High Chaparall
Encyclopedia
High Chaparall is a Swedish
television program which first aired in 2003 on the Kanal 5
network. The show is an interview/adventure series featuring the Swedish comedy duo of Filip Hammar and Fredrik Wikingsson
. Although the pair continued to be provocative, this program proved to be less controversial than their previous television work and ultimately became much more successful. The team is known popularly in Sweden as simply "Filip and Fredrik."
, Hammar and Wikingsson filmed a series of multi-day interviews with minor celebrities and has-beens such as Fabio Lanzoni
, Pamela Anderson
, Ron Jeremy
, Tonya Harding
, Uri Geller
, and Gary Busey
. Rather than just sitting down and talking, they follow the stars around for several days and engage themselves in various everyday activities of the celebrities' lives. Aside from instances when the hosts are speaking privately with each other or to the camera or camera operators, the series is almost entirely in English
.
With varying levels of success and hilarity, Hammar and Wikingsson are welcomed into the lives of infamous personalities who often introduce them to their families, sing songs with them and take the Swedes to their favorite restaurants or recreation spots. Many speak candidly about their lives before, during and after their greatest successes. Some of their interview subjects seem to become genuinely entertained by and endeared to the duo (Vince Neil
of Mötley Crüe
and his parents, Charlene Tilton
of the TV series "Dallas
" and her daughter Chastity). However, the subjects of other episodes are either bewildered by Filip and Fredrik or become increasingly more uncomfortable (or even mildly irritated) during the relentless onslaught of questions, games and songs (Lorenzo Lamas
, Gary Busey
).
The pair have a style of questioning which peppers their friendly, casual conversations with intensely personal or embarrassing questions. Hours of this push-pull gradually opens their subjects up to either annoyance or hugging and bonding. They are unafraid of asking celebrities how much money they have or what it feels like to not be so famous anymore. The home audience in Sweden is generally familiar with their incessant, boyish troublemaking which makes their antics all the more hilarious when the necessity arises for them to quickly, cleverly hide behind the guise of innocent curiosity of foreign journalists.
A typical 45-minute episode is taped over two full days and features Filip and Fredrik visiting a celebrity at home in Los Angeles
, asking them personal questions while taking a tour of their house, singing a song for them (often a Swedish song which has been translated into English), making an outing to one of the star's favorite places to eat, a series of elaborate would-you-rather questions, and frequently concludes with the hosts and subjects drinking alcohol together.
At some point during each episode, they administer a quick quiz called "Bra Eller Anus" (translates to "Good or Anus") in which the interviewee is presented with an idea, a thing or a description of a person, and must deem them "bra" or "anus." The quiz is introduced by an absurd theme song which is played on an equally ridiculously pimped-out cassette jam box that has traveled around America with them. The tape player was spectacularly destroyed in the final episode of the second season after it failed to work for an interview at the Knob Creek Gun Range
in Kentucky
.
Despite having recurring segments and well-known guests, the program is never taped in a proper studio. Instead it follows a free-form style, consisting entirely of location shoots, constant improvisation and it often changes course unexpectedly. The hosts and subjects are often seen passing or clipping microphones onto each other, and it is not unusual for the cameras to be jostling into position while things are happening. Each episode is a loose adventure, the course of which is largely dependent on the celebrity being interviewed. Hammar has described their approach as "We just turn on the camera and go."
The signature melody for the show is the song I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)
by The Proclaimers
.
The first three of the program's four seasons have been released on DVD. In 2005, a version of the show's format was used for a meeting with former Swedish prime-minister Ingvar Carlsson
.
Season 2:
Season 3:
Season 4:
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
television program which first aired in 2003 on the Kanal 5
Kanal 5 (Sweden)
Kanal 5 is a Swedish commercial television channel established in 1989. It is owned by the media corporation ProSiebenSat.1 Media.After a troublesome 1990s, Kanal 5 launched new strategies in the early 2000s that established it as a popular entertainment channel targeting young people...
network. The show is an interview/adventure series featuring the Swedish comedy duo of Filip Hammar and Fredrik Wikingsson
Filip Hammar and Fredrik Wikingsson
Lars Filip Hammar and Fredrik Wikingsson , commonly known as Filip and Fredrik, are two Swedish writers, television hosts and journalists both known for their youthful, though intellectual, humour and unconventional journalism. The duo has been celebrated for their relaxed and spontaneous style in...
. Although the pair continued to be provocative, this program proved to be less controversial than their previous television work and ultimately became much more successful. The team is known popularly in Sweden as simply "Filip and Fredrik."
