Revising History, and maybe ratings

Meet the new History Channel. Not the same as the old History Channel.

The network, occasionally criticized for stodgy, static programming, wants to make sure baby boomers and younger viewers won’t be bored again. So History is cranking it up with new series featuring a more dynamic, aggressive style -- leading the charge is the Who’s lead singer, Roger Daltrey, who brings his irreverence and charismatic swagger to “Extreme History,” the highest-profile new show.

“So many History Channel shows are so pedantic, just talking heads and old film,” Daltrey says. “Sooner or later that audience will die out, so they must find a new way to present history. This is a show that goes to the wire.”

“Extreme History,” which debuts Sunday, explores what it took to survive caveman life, the Lewis and Clark expedition, the Civil War, the Chisholm Trail, the first Colorado River exploration, buffalo hunts, auto racing’s early days and life as a firefighter. But it minimizes facts and dates in favor of stories and hands-on experience -- Daltrey hurtles down the Colorado’s rapids, shoots (blunted) arrows at buffalo, races around an old dirt track and dons firefighter gear for a search and rescue.

“We take the history very seriously, but it’s not a history lesson in the traditional sense. It’s more hanging out with Roger and the experts,” says Matt Ginsburg, co-executive producer of the show with David Leepson.

“It’s hands-on so you don’t feel we’re spoon-feeding you information,” adds editor Pierre Takal.

Indeed, while the episodes are meticulously researched and scouted and pumped up with a fast-paced, you-are-there visual style, Ginsburg says Daltrey and the experts carry the show. Daltrey asks thoughtful questions, but its his anyway, anyhow, anywhere attitude, easy charm and bawdy humor that distinguishes this from past History Channel fare.

The History Channel is counting on Daltrey’s presence and the new look to generate buzz. “We have high hopes for this show and for our new approach,” says programming vice president Susan Werbe.

The network is investing heavily to reach new viewers, spending money for the first time on pilots and focus groups. In fact, the network originally hired Leepson and Ginsburg to make “Mess Kit,” a food-oriented show -- the pilot tested well, but the topic was deemed too narrow and was expanded into “Extreme History.” It’s joined this fall by “Guts and Bolts,” a you-are-there show about technological advances, “Shifting Gears,” a fast-paced car show, “Deep Sea Detectives,” a high-tech show filmed largely underwater, and “Come Home Alive,” which recounts stories of terrorism victims movie style.

“We’re not abandoning our traditional shows, but we’re adding these shows that are very active with a lot of shooting on location,” Werbe says.

It’s a shrewd and necessary move, says Bob Flood, director of national electronic media for the ad-buying company Optimedia. “Audience fragmentation is forcing all networks to invest in more original programming and to experiment with new genres.”

And, he adds, Daltrey’s presence guarantees attention from the press and the public. (Daltrey’s storied past comes up only occasionally -- as he carves an oar he reminisces about building guitars as a child; when an Indian gives him war paint, he spontaneously writes “The Who,” with its arrow logo, across his hands.)

*

An outspoken host

Of course, hiring someone famous for being a straight-talking rebel comes at a price. Daltrey bluntly scorns the show’s title, saying it creates false expectations for viewers, forces awkward writing and limits potential topics. “Some people must have been living in cupboards for years to think ‘Extreme’ is cool in 2003,” he said, with a History Channel publicist present. Daltrey, who likens the network’s logo to a cigarette ad, also is prepared to do battle with the network’s marketing executives, whom he views as timid. “I’m trying to convince them to go dangerous on advertising,” he says. “You have to upset people. I’m in rock ‘n’ roll, and that’s what I used to do. Then they’ll watch.”

While most rock icons wouldn’t even bother with a low-budget documentary series, Daltrey has always stood out for his willingness to try anything, whether it’s movies (“Tommy,” “McVicar”), musicals (charity benefits of “Wizard of Oz” and “My Fair Lady”) or helping out a rock ‘n’ roll fantasy camp. He dismisses people who try to put him down just because he gets around. “What should I do, take up knitting?” he laughs. “I’m always up for a challenge.”

Daltrey took this role partly because after nearly 40 years of seeing America’s airplanes, hotels and arenas, he wanted to see “the real country” -- “That has been the real reward,” he says. But Daltrey -- whose depth and intelligence get overshadowed by the intellectualism of bandmate Pete Townshend -- also sees a powerful mission behind this show. He wants to remind viewers of how far out of touch with reality we are.

“Everybody is so inadequately trained to survive it really galls me,” Daltrey says, growing almost indignant. “We are totally reliant on poor people and computers. If we keep going the way we are everything will be forgotten. I taught my son how to shoot a rabbit, skin it, cook it and eat it.... We’re going to need [to know] that stuff. And it will [happen], whether it’s our lifetime or his or his kids’.”

On his property in England, Daltrey, an articulate opponent of corporate agribusiness, operates a farm at a loss. The reason, he says, is because the men who run it represent “centuries and centuries of knowledge about how things work. If we lose that knowledge it’s not like a machine you can flip back on.”

This attitude wins over the experts who may have been wary of a rock star hosting a history show. “Roger asked a lot of questions and was willing to go out there and get hands-on,” says Dave Lyle, who helped re-create John Wesley Powell’s pioneering Colorado River journey. Lyle praises “Extreme History” for stripping away the romanticism. “There was nothing romantic about it,” Lyle says. “It was hard-core and brutal, but Powell and his men survived and did some pretty incredible things.”

Daltrey and his crew clearly had it easier, but this wasn’t just standing around playing pinball. Out there in the fields, the shooting was a far cry from the rock ‘n’ roll life, and not just because Daltrey had to eat beaver and endure the overwhelmingly loud cannon fire on a 19th century battleship. (And if a member of the Who says something is loud that means something.)

Climbing part of a 2,000-foot bluff with one arm -- since Powell lost an arm in the Civil War -- Daltrey badly injured his bicep. But the roughest day was the buffalo hunt. “I didn’t realize how dangerous that was,” Daltrey says. “We would have been mincemeat if those things had come at us.”

Leepson says these challenges infuse the show with energy, since everyone goes full-tilt all the time. “We can’t say, ‘Hey, Roger, can you climb that cliff again?’ or ‘Let’s just move that buffalo over there.’ ”

Daltrey relished most of the experiences, saying it offers both himself and viewers a mix of beauty, thrills and intellectual stimulation. “Seeing a fully dressed native Sioux Indian in his war paint and feathers riding across the prairie was like seeing a Greek mythological figure come to life,” he says. “It was absolutely astounding. I’ll carry that memory forever.”

Daltrey, who has always been willing to spend an hour chatting with fans who show up at his England estate, also savored the chance to sit around drinking beer and singing songs with the crew and experts. “It’s good life experience,” he says. “It will be reflected in the music when I go back into the studio.”

And the studio awaits: If “Extreme History” is a hit, the network will have to find a substitute host. In October, Daltrey has another gig lined up, recording with Townshend for the first time in more than 20 years. Then the Who will tour and Daltrey will return to the life of hotels, airplanes and arenas.

*

‘Extreme History’

Where: The History Channel

When: Sunday at 10:30 p.m.

Rating: The network has rated the series TV-PGL (may not be suitable for young children, with an advisory for coarse language).

Host: Roger Daltrey