About 
In a recent news interview, actor Sam Neill revealed that he is now cancer-free after a lengthy battle with blood cancer using new treatments
Posted in: NBC, TV | Tagged: bob odenkirk, chris farley, snl
SNL: Bob Odenkirk on Chris Farley, Writing "Down by the River" Sketch
Bob Odenkirk on the origin of the SNL Motivational Speaker sketch, in which Chris Farley played a man "living in a van down by the river."
Article Summary
- Bob Odenkirk shares how he wrote SNL's iconic Matt Foley sketch, the classic "van down by the river" breakout.
- On The Kelly Clarkson Show, Odenkirk says the DuPage River in Naperville inspired the famous SNL line.
- Odenkirk recalls returning to Chicago's Second City, where an improv with Chris Farley sparked the SNL character.
- Farley first played the coach's energy in improv, and Odenkirk shaped it into SNL's Motivational Speaker sketch.
At this point, it's no secret that Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul, Nobody) is the man responsible for the iconic SNL Matt Foley sketch, but only recently did we find out how that sketch came to be. For years, people have talked up how Odenkirk, long before he co-created Mr. Show on HBO with David Cross, was a staff writer on SNL in the late '80s and early '90s, during what many refer to as a second boom period for NBC's sketch comedy show. But the sketch he's been given the most credit for is the famous "Motivational Speaker," in which Chris Farley played a man "living in a van down by the river." On a recent episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show, Odenkirk discussed the sketch's origins and how it came to be.
Bob Odenkirk Reveals The Origins Of An Iconic SNL Sketch
"I grew up in Naperville, Illinois. The river is the DuPage River. I had been writing at SNL, and my friend was gonna direct the Second City main stage show, which is like being asked to play for the Cubs, being asked to be on that stage. And so they asked me to join the main stage show, which I, even though I was already a writer at SNL, I said I'll go back and do theater and do that show, because it meant so much. I went there when I was 14 years old, and it inspired me to get into show business, to see that when I was 14, and see adults being silly."
-
- Saturday Night Live sketch "Matt Foley: Van Down by the River" L-R: Chris Farley, David Spade, and Christina Applegate. Image courtesy of NBC
-
- Saturday Night Live sketch "Matt Foley: Van Down by the River" L-R: Julia Sweeney, Phil Hartman, Chris Farley, David Spade, and Christina Applegate. Image courtesy of NBC
"I go back to Chicago, Chris Farley is part of this cast. I didn't know him, and we were doing improvisation, and we improvised an anti-drug rally. I played a teacher, and he played the coach. He was basically doing the Matt Foley motivational speaker character without any of the words from it. But he was going, 'Look at you kids! Who the heck do you think you're gonna be? You're not gonna be anyone!!!' And I thought of this guy, this motivational speaker, who uses himself as a negative example. 'You wanna end up like me?! Now!?!' I wrote that up just the way it is, and I came in and handed it to Chris."
Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!
Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!
