Submitted by Ed Condran — Correspondent
Chris Franjola is ready to wage war with Canada. The comic/writer from “Chelsea Lately” doesn’t want to hear that Canadians are funnier than Long Islanders.
“There’s no way that’s true,” Franjola says by phone from his Los Angeles office. “For some reason Long Island, N.Y., is the epicenter of funny. Someone should do a documentary on this. Eddie Murphy, Jerry Seinfeld, Billy Crystal, Ray Romano and Kevin James, just to name a few comedians, come from Long Island.”
Franjola, who will perform Friday and Saturday at Goodnights, also comes from the New York suburb. It’s been 20 years since Franjola left for Los Angeles, but he still has the attitude and swagger of those within 30 miles of Gotham.
The charismatic former “Family Guy” writer needs it when dealing with the plethora of celebrities “Chelsea Lately” disses on a daily basis.
“We’ve upset a lot of people, since we tell it like it is,” Franjola says. “We have Chelsea (Handler), and three comedians are on the panel and, well, it’s politically incorrect and no-holds barred.”
“Chelsea Lately” has much in common with the late, lamented Comedy Central program “Tough Crowd.”
Handler and her comic court, which often features Franjola, will banter with such humorists as Jo Koy, Daniel Tosh and Whitney Cummings. The dialogue is typically unsparing and often hilarious.
“We’ve ticked off the Kardashians, but we’ve made up with them,” Franjola says. “We’ve had some issues with Gary Busey. He said he wanted to come down to the set to fight me, but he needed a ride from his house to get to the set. I think I can take care of Gary Busey, but that’s not my goal in life to get into a brawl with him.”
Franjola is adept at spinning yarns inspired by his Hollywood experiences. He’ll also drop anecdotes about family and friends in a raw and edgy manner.
“Fortunately for me, I see a lot of interesting things every day,” he says. “I talk about things people in most cities in America don’t get a chance to experience, and they’re funny things. I love having fun with that stuff.”
Franjola couldn’t be happier since he works every day with Handler, who cut her comedic teeth in Los Angeles with him.
“We grew up together playing the same places,” Franjola says. “The same goes for Jo Koy and so many of the comics that come on ‘Chelsea Lately.’”
Franjola is thrilled that Handler has become a major star.
“She’s incredibly talented,” he says. “She deserves this. I remember when we were this little show no one heard of, but look at us now. It’s great since Hollywood has embraced females. Look at how great Tina Fey and Amy Poehler were the other night on the Golden Globes.
“So much has changed here since I started out in Los Angeles 20 years ago. The great thing is that I get to do what I love. I get to write for a show that I love, and I get to go out on the road sometimes to do stand-up. I can’t think of anything better to do.”
