Chad Kroeger and JT Parr, whose real names are Tom Allen and John Parr, are just two Southern California bros trying to “spread the stoke.”
If you don’t know what their signature “get stoked” catchphrase means, you’re not alone. It’s colloquial, surfer slang, or what Urban Dictionary defines as being “completely and intensely enthusiastic … or excited about something.”
And that’s exactly what they’ve become known for.
The duo, who like comedians Nathan Fielder and Sacha Baron Cohen often remain in character whenever they’re on camera, have grown popular online for documenting their attempts at getting regular people “stoked” about causes they care about. It’s a “half-serious, half-farcical political agenda,” as VICE described it.
What they call “activism” other people may perceive more as viral antics. They first blew up online after posting a video of themselves at a San Clemente City Council meeting petitioning for a statue of late “Fast & Furious” franchise star Paul Walker in 2017. They later gained notoriety after attempting to “solve” the mask shortage in Huntington Beach, Calif., in 2020, where hundreds of people had flooded the streets to protest California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s directive that beaches remain off-limits during the early months of the coronavirus pandemic.
Now, they’re hoping to showcase more of the behind-the-scenes of their comedic personas with their Netflix show “Chad & JT Go Deep,” which debuts on Tuesday.
“We didn’t expect it [our activism] to blow up like it did,” said Chad, who remained in character during an interview over Zoom with NBC News. “We’re just following our passions, and the world is responding.”
The Netflix series features Chad and JT continuing to identify causes they are passionate about (for example, in episode one they enact a campaign to “protect our boarders,” referring to … skateboarders). Sprinkled in between the “activism” are interviews with fellow members of their crew, which in this show (kind of) includes the famous DJ, Zedd. But the main storyline explores what happens when cancel culture hits.
The series is an extension of the brand they’ve already built online. Videos on their YouTube channel have amassed millions of views. Their podcast has also built a passionate following, with many fans, who call themselves “stokers,” posting their thoughts on episodes in an ongoing Reddit thread.
It’s also the latest show to blur the lines between reality and fiction, which comes as no surprise given that Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, the comedy duo from “Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!”, serve as producers. Their production company is also behind “The Eric Andre Show” and “Nathan For You,” which also fall in the docu-reality/sketch comedy television realm.
“It was cool to have production team behind us on this capturing everything,” Chad said. “Having a crew behind you push your ideas out to the world was great because we could focus purely on the stoke. I could focus on it without thinking of logistics, which are often times a bummer.”
JT agreed, describing the show as capturing “more of a personal journey” than what appears on their YouTube channel and podcast.
“It lets people more into us and into our relationship,” he said in the Zoom call, also remaining in character. “I think that was kind of the goal with this.”
“The internet videos are a small piece … it’s purely the activism,” Chad noted. “With this show, we wanted it to be a deeper dive and explore our relationship with our crew, and some of the thing we deal with from time to time. Like the cancellation, and how we use our crew to overcome obstacles like that.”
While they sometimes encounter people who either are confused by their message or angered by it, they aren’t bothered by the reactions.
“We have natural pacifying energies,” Chad said. “Mostly because I carry a crystal on me when I interact with people.”
“If you lead with stoke, even if someone gets heated, it’s tough for them to come to actually squaring up for real,” he added. “Because we’re just two chill dudes.”
If you lead with stoke, even if someone gets heated, it’s tough for them to come to actually squaring up for real. Because we’re just two chill dudes.
-Chad kroeger, of “Chad and JT Go Deep”
While they mostly stick to SoCal for the show, the duo have found themselves making headlines across the U.S. Most recently, earlier this month, they campaigned for the “right to bare arms” at a Des Moines City Council meeting.
“We thought that they meant sleeves would be mandatory,” John told local news reporters. “But turns out that’s not the issue, but if it ever does become an issue we will fight it with all that’s in our biceps.”
When asked whether they plan to expand their “spread their stoke activism” efforts elsewhere, they hinted there are more travels on the horizon.
“I don’t want to tip our future ambish too much but that’s an affirmative 10-4 oh yeah,” John said.
In the meantime, they just hope people watch the Netflix show. They even petitioned the Los Angeles City Council to make Aug. 23, the day the show is released, “no City Council day.”
“What up, Council,” Chad said to council members on Aug. 19, before proceeding to petition them to “reward” themselves by watching their new show.
“We need you, hardworking civil servants, to stay at home, blow off work and watch the full series so you can help boost the algo, and we don’t get lost in the infamous Netflix shuffle.”
Watch the full exclusive clip of their L.A. City Council appearance below.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