Concept
Taking a camera team to AmericaUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Hammar and Wikingsson filmed a series of multi-day interviews with minor celebrities and has-beens such as Fabio Lanzoni
Fabio Lanzoni
Fabio Lanzoni ; born March 15, 1959), widely known simply as Fabio, is a famous international Italian fashion model, spokesperson and actor who appeared on the cover of hundreds of romance novels throughout the 1980s and 1990s....
, Pamela Anderson
Pamela Anderson
Pamela Denise Anderson is a Canadian-American actress, model, producer, author, activist, and former showgirl, known for her roles on the television series Home Improvement, Baywatch, and V.I.P. She was chosen as a Playmate of the Month for Playboy magazine in February 1990...
, Ron Jeremy
Ron Jeremy
Ronald Jeremy Hyatt , usually called Ron Jeremy, is an American pornographic actor. Nicknamed "The Hedgehog", he was ranked by AVN at number one in their "The 50 Top Porn Stars of All Time" list...
, Tonya Harding
Tonya Harding
Tonya Maxine Harding is an American figure skating champion. In 1991 she won the U.S. Figure Skating Championships and placed second in the World Championships. She was the second woman, and the first American woman, to complete a triple axel jump in competition...
, Uri Geller
Uri Geller
Uri Geller is a self-proclaimed psychic known for his trademark television performances of spoon bending and other supposed psychic effects. Throughout the years, Geller has been accused of using simple conjuring tricks to achieve the effects of psychokinesis and telepathy...
, and Gary Busey
Gary Busey
William Gary Busey , best known as Gary Busey, is an American film and stage actor and artist. He has appeared in a large variety of films, as well as making regular appearances on Gunsmoke, Walker, Texas Ranger, Law & Order, and Entourage...
. Rather than just sitting down and talking, they follow the stars around for several days and engage themselves in various everyday activities of the celebrities' lives. Aside from instances when the hosts are speaking privately with each other or to the camera or camera operators, the series is almost entirely in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
With varying levels of success and hilarity, Hammar and Wikingsson are welcomed into the lives of infamous personalities who often introduce them to their families, sing songs with them and take the Swedes to their favorite restaurants or recreation spots. Many speak candidly about their lives before, during and after their greatest successes. Some of their interview subjects seem to become genuinely entertained by and endeared to the duo (Vince Neil
Vince Neil
Vincent Neil Wharton is an American vocalist and musician, best known as the lead vocalist of heavy metal band Mötley Crüe.-Early life:Neil was born in Hollywood, California to Odie and Shirley Wharton...
of Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. The group was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil...
and his parents, Charlene Tilton
Charlene Tilton
Charlene L. Tilton is an American actress and singer. She is best known for playing Lucy Ewing in the television series Dallas.-Career:...
of the TV series "Dallas
Dallas (TV series)
Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
" and her daughter Chastity). However, the subjects of other episodes are either bewildered by Filip and Fredrik or become increasingly more uncomfortable (or even mildly irritated) during the relentless onslaught of questions, games and songs (Lorenzo Lamas
Lorenzo Lamas
Lorenzo Lamas y de Santos is an American actor. Lamas is known for playing Lance Cumson on the popular 1980s soap opera Falcon Crest, Reno Raines on the 1990s crime drama Renegade, and Hector Ramirez on the daytime soap opera The Bold and The Beautiful...
, Gary Busey
Gary Busey
William Gary Busey , best known as Gary Busey, is an American film and stage actor and artist. He has appeared in a large variety of films, as well as making regular appearances on Gunsmoke, Walker, Texas Ranger, Law & Order, and Entourage...
).
The pair have a style of questioning which peppers their friendly, casual conversations with intensely personal or embarrassing questions. Hours of this push-pull gradually opens their subjects up to either annoyance or hugging and bonding. They are unafraid of asking celebrities how much money they have or what it feels like to not be so famous anymore. The home audience in Sweden is generally familiar with their incessant, boyish troublemaking which makes their antics all the more hilarious when the necessity arises for them to quickly, cleverly hide behind the guise of innocent curiosity of foreign journalists.
Regular Segments
A short biography segment introduces the program's guest at the beginning, during which seemingly unrelated images quickly appear on the screen. Each picture is in fact a humorous reference to something similar - or related - to the subject matter. A viewer may need to see this one-minute introduction many times - and be well-versed in Swedish pop culture - in order to catch all the rapid, subversive jokes.A typical 45-minute episode is taped over two full days and features Filip and Fredrik visiting a celebrity at home in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, asking them personal questions while taking a tour of their house, singing a song for them (often a Swedish song which has been translated into English), making an outing to one of the star's favorite places to eat, a series of elaborate would-you-rather questions, and frequently concludes with the hosts and subjects drinking alcohol together.
