Heath Franklin's Chopper rises again in Bogan Jesus
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Heath Franklin's Chopper rises again in Bogan Jesus

Say your prayers… Australia’s ‘Most Wanted’ comedian Heath Franklin’s CHOPPER is back and he is rising again to preach to the converted in his Bogan Jesus – The Resurrection Tour this October. After selling 25,000 tickets across Australia and NZ, and scoring the coveted Comic’s Choice award at the 2018 Melbourne Comedy Festival – CHOPPER is heading out on the road to spread the ‘hard’ word. We chat to Heath ahead of the tour.
Hi Heath, thanks for taking the time to talk with Forte Magazine – I’m quite a Ronnie Johns Half hour fan here so it’s a pleasure to chat with you. With Ronnie Johns in mind, when you initially began doing the now world famous Chopper performance on the show, did you expect it to be as popular as it’s become?
I honestly had no idea. I think I was very lucky though because Chopper became popular at just the right time on the internet. If it was two years earlier people wouldn’t have been sharing videos and if it was two years later it would have just been keyboard cat remixes everyone was watching.
The introduction of your performance as Chopper was over 10 years ago now and is to this day, with many tours between now and then, still highly quoted in pop culture. Why do you think Chopper resonates with so many people?
I think people like someone who comes across as a bit dangerous. I’ve also tried to make it clear that if someone needs to be told to get fucked I’m willing to do it.
Given that you are quite familiar with joking about politically incorrect topics – Evidence of that being some of the hilarious cult classic skits in The Ronnie Johns half hour and your several ground-breaking Chopper tours, are there any lines that you wouldn’t cross? Do you think comedians should have those boundaries?
I kind of hate the term ‘political correctness’ because it gets appropriated to mean different things by both sides of the argument. My thing is that I’m definitely offensive but I make sure the people I offend those who deserve it and not the ones who don’t.
Bogan Jesus – The Resurrection Tour begins in October and it’s quite an extensive tour, what can audiences expect from this show?
It’s Chopper laying out his ten commandments. It’s the ten most important things to Chopper for the survival of the human race. Cat Cafes must go.
Looking back at your successful comedy career leading into this tour, what are some of your favourite and most memorable performances?
I’ve had some good gigs in my life. I’ve done a few really big ones but they aren’t always the best. The best gigs just sneak up on you.
Congratulations on being awarded the Comic’s Choice Award at the 2018 Melbourne Comedy Festival Heath. A massive achievement, what was it like receiving that award?
It was really great. I put a heap of effort into this show and to have a lot of very funny people give me the nod made me feel like the hard work had paid off.
Thanks for your time Heath, we appreciate it, but just before we wrap it up, can you give our readers some premium Chopper advice on how to get through a slow shift at work?
Plan a crime… In detail. Go through every step and make sure you’d get away with it. Then plan contingencies. Then if it seems feasible enough and profitable enough maybe just do it.
When & Where: Gateway Hotel, Geelong – October 27.