INTERVIEW: The Sklar Brothers Talk Poop Talk Documentary

Randy and Jason Sklar in Poop Talk.

Randy and Jason Sklar, better known as The Sklar Brothers, executive produced Poop Talk. They joined Cultured Vultures a few weeks ago for a phone interview to discuss the film and the St. Louis Cardinals’ off-season moves.

Thanks for joining Cultured Vultures today. How are things treating you?
Jason Sklar: We are good. We are great. We are really on the precipice of this movie coming out. It’s kind of a real grass roots type of a thing but we are so excited about the reaction we’ve gotten from the people who have initially seen it and we really believe that it has the potential to be bigger than we can even see right now and that’s our hope.

Poop Talk is easily the funniest documentary this year and so original in the fact that it’s so taboo to talk about. What led the two of you to decide to executive produce it?
Jason Sklar: Our friend, Aaron Feldman, who is a really talented director and filmmaker, came to us and said I have an idea for a movie and I want you to help make this movie. He said it’s a documentary about poop—and we were like, I don’t think so. He said, hey now, before you decide, why don’t you think about it over the weekend and come back to me and tell me the type of movie that you would make on this subject. So we did. We went away and talked about it and really ruminated on it. We came back to him on the following Monday and we said, Okay, if we make a film with funny people we love and respect who do their best to have an honest, open—at times, funny—discussion about why this is a taboo subject, what are our attitudes towards it, how do they differ culturally—all those things. We wanted to make a movie that if we weren’t us, we would want to watch it. He said, let’s make that movie.

As soon as he sort of saw and didn’t even fight for one second on the type of film we wanted to make, we were like, okay, this is gonna be great. We started to talk to our friends—all the people who are in the film. We asked a lot of people for the favor of their time to talk about a subject that made them uncomfortable. Some of them made them incredibly uncomfortable like Steve Agee. Other people like Jonah Ray couldn’t wait to talk about it. We really got the sense from all these people—friends of ours who we’ve known for a long time—We got a deep glimpse into who they are as people in a way that we hadn’t before. Once we started talking to people, we realized, Okay, this is something special that we didn’t even realize it was going to be when we set out to make it.

I couldn’t help but laugh hysterically as Nicole Schreiber told her Passover story and being Jewish myself, I can fully relate to what she was talking about. Which comedian’s story surprised you the most?
Randy Sklar: I mean, you get matzoh in you and it’s like literally putting a plug in the old bathtub.

Jason Sklar: It’s like putting a note in the Western Wall.

Randy Sklar: Jam it in there. You are, I swear to God, I’ve never been as stopped up as I have been in March or April of most years. For her to just have all that build up and come out—that poor girl! When she told that story, I had to contain myself from ruining her wonderful story by laughing over it but it was brilliant. I thought she told a brilliant story.

Whose story surprised you the most?
Randy Sklar: The story that surprised me the most because it was so emotional and also had deep, deep, deep Jewish roots was Kira Soltanovich’s story about emigrating from Russia. Her family leaving—her father went ahead to the town before. They leave their small town. She’s 4 or 5 years old. She’s young—about the age of Jay’s daughter now. They’re getting on a train to leave Russia in the late 70s and all the townspeople who knew that the Jews were leaving showed up to throw trash at these people—the rudest, meanest thing that you can do—and she’s just a little girl getting on the train and in the anxiety of it all, she had to poop. The fact that her mom, like a great mom would do, said to pull down her pants, she held out her hand and caught the poop. What she did next was remarkable, cathartic, amazing—and you have to see the movie to find out—which I know you saw it and you know the end of the story. To me, I almost cried when it heard it. It was so brilliantly told. Oh my G-d, it was so deep.

By the time the film is released, pitchers and catchers will be reporting for spring training. What thoughts on the moves made by the St. Louis Cardinals during the off-season?
Jason Sklar: I wish they had done more. I would have gotten Manny Machado. Ozuna’s gonna be great. He is gonna be great. I think he’ll add that bat in the middle of the lineup that we absolutely need. I’m psyched to see Reyes come back. I know we didn’t trade for him but for him to be out all last year, an opportunity for him to come back.

Randy Sklar: If Wacha’s good and Reyes is good, you know, we can be a decent team.

Jason Sklar: Weaver had a crazy end of the year—if he can carry the momentum into the year. If Wainwright is your #4 pitcher, that’s not a bad rotation. We obviously need some help in the bullpen and we obviously need, I think, another bat. I think they made a couple of baby steps and could have done more. Does that make sense?

Yeah.
Jason Sklar: What do you think?

I was so busy with awards season that I was barely able to pay attention.
Jason Sklar: Right. Gotcha.

I did have MLB Network on all afternoon for Hall of Fame coverage.
Randy: Amazing.

Jason Sklar: Exciting. It’s really exciting. George Brett’s poop story might go in the Poop Hall of Fame. Go Google that.

Oh, really? What’s that one about?
Jason Sklar: He was in Vegas and he ate like a nice steak, crab, or shrimp dinner. Listen to it. Google it. Put the link in the article. You’ll love it.

There’s so many of these funny poop stories that I’m still laughing hysterically. I’m just trying to keep myself from not laughing during this interview.
Jason Sklar: That’s a good sign. What we say is—and you know this—through comedy comes great ideas. People who are laughing don’t have their arms folded so if laughing opens you up and what comes right behind it is an interesting discussion, that’s the perfect time to hear it. That’s why we think this film may just resonate with more people than we hope.

Thanks again for your time and hope to see you the next time you’re in Chicago.
Jason Sklar: You got it. We’ll hopefully be back soon. Thanks so much. Hope you’re doing well and we’ll see you soon.

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