At some point during each episode, they administer a quick quiz called "Bra Eller Anus" (translates to "Good or Anus") in which the interviewee is presented with an idea, a thing or a description of a person, and must deem them "bra" or "anus." The quiz is introduced by an absurd theme song which is played on an equally ridiculously pimped-out cassette jam box that has traveled around America with them. The tape player was spectacularly destroyed in the final episode of the second season after it failed to work for an interview at the Knob Creek Gun Range
Knob Creek Gun Range
Knob Creek Gun Range is an outdoor shooting range located in Bullitt County, Kentucky, United States, near the community of West Point, Kentucky. The range is a former military-munitions test range...
in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
.
Despite having recurring segments and well-known guests, the program is never taped in a proper studio. Instead it follows a free-form style, consisting entirely of location shoots, constant improvisation and it often changes course unexpectedly. The hosts and subjects are often seen passing or clipping microphones onto each other, and it is not unusual for the cameras to be jostling into position while things are happening. Each episode is a loose adventure, the course of which is largely dependent on the celebrity being interviewed. Hammar has described their approach as "We just turn on the camera and go."
The signature melody for the show is the song I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)
I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)
"I'm Gonna Be " is a song written and performed by The Proclaimers. It was released on their 1988 Sunshine on Leith album, and subsequently as a single. It has become one of their most popular songs, reaching No. 11 in the UK charts and No. 1 on the Australian ARIA Charts in 1989, plus, five years...
by The Proclaimers
The Proclaimers
The Proclaimers are a Scottish band composed of identical twin brothers, Charlie and Craig Reid . They are probably best known for the songs "Letter from America", "I'm On My Way" and "I'm Gonna Be ". The band tours extensively throughout Europe and other continents...
.
The first three of the program's four seasons have been released on DVD. In 2005, a version of the show's format was used for a meeting with former Swedish prime-minister Ingvar Carlsson
Ingvar Carlsson
Gösta Ingvar Carlsson is a Swedish politician, Prime Minister of Sweden and leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party ....
.
Episode overview
Season 1:| Episode # | Running length | Theme |
|---|---|---|
| Episode 1 | Dennis Rodman Dennis Rodman Dennis Keith Rodman is a retired American Hall of Fame professional basketball player of the National Basketball Association's Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks. Born in Trenton, New Jersey, he was nicknamed "Dennis the Menace" and "The... |
|
| Episode 2 | Miss Nude America | |
| Episode 3 | Fabio Lanzoni Fabio Lanzoni Fabio Lanzoni ; born March 15, 1959), widely known simply as Fabio, is a famous international Italian fashion model, spokesperson and actor who appeared on the cover of hundreds of romance novels throughout the 1980s and 1990s.... |
|
| Episode 4 | Pamela Anderson Pamela Anderson Pamela Denise Anderson is a Canadian-American actress, model, producer, author, activist, and former showgirl, known for her roles on the television series Home Improvement, Baywatch, and V.I.P. She was chosen as a Playmate of the Month for Playboy magazine in February 1990... |
|
| Episode 5 | Ron Jeremy Ron Jeremy Ronald Jeremy Hyatt , usually called Ron Jeremy, is an American pornographic actor. Nicknamed "The Hedgehog", he was ranked by AVN at number one in their "The 50 Top Porn Stars of All Time" list... |
|
| Episode 6 | Ian Ziering Ian Ziering Ian Andrew Ziering is an American actor best known for playing Steve Sanders on the television series Beverly Hills, 90210.-Personal life:... |
|
| Episode 7 | Porn/Sitcom: Rhapsody in cock | |
| Episode 8 | Philip Michael Thomas Philip Michael Thomas Philip Michael Thomas is an American actor. Thomas's most famous role is that of detective Ricardo Tubbs on the hit 1980s TV series Miami Vice. His first notable roles were in Coonskin and opposite Irene Cara in the 1976 film Sparkle... |
|
| Episode 9 | Steve-O Steve-O Steve-O is an American stunt performer and television personality. His entertainment career is mostly centered around his performance stunts on the American TV series Jackass and accompanying movies.... |
|
| Episode 10 | Monica Lewinsky Monica Lewinsky Monica Samille Lewinsky is an American woman with whom United States President Bill Clinton admitted to having had an "improper relationship" while she worked at the White House in 1995 and 1996... |
Season 2:
| Episode # | Running length | Theme |
|---|---|---|
| Episode 1 | Vince Neil Vince Neil Vincent Neil Wharton is an American vocalist and musician, best known as the lead vocalist of heavy metal band Mötley Crüe.-Early life:Neil was born in Hollywood, California to Odie and Shirley Wharton... |
|
