A gap in the market and a few hundred rand was all it took for former Joburgers Anton Taylor and Dean Shamley to come up with South Africa’s latest viral video to hit YouTube – Jozi Shore.
Created in April this year as a spoof of US reality show Jersey Shore, the video pokes fun at the lives led by Joburg and Cape Town youths.
Since April, the Jozi Shore crew have produced three episodes, with the fourth set to be released in the next few days.
Each of the episodes so far have received around 500 000 hits on YouTube and soon Jozi Shore could find itself on TV.
This week Taylor and the Jozi Shore crew also released a book titled The Wisdoms of Jozi Shore.
The Saturday Star caught up with Taylor to chat about Jozi Shore and their newly released book.
1.) For those who don’t know anything about Jozi Shore, what is the show all about ?
Jozi Shore revolves around the cultural clash between Joburg and Cape Town citizens.
Essentially, the story line is about a group of Joburg boets, who come down to Cape Town. I visit my cousin, who is a stereotypical Cape Town hipster, and whose love of free-trade coffee and yoga I cannot comprehend.
Throughout the series I endeavour to teach him how to become a proper boet.
2.) Was the show inspired by international hit reality shows Jersey Shore and Geordie Shore?
Apart from the name, and elements of the structure, not too much. Obviously in Jersey Shore there are some parallels, as the guys take juice and put on fake tan, but they’re reality shows whereas we’re having a laugh and playing stereotypical characters.
3.) How did you come up with ideas for each episode of Jozi Shore?
The idea for the show came from Dean Shamley, who is my partner and co-directs, co-produces and edits Jozi Shore.
We went for beers one afternoon and he suggested that we play on the cultural clash between Joburgers and Capetonians, and suggested the name. After that, I called up some of my friends, we drank a lot of beers, turned on the camera, and winged it.
4.) Is there any chance that the show will ever be aired on TV?
I can’t say too much at this point, but we have been having discussions with a channel, and there are definitely possibilities to take this on to other mediums…
5.) Do you guys end up watching the international Shore programmes to get inspiration for Jozi Shore? Or do you guys think the other shows are absolute rubbish?
Ha ha, well, those shows are guilty pleasures – we enjoy the odd episode, but it is pretty much nonsense.
We don’t use them at all for inspiration, as we try to keep the focus on the South African aspect.
6.) From the little I grasped from the show, being a cool male in Jozi is all about the girls, the fancy cars, steroids, heavy gyming, and money. Is that true?
I think you’ve pretty much summed it up, brutha. I can’t really think of anything else that matters in life, except maybe being good at fighting and being able to beat up losers.
7.) Did you guys ever imagine Jozi Shore becoming so popular?
Certainly not. We just did the one episode, thinking that that would be it. We’d planned to make our second video a skit on something completely different, but were then so taken aback at the response to Jozi Shore that we made three more videos.
8.) How would you describe a Joburg boet?
Ja look, you’ve got to be big. Crucial. You can’t think you’re hardcore and be curling 12s or something like that. Obviously, bints (women) are a very important accessory for any proper boet– they should preferably be very tanned and packing a lot of “modifications”, if you get my drift. Scweet car is preferable, and you need to be loaded as well. Also, you need to know how to handle yourself in a big brawl.
9.) Your book The Wisdom of Jozi Shore was released this week. What is the book all about and when will it be launched?
I have to modestly say that I think it is just great. We noticed that people really responded positively to our one-liners, so we thought we’d make a book compiling our favourite one-liners, as well as some new ones.
There is an interview by Mandy Weiner with me in character, and then a more serious postscript at the end where I describe the evolution of Jozi Shore.
10.) Episode four is coming out soon. What can Jozi Shore fans expect from the new episode?
Episode four is a humdinger. We’ve been up to Joburg twice, for EFC and Wet and Wild, and we’ve got some spectacular footage from our pilgrimage home. We teach Nicky how to fight, and jol hard in Joburg.
11.) Any tips for the Joburg okes to become as cool as you guys are?
Steroids can help, but if you’re a loser you’re a loser. I’d say get your priorities right: my chain, my chinas, my chicks. In that order. -Saturday Star