Fifteen years ago, Matt Kissane saw Chris Farley perform on the Second City Main Stage. Kissane knew this zany kid was going places, so he approached Farley afterward and invited him for a beer.
Much to Kissane’s surprise, Farley said yes. They drank a few rounds that night at the Old Town Ale House.
“A bundle of insanity but really nice,” said Kissane, now a celebrity impersonator who performs Farley’s motivational speaker routine made famous on “Saturday Night Live.”
Kissane also performs as David Letterman and as one of the Blues Brothers. His agency, Absolutely Entertainment, has a crew of 20 or so impersonators–from Austin Powers to Paul McCartney. But it’s his impersonation of Farley’s Matt Foley character (“live in a van down by the river!”) that gets the most gigs for this 40-year-old Lombard actor.
The impersonation began as a bit at the end of Kissane’s stand-up act nearly 10 years ago, before Farley’s death in 1997. But when the WGN morning show called him one day to perform, Kissane donned the black-rimmed glasses, the too-small jacket and too-short tie. He did the traffic in the character’s hyperventilated wheeze.
“Now it’s one of my favorites to do.”
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Matt Kissane (as Chris Farley), 630-279-5088 or mattkissane.com
$300 for 30 minutes, $500 for onehour performance
Get creative! Bring Matt Foley to your next family gathering and introduce him as the “love of your life.”