him randomly in West LA. He sees me and yells at the top of his lungs "RAAAATTTTT" and hugs me. That was the last time I saw him. 9/
A few months after that, his publicist had left the firm and Farley was on "hiatus" but I was listed as his publicist. The receptionist got a random call and I told her to tell them to "fax the request" 10/
Obviously dozens of calls later, and no one was faxing in requests. I asked my boss what to do and he called his manager to see what was going on. At this point now the phones are ringing off the hook and I am just taking messages. 11/
Then my boss came up behind me and I will never forget this moment for the rest of my life he goes "I am sorry, it's true." I cried at my desk and then kept on taking messages. 12/
I got to meet the great Chris Farley twice and feels like I got the whole spectrum of who he was. A sweet, likable, conflicted man. I hope Sandler wins an Emmy for that song. It was beautiful. Farley was special and made a tremendous impact on a newbie Rat like me. 13/13
