And a handicap plate at that. :)
Posted on 03/10/2006 12:32:36 PM PST by SteveBosell
They brought us four foulmouthed Colorado kids on South Park, spoofed the President in the sitcom That's My Bush! and annoyed Sean Penn with the movie Team America: World Police. Ahead of the March 22 start of South Park's 10th season on Comedy Central, Stone, 34, left, and Parker, 36, talked to TIME's James Poniewozik about celebs, politics and the innate badness of children.
YOU GUYS ARE FAMOUS FOR HANDING IN EPISODES AT THE LAST MINUTE. HAVE YOU EVEN STARTED SEASON 10? MATT STONE We just started about two days ago. TREY PARKER We're trying to work, but with no pressure we just aren't that funny.
HOW IS SOUTH PARK DIFFERENT FROM IN 1997? M.S. It's just way better. When we started, we didn't know what we were doing. And none of the shows we've done in the last two or three seasons could have been shown on air back in 1997. If you look at the first season, they're tame. T.P. It's definitely a lot dirtier.
YET IN '97 ALL PEOPLE TALKED ABOUT WAS THE VULGARITY. NOW ALL THEY TALK ABOUT IS THE SOCIAL COMMENTARY. T.P. We created a brand for ourselves, so that now people can't get mad at what we do, because then they're just making fun of themselves. We had an animated Muhammad five years ago. But people say, "Oh, yeah, that's just South Park."
ARE THERE EVER TIMES IN THE OFF-SEASON WHEN SOMETHING HAPPENS AND YOU THINK, "DAMN! I WISH WE COULD WRITE ABOUT THAT"? M.S. Last year it was the [Live 8] concert, and I was like, "Oh, man, I want to rip on them." And then there was when Tom Cruise was acting crazy. He just stayed crazy for so long--and it was still in the news--that we did a Tom Cruise show anyway.
WHAT WAS SCARIER: THAT TOM CRUISE MIGHT SUE YOU OR THAT SEAN PENN MIGHT PUNCH YOU? T.P. Well, Sean Penn is about 4 ft. 3 [M.S. laughs], so I'm definitely not scared of him. We're both fairly large guys. M.S. Yeah. I'm not scared of Sean Penn or Tom Cruise physically. Now legally, that's a different story.
THE BOOK SOUTH PARK CONSERVATIVES SAID YOUR SHOW IS AN ANTILIBERAL SATIRE. IS THAT A FAIR DESCRIPTION? M.S. I think that's a fair description of some of the show's politics. But you could also easily write a book called South Park Liberals, because we've attacked a lot of funny stuff that conservative people and institutions do in America. But we're the only show that rips on Rob Reiner and antismoking laws and hippies, so we get that label.
THAT'S MY BUSH! LASTED ONE SEASON IN 2001. WOULD IT HAVE DONE BETTER A FEW YEARS LATER? M.S. I think it would. But I don't think we would have been interested, because it would have been more politically charged. And it wasn't a political show for us. T.P. To be a sitcom you need just a superlovable guy at the center, who, yeah, he f___s up a lot, and yeah, he's harebrained sometimes, but he's got a good heart. Which I think is basically George Bush. M.S. He's like Homer Simpson.
WOULD YOU EVER DO ANOTHER MOVIE? SOUTH PARK OR OTHERWISE? T.P. The only way we'd do it is if we were sitting around and were like, "That's a sweet idea for a movie." A lot of the South Park episodes we've done could have probably been really good movies. M.S. We have a hungry baby we have to feed. South Park takes every idea.
SPEAKING OF BABIES, NEITHER OF YOU HAS KIDS, RIGHT? BOTH No. SO HOW DO YOU STAY IN TOUCH WITH HOW YOUNG BOYS, LIKE YOUR CHARACTERS ON SOUTH PARK, THINK? T.P. Yeah, sometimes I wonder. We still think like kids. Once you have kids, you think like a parent. You get a lot more protective. You start to think these kids are so beautiful, you can't see past your child's-- M.S. What a bastard your child is. [Laughs] T.P. We still believe that all people are born bad and are made good by society, rather than the opposite. M.S. Actually, I think that's where we're conservative.
M'Okay.
They also missed the point of "That's My Bush." It wasn't a spoof on the president, it was a spoof on the sitcom. They intended to do the show with whoever won the election.
SD
Yeppers.
...and I have only one word for the "funniest SP episode" - "Lemmiwinks."
"Bebe's Boobs Destroy Society"
And a handicap plate at that. :)
old cracker.... where for art thou? we needs some good ol'fashioned talkin too... 'bout these uppity no good fer nuttin cartoonists...
They'd better keep an eye on their coffee mugs, then.
Freedom cost a buck oh five.
OK, that's good. That's really good.
One of my favorite episodes from years ago is the Halloween show when they outlined the screen with images of Barbra Streisand. The references to her are hysterical. They love to bash on her, and for that, I thank them.
I love Butters too. It's unusual for a TV show to have such an interesting character come on later in the series.
You also have to love the Ritalin episode....
I liked Token--the only black kid. I haven't watched for awhile so he may be gone.
I watch Saddam try get back with Satan episode last night here in SO CAL that still funnier I wonder if South Park may incorpoate Kim Jong 11 in South Park since Saddam is jail right now
I think W would be pretty PO'd at Homer for how he ripped on his dad in that episode. But Jerry Ford would be good pals with Homer. :)
Way to go guys! One great show! I know ya'll think like this but, if anyone doesn't appreaciate your motives, F'''um!
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