A new show draws back the curtains on the bogan lifestyle. Chris Schulz meets some of the show's Hamilton-based stars.
That guy with the loud car and black shirt is probably one. So is that girl with the leather pants and piercings. But what about that office worker, lawyer, architect, dive instructor or garden landscaper? Who, exactly, is a bogan?
It's a question that TV2's new show, Bogans, sets outto answer. Based mostly in Hamilton, it follows self-confessed bogans doing bogan-themed activities, such as car rallies, burnout sessions, tattoo conventions, medieval re-enactments and oddly themed beauty pageants.
The most recognisable bogan involved is Dave Snell, a man known for his expertise in the subject. He goes by the nickname of Dr Bogan after completing his controversial 2005 doctoral thesis in boganism.
The show is a "celebration" of boganism rather than an exploitative look into the culture and its cliches, he says. "For those of us inside that culture, we're patting each other on the back. For those outside the culture it's an insight into that culture. If it was laughing at people then I wouldn't want to be involved."
Part reality show, part documentary, Bogans tries to show that its participants are "normal people like everyone else". That's a similar theme to Snell's thesis, and his 2013 book Bogan - An Insider's Guide to Metal, Mullets and Mayhem.
"Bogans really are just normal people like everyone else - this is just an insight into what we do. It's not presenting them as out of the ordinary, just challenging some of those stereotypes. Daily life is still boring [for a bogan]."
Still, there are certain extremes. In the first episode, Snell's friend Fro cuts his birthday cake with a long-handled axe. In the second, that axe is used to clobber armour-clad foes during a medieval battle re-enactment.
There's also a Miss Cadaver competition, a beauty pageant piss-take held on Halloween that sees contestants dressed in horror-themed costumes and given awards such as "Miss Congealed".
Because of its reputation, Hamilton is the perfect setting for bogans. Snell says there's a very good reason why you'll find more heavy metal fans in The Tron than other cities.
"It's urban enough that you have quite a few people there but there's an element of ruralness to it. It's a lot harder to drive around in a big Holden if you're living in the Auckland CBD. Hamilton, and its surrounding towns, gives you the ability to own those types of cars and drive them around."
Big cars, loud music, black T-shirts. Certain bogan stereotypes are still true, says Snell.
"I keep making jokes about bogans being stuck in the past. There's a very defined history of bands and certain clothing. I don't think the stereotypes have changed."
But should you be concerned if you see a bunch of bogans moving in next door?
"If we're talking about destructive behaviour or crime then they're parts of the stereotypes that are unfounded. Bogans are quite noisy, but crime, or destruction are parts of the stereotypes that I don't think are true."
If you still don't believe him, Snell says Bogans will prove his case. And you don't need to be the proud owner of a Megadeth T-shirt to enjoy it.
"I hope everyone watches this show," he says. "It appeals to as wide an audience as possible."
Tats how she rolls
Kate Rannala says she had a lot of fun filming Bogans.
When TimeOut calls Kate Rannala, the TV newcomer is feeling just a tad nervous.
"Is it good? Is it really?" she asks when TimeOut tells her we've seen, and enjoyed, the first two episodes of her new show Bogans.
But the news fails to calm her: "I'm starting to get a little bit anxious because my face is going to be all over TV."
Yes, she is - and she's likely to be popular, too. Rannala is to Bogans as Eva the Bulgarian was to Sports Cafe. Known to her Hamilton friends as Kate Mate, the 24-year-old's role is to do the things no one else wants to do. Like jumping in a pool filled with jelly to wrestle her friends.
As she puts it: "I'm just putting myself out there and taking risks and shit." That means Rannala goes bungy jumping for a friend's birthday instead of "getting on the piss", walks down a catwalk in lingerie for a Miss Tattoo competition, and installs a stripper's pole in her boyfriend's garage.
But Rannala's toughest task saw her spend nine hours in a tattoo chair getting an entire thigh inked. If you're wondering, yes, it hurt.
"I felt exhausted - it was crazy," Rannala says. "I would normally do that over two or three sessions - we just banged it out in one day."
Rannala found herself doing all this after being talent-spotted by a TV crew at a burnout rally last year. She spent six months filming at various events and she hopes her appearance leads to more TV or modelling offers.
"I was like, 'Hell yeah'. I loved getting my tattoo, I loved going in Miss Tattoo, I loved bungy jumping, I had such a fun time doing it." she says.
Ask her how much of a bogan she actually is, though, and Rannala - who works part-time bartending - pauses.
"Yeah, I suppose [I'm a bogan]," she says. "When I was younger I hung out with older guys and ever since I was 15 or 16 I've gone down that road - the music I listen to, my fashion sense."
But there's one thing she loves that might see her fail a bogan test. "I love Dire Straits, they're one of my all-time favourites."
What: New local show, Bogans Where and when: TV2, July 30, 9pm
