I’ve been watching South Park since I was 11 years old, when I would sneak awake at night and watch the earliest episodes on Comedy Central, but over the last few years I’ve learned more about Matt Stone and Trey Parker than I ever knew. Between interviews I’ve conducted myself and blogs done by my colleagues here at CRACKED, I now know more about Matt and Trey than I do some of my own family members—which I am entirely fine with.
As such, here are five things I’ve learned about Matt Stone and Trey Parker just by being a part of this website.
Trey Parker Flunked Out of College
Matt Stone and Trey Parker met while students at the University of Colorado at Boulder. They were in a film class and began making movies together, with their crowning achievement being, Cannibal! the Musical. Parker dropped out of college because of how much time he dedicated to the film, and told Dennis Miller in 1998 “I only got kicked out of school because I was working so hard on this film, trying to get it done, and failed all my classes.”
Trey Parker Knew Butters Before Matt Stone
South Park producer Eric Stough, who served as inspiration for Butters was two years behind Trey Parker in school and recalled his first introduction to the South Park co-creator.
“I think I first saw him in junior high at West Jefferson Elementary School. I was in the audience, and they were doing a talent show,” Stough began. “Trey had a band, and they did this fake band called ‘Satan’s Offspring,’ making fun of heavy metal. They were playing things like the Andy Griffith song, but heavy rock style, and they smashed their guitars and stuff like that. It caused this big uprising because all the heavy metal-ers were upset that Trey was making fun of them. Later, I remember being on the school bus and watching his parents get him out of school because they wanted him to be safe.”
They Couldn’t Function with a Traditional Writers Room
Comedy Central mandated South Park utilize a traditional writer’s room process during the show’s first season, which Matt Stone and Trey Parker eventually terminated.
In my roundtable with three writers who attended the ill-fated experiment, Dave Polsky, said “I didn’t know enough to know how odd this was, but we met once a week for a few hours. We’d be told what time and we showed up for that time, but we didn’t see a lot of them. There was no rhythm to it. I found it hard to get my footing.”
According to writer Phil Stark, Stone and Parker told Comedy Central “We don’t want to do it like this,” at the end of the first season.
They’re Workaholics
Those three writers all made a point to say that Stone and Parker were never unkind or disrespectful towards them, but showed their affection in juvenile ways. Dan Sterling explained, “I knew I felt better when Matt was
Still, it was clear that Stone and Parker had a tight focus on work. Stark said “They aren’t the kind of guys who walk in and say, ‘Hey, how’s your weekend?’ Matt a little bit more, but Trey definitely isn’t.”
Mona Marshall and April Stewart held the same sentiment. Stewart mentioned how kind Stone and Parker were to her over the years and especially during her pregnancy, but also confirmed their devotion to the show. As Marshall put it, “They’re focused on the work, but not to the extent that they’re jerks.”
Trey Parker and Matt Stone Don’t Do Projects Apart From Each Other
Finally, I’ve learned why Matt Stone and Trey Parker don’t do solo projects, despite receiving offers to do so. In the documentary Six Days to Air, Matt Stone explained “Even though we’re a partnership, the way that the stories, either in South Park or the movies, are expressed is completely through Trey. Like, Trey’s the chef.”
Stone continued, saying “…I’ve got channels through him. Or, where I can get to be tough is exactly where Trey’s not. And where he can be tough is exactly where I’m not. You won’t get in an argument with Trey; Trey’s not going to argue with you about some things. And I’ll argue about your,
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‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
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