Comedian’s at home at the Boot

He’s a self-professed “VB” bloke who loves VB the brew.

Sadly, the crowd at the Bootenal Tavern on Tuesday night was such that Tasmanian stand-up comedian Chris Franklin decided the microphone wasn’t needed — and he delivered his first-class humour while sitting down.

“Love performing at the Boot and in places like this ... much prefer a country pub than a fancy theatre. You can speak to people at the bar,” Franklin, pictured, said.

“You can be yourself more.”

And that’s what he loves — like wearing flannelette shirts, having his mullet flowing, and holding a VB in a VB holder.

What the first VB means is obvious. The second stands for “very bogan”.

Inside the lid of one series of VB stubbies, Franklin featured in a music question. It asked who performed former No.1 Australian hits I Was Only 19 and Bloke. The first answer was Redgum, the second, Franklin.

“They’re promoting me, so I have to promote them,” he said.

Franklin did three gigs, the final one in Exmouth last night, en route to the 30th birthday of his daughter Sarah Beard in Broome tomorrow.

His comedic mentor, and then business partner, was the late David Grant, whose sister Roxanne runs Bootenal Tavern.

“This is the second time I’ve performed here and places like this are gold. I’ve done three gigs in Geraldton over the years,” Franklin, who used to live in WA, said.

Describing himself as a “down-to-earth bloke who’s nothing special”, Franklin says political correctness has “totally changed” comedy.

“The other night I saw a TV station advertising they were showing an edited version of the Mel Brooks movie Blazing Saddles,” he said. “It started at 9pm and finished at 9.04pm.”