| Episode 2 | Uri Geller Uri Geller Uri Geller is a self-proclaimed psychic known for his trademark television performances of spoon bending and other supposed psychic effects. Throughout the years, Geller has been accused of using simple conjuring tricks to achieve the effects of psychokinesis and telepathy... |
|
| Episode 3 | Tonya Harding Tonya Harding Tonya Maxine Harding is an American figure skating champion. In 1991 she won the U.S. Figure Skating Championships and placed second in the World Championships. She was the second woman, and the first American woman, to complete a triple axel jump in competition... |
|
| Episode 4 | Gary Busey Gary Busey William Gary Busey , best known as Gary Busey, is an American film and stage actor and artist. He has appeared in a large variety of films, as well as making regular appearances on Gunsmoke, Walker, Texas Ranger, Law & Order, and Entourage... |
|
| Episode 5 | Robert Englund Robert Englund Robert Barton Englund is an American actor, voice-actor and director, best known for playing the fictional serial killer Freddy Krueger, in the Nightmare on Elm Street film series. He received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors in... |
|
| Episode 6 | Lorenzo Lamas Lorenzo Lamas Lorenzo Lamas y de Santos is an American actor. Lamas is known for playing Lance Cumson on the popular 1980s soap opera Falcon Crest, Reno Raines on the 1990s crime drama Renegade, and Hector Ramirez on the daytime soap opera The Bold and The Beautiful... |
|
| Episode 7 | Charlene Tilton Charlene Tilton Charlene L. Tilton is an American actress and singer. She is best known for playing Lucy Ewing in the television series Dallas.-Career:... (Gary Busey makes a cameo) |
|
| Episode 8 | Corey Feldman Corey Feldman Corey Scott Feldman is an American film and television actor. He became known during the 1980s, with roles in the Hollywood films Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, The Goonies, Stand by Me, The Lost Boys, License to Drive, Dream a Little Dream, Gremlins and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles... |
|
| Episode 9 | Gay-TV | |
| Episode 10 | Machinegun convention in the US |
Season 3:
| Episode # | Running time | Theme | First aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Episode 1 | Another meeting with Fabio Fabio Lanzoni Fabio Lanzoni ; born March 15, 1959), widely known simply as Fabio, is a famous international Italian fashion model, spokesperson and actor who appeared on the cover of hundreds of romance novels throughout the 1980s and 1990s.... |
November 1, 2004 | |
| Episode 2 | Brigitte Nielsen Brigitte Nielsen Brigitte Nielsen is a Danish model, actress, musician and reality television personality who began her career modelling for Greg Gorman and Helmut Newton and several years later made appearances in the 1985 films Red Sonja and Rocky IV and is also known for her marriage to Sylvester Stallone... |
November 8, 2004 | |
| Episode 3 | Mahir | November 15, 2004 | |
| Episode 4 | James Hewitt James Hewitt James Hewitt is a former British household cavalry officer in the British Army. He had an affair with Diana, Princess of Wales for five years, receiving extensive media coverage after revealing details of the affair.-Early life:... |
November 22, 2004 | |
| Episode 5 | Bollywood Bollywood Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing... |
November 29, 2004 | |
| Episode 6 | Another meeting with Gary Busey Gary Busey William Gary Busey , best known as Gary Busey, is an American film and stage actor and artist. He has appeared in a large variety of films, as well as making regular appearances on Gunsmoke, Walker, Texas Ranger, Law & Order, and Entourage... |
December 6, 2004 | |
| Episode 7 | Ilona Staller Ilona Staller Ilona Staller , also known by her stage name la Cicciolina, is a Hungarian-born Italian porn star, politician, and singer. She continued to make hardcore pornographic films while in office. She is famous for delivering political speeches with one breast exposed.-Early life:Anna Ilona was born in... (Cicciolina) |
January 24, 2005 | |
| Episode 8 | Cannabiss Cup | January 31, 2005 |
Season 4:
| Episode # | Running time | Theme | First aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Episode 1 | Andy Dick Andy Dick Andrew R. "Andy" Dick is an American comedian, actor, musician and television/film producer. His first regular television role was on the short-lived but highly influential Ben Stiller Show. In the mid-1990s, he had a long-running stint on NBC's NewsRadio... |
May 12, 2008 | |
| Episode 2 | Shannen Doherty Shannen Doherty Shannen Maria Doherty is an American actress, producer, author and television director, known for her work as Heather Duke in Heathers , as Brenda Walsh in Beverly Hills, 90210 and its spinoff series 90210, and as Prue Halliwell in Charmed .-Early life and career:Doherty was born in Memphis,... |
May 19, 2008 | |
| Episode 3 | Mike Tyson Mike Tyson Michael Gerard "Mike" Tyson is a retired American boxer. Tyson is a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles, he was 20 years, 4 months and 22 days old... |
May 26, 2008 |