Christian Finnegan, of all of the people VH1 has brought onto Best Week Ever, is perhaps the best Best Week Ever commenter. Concise. Right on point. I’ve had the chance to talk to him twice this year, once in January when he appeared at the Comedy Studio (we hung out for a bit afterward and he was as nice in person as he was on the phone) and then again this week, in advance of his headlining gigs tonight and tomorrow at the Comedy Connection.
On Wednesday night, he offered some insight into this week’s episode of BWE: – Rachael Ray’s new TV talk-show: "Rachael Ray’s show is great if you like to watch other people eating." – The new Tickle Me Extreme Elmo: "The first toy in the world that can fellate itself, unless you count Bathhouse Teddy Ruxbin." – On Jackie Chan’s disclosure that he appeared in a 1970s porn film: "And to answer the question that’s on your mind, yes, he does his own stunts."
Finnegan is a newlywed, and I asked him how he felt about getting media attention for his wedding to Kambri Crews. "By media attention, you mean The Apiary?" he asked. "It’s really uncomfortable, to be honest." He said Crews simply wanted to share photos with relatives of hers, not thinking they’d end up getting blogged about, and blogged about some more. So let’s move on.
I managed to hold onto some of my notes from my conversation with Finnegan last winter, when I asked him about his upbringing in the Boston burbs. "Natick is a scenic, science town, and by that I mean, not scenic at all," he said. "When I was a kid, Shopper’s World was still all outdoor." He also recalls Fun and Games and Route 9. "I saw a friend of mine get punched in the face for a roll of quarters. I suppose it was Framingham but it was all still (expletive)." Natick? Isn’t that Flutieville? "There are literally nine roads with Flutie in it. Flutie Road. Flutie Pass — ha, ha, Flutie Pass, get it?"
Back then, Finnegan was running the college circuit, and those gigs can run hot or cold. "There’s definitely some stuff you can’t do. You have to remember that these kids are 18, 19, 20 years old, so these kids are in a different place in their life than you are. What do you mean I’m not going to be fulfilled in my career? What do you mean I’m not going to want to strangle the person I live with?" "Best Week Ever and Chappelle (Chappelle’s Show), I can’t overstate how much they’ve helped me and what they’ve done for me careerwise. The difference between doing a college a few years ago and today is night and day. I can’t tell you how happy I am for that little bit of faux-notoriety."