Interviewing Pablo Francisco is an experience unlike any other. A staple of American stand-up comedy for more than 20 years, the Arizona native and former MADtv cast member has made a career out of his spot-on celebrity impressions, and he’s all too happy to demonstrate over the phone. One minute we’re having a conversation with Don LaFontaine, the famous movie voiceover guy. The next minute, it’s Sylvester Stallone having an orgasm.
“I would take the VCR and record every comic that came on,” Francisco explains, reverting briefly back to his own voice. “I was really lucky back in 1986 that these comedy clubs were opening up. I was delivering pizza for Domino’s and had all this time to talk to myself. I would try out my material on all the drivers. Then I’d go to the comedy club, where they said, ‘Hey man, drop out of school and come on over here with us!’ So it became its own university.”
The first impersonation Francisco remembers mastering was Kermit the Frog. Since then his repertoire has expanded to include Jackie Chan, Keanu Reeves, Jerry Springer, Michael Jackson, Celine Dion and Stone Cold Steve Austin, among dozens upon dozens of others. One that he’s perfected recently is actor Mark Wahlberg. “He’s always breathing really hard,” says Francisco, before launching into a high-voiced impression that sounds exactly like the real thing.
When picking up a new character, one of the most important things is staying power. “There are so many stars out there that don’t have longevity,” says Francisco, who tends to avoid political humour for the same reason. “I can’t keep up with all these TV shows … I want to make fun of Justin Bieber, but he keeps growing up too quick.
“Arnold keeps coming back,” the comedian adds, suddenly sporting a thick Austrian accent that sounds a lot like a certain ex-Governor of California. “He’s getting old though, so it’s not, ‘I’ll be back.’ It’s, ‘Ow, my back!’”
For his upcoming Australian tour, Francisco has put together “a whole new posse”, including a “secret weapon” in the form of fellow comedian and cartoonist Steve Kramer. “He’s Megadeth plus AC/DC divided by the square root of Apple Macintosh,” says Francisco, although what he means by that isn’t really clear. “I’ve known him for 15 years and I’ve always wanted to team up with him … It’ll be great to have him as a breath of fresh air. You’re all going to like him, it’s going to be fun.
“We’re going to try and make this show a little bit different,” Francisco continues. “We’re adding some cartoons to it. It’s an hour special, so hopefully people will like it. It’s something different we’ve decided to try, since we’ve been to Australia like three times now. We wanted to give it a new flavour, and see how it goes.”
It helps that Aussie audiences tend to be receptive to some of Francisco’s edgier material. “Australia’s the perfect place to try some new stuff,” says the comedian with a laugh. “Australia is like family, but family you can be a bit looser with, if that makes sense? I don’t have to worry about offending anyone. I know where to draw the line, but here [in America] people get touchy over stupid shit.”
Even after all this time, Francisco still seems to enjoy what he does. “We don’t have to go onstage and sing the same songs,” he says. “We can change it up any way we want, and the vibe will be there. So you can’t get exhausted, because it’s just too much fun.”
Pablo Fransico’sHere We Go Again (Back In The Outback)is on Wednesday April 22at Enmore Theatreas part of Sydney Comedy Festival 2015.
