Alisa and Lysandra make the top nine, but who is Pauly Fenech’s ultimate celebrity bogan?

ALISA and Lysandra make the top nine, but who is Pauly Fenech’s ultimate celebrity bogan?

Alisa & Lysandra

IT’S not quite Paul Hogan’s first job as a painter on the Harbour Bridge, but Australia’s favourite ‘boganologist’, Pauly Fenech, 41, had similar humble beginnings.

After a litany of jobs including pizza delivery boy, his TV career started out “pretty much sweeping floors at the ABC”.

Fast-forward to 2014, and Fenech has two bogan-themed shows on free-to-air television, has won a Logie, and has just started filming his second movie, Fat Pizza vs Housos.

Whether it’s Fenech’s Housos and or Bogan Hunter, the ABC’s Upper Middle Bogan or Seven’s doco-style What Really Happens in Bali, Fenech loves the celebration of what he says is ‘real Australia’.

Here he shares five things he learned about bogans:

Pauly Fenech celebrates winning Outstanding Light Entertainment Program at the 2014 Logie Awards.

1 — THAT LOGIE

FENECH was left speechless (temporarily) when Housos won the 2014 Logie for Most Outstanding Light Entertainment Program.

“I can’t put my finger on it, but I think Housos really did strike a chord with what I call struggling Aussies, and they make up I think the majority of free-to-air viewers these days.

“If you’ve got any money you can afford probably to buy the whole Breaking Bad season or download it, so the real strugglers out there are watching free-to-air and over the years they have been my greatest supporters.

“I still think that maybe they (Logies presenters) read out the wrong name and then they just had to wear it. It makes no sense to me that we won it against The Voice. But I’ll take it.”

Fenech says he wanted to make television that reflected the Australia he knew.

2 — I’M A CARD-CARRYING BOGAN

“I LEFT school then had a range of crazy jobs. I was a painter for a while, did pizza delivery. I was a hairdresser’s assistant for one day. I’ve had every kind of crazy, crappy job there is, but it was good because it did introduce me to all the different sorts of people out there.

“I finished all of that and pretty much started sweeping floors at the ABC. I started out as a stage hand and worked my way up there. I was an assistant, camera assistant, sound assistant. I’d always made me only little films and stuff, even when I was back in high school.

“I grew up in Sydney’s inner west, at a time they probably called it working class. I’ve been around non-rich people my whole life, around workers.

“That’s been the big thing for me making TV. I thought when I started to get the opportunity to make shows everything I was looking at did not look anything like the Australia that I have seen. I wanted to reflect that.”

Is your iPod full of ACDC and Cold Chisel? You could be a bogan.

3 — HOW TO SPOT A BOGAN

“THE hairstyle is important — a mullet or a ratty — then bad teeth, flannelette, denim, ugg boots, thongs and an interest in the V8 supercars. A morally casual attitude is optional,” he says.

“The classic 80s bogan had the mullet, the tight jeans and the flanno. Then tatts crept in. More recently we have the cashed up bogans of WA.

“Other signs include if your iPod is full of ACDC and Cold Chisel; there are more than three Holden’s in your front yard, you have at least three homemade tattoos, and a host of kids.”

Paul Hogan was the ultimate ocker Aussie, says Fenech.

4 — HOGAN THE ULTIMATE BOGAN

PAUL Hogan was the ultimate bogan, Fenech says.

A host of bogan characters have followed, but Hoges, who parlayed an appearance on A Current Affair into his own comedy TV show, then a movie career via Crocodile Dundee, is the original and best.

“He was the ultimate ocker Aussie. A real working class guy who just suddenly ended up on TV.

“He’s my favourite bogan because he was so himself. So real. He probably wouldn’t want to be called that, but he’s the king of them.”

Fenech’s other picks for celebrity bogans? Angry Anderson, Shane Warne, Warwick Capper, Danny Green, Schapelle Corby, Kyle Sandilands and The Block twins (Alisa and Lysandra).

The Block twins Lysandra and Alisa dress up for the Logies.

5 — WHY I LOVE BOGANS

“I’ve been to dinner at the Governor-general’s place and I’ve been to dinner with the second-worst driver in Tasmania. I felt more comfortable with the second-worst driver in Tasmania,” he says.

“I’ve done a few hoity toity things and I feel so out of place. I must be a bogan — I’m more comfortable being with them.

“There is no pretence, you are what you are, it’s a very honest way of living. You don’t try to be what you’re not.

“A lot of bogans have had hard knocks in life are still smiling. To me that taps into the best part of Australian character — the humour, the honesty, the ability to laugh at ourselves.”

■ Bogan Hunters, Tuesday, 9.30pm, 7MATE

Shane Warne, seen here at Lords in 1999, can also celebrate his status as a celebrity bogan.

Originally published as Alisa and Lysandra make the top nine, but who is Pauly Fenech’s ultimate celebrity bogan?