COMEDIAN Heath Franklin has been making audiences laugh – and sometimes flinch – for nearly 20 years with his larger-than-life alter ego, Chopper.
What began as a university sketch has evolved into a comedy institution, spanning television, international tours, and now a new live show, The Last Hard Bastard on Earth.
Franklin first performed the Chopper character during his university days, and the crowd reaction was instant.
“I first did it in a sketch at uni,” he said.
“It went well, so I put it into the stage show that eventually became The Ronnie Johns Half Hour. The network liked everything, but they insisted there had to be one Chopper sketch per episode.”
Long before social media defined virality, Franklin’s sketches were already being shared online.
“Someone told me the clip had millions of views, and I was like, ‘Holy crap!’” he said.
“Back then, I didn’t even know what going viral meant.”
Since those days, Franklin has taken Chopper around the world, performing for audiences from Australia to the UK.
“In Australia, the show was full of jokes about local ads and politicians – stuff only Aussies get,” he said.
“I had to rewrite a lot of it. It actually made me realise that comedy about universal ideas is stronger than something about a lamb ad no one’s seen.”
One of Franklin’s most popular works, Chopper’s Republic of Anzakistan, saw the character dive into political satire.
“It’s like doing microsurgery with a brick,” he joked. “It seems like he’s going to get it wrong, but at the last second it all comes together.
“Chopper’s way of dealing with politics is just cutting through the nonsense.”
The Last Hard Bastard on Earth takes a sci-fi twist.
“Chopper’s come back from the future – 2030,” Franklin said
“Basically, he’s warning us that everyone’s become too soft. It’s about imagining where we’ll be if we keep going the way we are.”
After two decades in character, Franklin admits slipping back into Chopper is almost second nature.
As for whether the world’s hardest comic persona is mellowing with age, Franklin laughed.
“Definitely not. I started out playing a 50-year-old when I was 20, and now I’m catching up to him. Humanity keeps being disappointing – that’s plenty of material right there.”
And Chopper’s message to the world in 2025?
“Probably just: harden up – and calm down. It’s not all about you.”
The show is at the Racehorse Hotel on Saturday, November 8, with tickets available at oztix.
