When you’re a kid, poop is funny. Then you grow up and somehow it becomes less funny by the year, and for whatever reason, a taboo subject… despite the fact that everybody poops. In Poop Talk, a new docu-comedy from director Aaron Feldman, 50 experts and comedians come together to shatter the stigma of poop. From embarrassing moments to the scientific reasoning behind it all, Poop Talk may well be the definitive film about feces. Among those featured are The Sklar Brothers, Randy and Jason, who also serve as Executive Producers on the film, which was initially pitched as “The History of Poop.” Feldman calls it “a seemingly high brow approach to a low brow subject,” and ahead of its February 16 release via Comedy Dynamics, The Sklar Brothers took some time to throw-down with The Rock Father™ some additional thoughts on the subject in a two-part feature. In particular, “The Great Poop Toy Explosion of 2018,”which is expected to make a big splash at the 115th North American Toy Fair in New York City, the same weekend that Poop Talk hits theaters.
James Zahn (The Rock Father™): Having seen Poop Talk, I know that Jason says that you tend to cover a lot of ground in your stand-up act without “getting into the scatalogical shit of it all.” As we’re parents, we’ve all dealt with our fair share of shit. Is it hard to keep that from being a source of material, or is going that direction too easy?
The Sklar Brothers: It feels a bit too easy. Honestly, it was why we were reticent about even doing this project in the first place. But then when we spoke to the director about doing an honest, funny film about why this is such a taboo subject, while it’s something everyone does but not many people talk about. We found the film we wanted to make while not making it too easy.
James: Randy, you mention in the film that your daughters have no problem pooping on planes and that they also sometimes leave a present behind – a possible sign of aggression. My two daughters do the exact same thing. On a recent flight to Seattle it was like a quest to see who could use the plane toilet the most, and at home there’s a mysterious load left unflushed a couple of times a week. What do you think makes little girls into poop enthusiasts? I always figured that would be a little boy thing.
Randy: What I love is that right now, they AREN’T self-conscious about their bodies and themselves. I hope that never changes, although I know society will try and make them feel bad about themselves in one way or another. It’s unavoidable. I just want them to stay in that zone for as long as they can.
James: The timing of the movie is interesting in that it’s being released at the exact same time a trend is building steam in the toy industry – poop toys. While the film talks so much about so many different facets of poop, I think that poop as a “play thing” might be the one detail that was left out of it. Were you aware that this was a thing?
The Sklar Brothers: We weren’t aware as we were making this movie that poop toys were becoming a crazy trend, but seeing how poop emoji’s are the fake dog poop of the 21st Century, we should’ve seen it coming. Sounds like we’re about to get really acquainted with them. Anything that demystifies the whole poop practice is OK in our books, though.
We have children and Hannukkah is right around the corner…sort of. The parent who brings one of these toys to a birthday party, would definitely be the coolest, most open person you know. “Here’s a shitty toy for your shitty kid.”
James: Talking about all of this poop and poop toys, I was thinking that Spin Master’s new Flush Force reminded me of a couple of things way back on the Sklar Brothers resume – Troma’s Tales from the Crapper and Citizen Toxie: Toxic Avenger IV. Actually, those films along with The Oblongs and now Poop Talk demonstrate a strange lineage of poop and toxic waste that’s been lurking in the background of your career. Moving forward, should audiences expect more or that in the future, or has the poop now moved out of your systems?
The Sklar Brothers: We may have gotten this subject out of our systems. We feel a little bit lighter for having done this movie, for sure. But it’s helped us to understand that pooping is natural and a sign that your body is doing its job correctly. Pooping simply is not a dirty thing, unless of course you’re Chuck Berry*”
Up Next: From Poopeez to Flush Force, Doggie Doo to Don’t Step in It, The Sklar Brothers rapid-fire some opinions on selections from The Great Poop Toy Explosion of 2018, as picked by The Rock Father™. Read it here…
*Ed. Note: Chuck Berry is still dead. He died in 2017, but once famously installed a camera in a restaurant bathroom.
