'Fro' says he comes from a long line of mullets and metal lovers. Photo / David Kerr
Olen Frolicson, aka 'Fro', is one of the stars of Bogans, a new TV2 series exploring what it means to be a bogan in Hamilton today.
1. The TV show follows the exploits of "boganologist" Dr Dave Snell and his mates. Have you read Dave's PhD thesis on boganism?
Not all of it. He's done a book that puts his thesis into layman's terms, so I've read more of that. The general consensus is that bogans are
working class people. They work hard and they like to play hard. They're practical people. The No8 wire mentality is very applicable. "Oh, we've dropped the exhaust. S'alright mate, we'll just weld it and wire it. Should be fine."
2. How else can you define a bogan?
The three main things are cars, metal and dress code. The clothes are comfortable. Your favourite shirt has so many holes you have to wear another one underneath it because you don't want to let it go. Your pants are on their last legs - jeans or my personal favourite, the old three-quarter length camo shorts. Lots of 90s bands like Pantera wore those and how could you not? They've got 12 pockets - phone, wallet, the whole nine yards.
3. When did you first hear the term bogan?
I've come from a long line of mullets and metal lovers. Not quite as bad as the Wests in Outrageous Fortune, though. People use bogan as a derogatory term but my family members just owned it. They'd be in the old AC/DC singlet and stubbies, hair short at the top and long at the back, taking the old Cortina out for a blat. We grew up on the tough side of town. It's funny, when you're at primary school you don't care about people's social status but once you get to intermediate the whole peer system seems to kick in. I was thinking, "Why isn't my friend talking to me any more? I thought we were buddies, man. We used to have sleepovers, play silly buggers out the back with sticks." This class divide appears all of a sudden.
4. Do you think bogans are unfairly maligned?
It does strike me as odd that they get so much negativity thrown at them by the media. You see the drunken, out-of-control people at a concert but you never hear that 30 people got together, had a couple of beers and had a good time. That's boring. I was a bit dubious about this TV show to start with, but I like the way they've done it. It shows that we don't take ourselves too seriously. If we can't have a laugh at ourselves then we're going to end up with our heads right up our asses.
5. Are bogans stupid?
They may not be what society deems smart, but if you stop and have a conversation with them they might perk up if there's a particular topic they feel passionate about, like a car or a band. Being anti-intellectual is a kind of social defence mechanism. Most people's first impression of me is that I'm this hairy, fat lump who they're surprised can walk on two legs without my knuckles dragging on the ground. It used to bother me when I was younger but now I'm more comfortable with who I am. I don't give a crap if people think I'm an idiot. It saves me having to talk to them.
6. Can you get bogan lawyers or bogan farmers?
Bogan anything. Dave calls them undercover bogans - like young Caleb on the show. He's actually an insurance salesman. You see them during the week in a suit and tie and then on the weekend, off comes the collared shirt, they've got tats down their arms and they're wearing a Metallica T-shirt.
7. Do you think bogans can be sexist?
It is a male driven culture but if you're a female and you match the guys then they'll treat you as an equal. Like, if you're in a mosh pit and there's blood flying everywhere and you look to your right and there's a woman doing the same thing, you give each other the metal horns. In some ways female bogans have to be tougher than the blokes. I don't know if I'd ever go out with one.
8. Do you have a moral code?
My moral code's a little old fashioned. I wouldn't consider myself prudish but there are some things you just don't do, like coveting other people's stuff. If I don't offer you a beer, then don't take the fricken beer. If that's Fred's girlfriend, then that's Fred's girlfriend. That line seems to be blurred in this day and age. I don't know if the youth are more promiscuous or what.
9. Why do you live in Hamilton?
I grew up in Palmerston North but wanted to move to a town that had a bigger river and more roundabouts, so it had to be Hamilton. My kids are here, so I'm pretty much stuck here. Not that I mind, I love the place. It's got a great metal scene and a great historical battle re-enactment scene. We've got a Viking club here called Waikato Norse. I have to stress that we aren't one of those fascist white groups. Our chieftain Jerry is half-Samoan, half-English. I also marshal mediaeval battle re-enactments.
It's pants-browning stuff. These people are hitting each other with real weapons and they're not holding back. I'm standing in the middle with a little flag and no armour. We've had plenty of minor injuries, say a gauntlet fails and you get a smashed finger, but probably less than rugby.
10. What do you think of the TV series Vikings?
The main characters aren't historically accurate at all. There's one scene where the son's hauling his girlfriend into a tent after she got cut up in battle and you can see she's wearing combat boots with thick rubber soles. That annoys me. It's supposed to be the History Channel and as such they're lying to people. I love my history. I spent a lot of time as a kid at the library reading Celtic, Greek and Roman myths and legends. My ancestors were probably Viking. Most of the British Isles were populated by Scandinavian people at one point or another.
11. How did you meet Dave?
Good old Dave, "Doc Bogan" we call him. I did a broadcasting course at Wintec (Waikato Institute of Technology) a few years ago. We started a radio show called The Feral Crew and Dave was our first guest because the word bogan had just been put in the Oxford English Dictionary. He ended up becoming our third mic. It's always been my dream to have my own metal show, following in the footsteps of Paul Martin and "The Axe Attack".
We play Motorhead pre-Ace of Spades, Bon Scott AC/DC - nothing against Brian Johnson - Iron Maiden pre-Powerslave.
12. Metallica pre-Black Album?
Well, actually, pre- ...And Justice for All. We're pretty diverse. We play both kinds of music - rock and metal. So for rock you've got your Led Zeppelin. Early Judas Priest pre-Breaking the Law is actually blues. We also play new stuff by local metal bands. We've got our own YouTube channel now and we're making a trailer for our own film - a bogan buddy movie.
• Bogans premieres on TV2 tonight at 9pm.
The Hollywood star is 70 but has no plans to retire from acting.