South Park

I used to hate that show, too.

Was there a specific episode or moment that you remember changing your opinion?

For the sake of conversation, Scott Tenorman and the chili episode. [Laughs.] Any time you have a cook-off in a show there's going to be some big excitement. But the fact that he, you know, got the ultimate revenge to his bully and killed his parents and put it in the chili. The best part was when he walked up to Scott's face and said, "Mmm, your tears taste so good." [Laughs.] You're laughing so hard, you're actually silent because you're curled in a ball. But when Radiohead shows up [while Scott Tenorman is crying because he just ate his family]? Having your favorite person watch you cry is the ultimate no-no for teenage boys.

“Having your favorite person watch you cry is the ultimate no-no for teenage boys.”

What about it didn't you really like at first?

I think initially it was the way it looked. I mean, I was like eight years old the first time I saw that. Eight or nine.

You just made a lot of people reading this feel really old.

[Laughs.] I mean, I was just too young to get a lot of the humor. It definitely wasn't the offensive part about it because that's what I like about it now. But a lot of people criticize South Park for going too far or playing with the same old tricks all the time, but I still think they're at the top of their game. They poke fun at pop culture just as much as your favorite gossip magazine does, except they make it funny. [Laughs.] They're interested in making fun of it and it's actually hilarious.

Humphrey The Bear

It's a long-lost Disney character. They only had a few seasons, maybe one or two. But I think this is something everyone needs to see. Man, it's hilarious. What I think is so great about it is there's not a lot of dialog and there's just a lot of action. It's kinda like physical comedy. That's the kind of chraracter Humphrey is. He's just this dumb bear that tries to do the right thing, but no matter how hard he tries he just f*** up. That's something everybody can relate to.

“He's just this dumb bear that tries to do the right thing, but no matter how hard he tries he just f*** up. ”

Pinky And The Brain

It's not really off the beaten path, maybe a little bit because it was very dark.

It feels very forgotten though, nowadays.

Doesn't it? I think during that time in my childhood I really loved that, like old-school Looney Tunes and Foghorn Leghorn. That stuff I have always loved. But I remember with Pinky And The Brain, it was definitely the standout from that time. It was just different. Different from the rest. I think it deals with a broader spectrum than the other shows. Kinda like with Dick Dastardly, you watch him and you know what's gonna happen. But Pinky And The Brain was always entertaining and always kinda changing, evolving.

I often walk around just saying, "Brain!" in a very bad accent. [Laughs.] I just like the whole nature of, "What are we going to do today?" "Take over the world." That's always stuck with me. I remember this really bizarre -- I mean, I haven't even seen it in so long -- Abraham Lincoln episode where they went into his monument. My memory may be spotty on this, so I could be exaggerating. But I'm pretty sure they went into the monument and controlled it. That was part of Brain's way of taking over the world. Another cool episode was them trying to go into space.

You know, Ren & Stimpy also had an episode with Abraham Lincoln in it and another with space travel. Why do you think there's a fascination with some shows with that?

Because space is frickin' cool! [Laughs.] I don't know, I think it plays into the fantasy with space travel that everyone kinda has. If you don't have it, then something's wrong with you.

But there is this weird thing with Abe Lincoln, and it's not just in cartoons. There's always people in TV shows and in magazines poking fun at him and I don't get it.

Is it too soon?

[Laughs.] It's just interesting.