Book of Mormon Takes it Home: A Sit Down with Trey Parker & Robert Lopez

The 54th Grammy's are coming up, and while we're excited that the awards are starting to recognize more alternative acts like Bon Iver, Skrillex and The Decemerbists, there's really only one nom we're interested in and that's? Best Musical Theater Album? OH YEAH!

Trey Parker, Matt Stone and Robert Lopez, the men behind The Book of Mormon are playing punky against revival musicals Anything Goes and How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying. Mormon won nine Tony's this year, including Best Musical, Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical, and are looking to be a favorite for the Grammy's category, though this would not be the first time Stone, Parker and Lopez would have been cheated out of a deserved golden statue. Parker and Stone had been nominated for a Best Original Song Oscar in 2000 for "Blame Canada," from South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut. They lost to Phil Collins' awful "You'll Be In My Heart." Robert Lopez, co-writer of Broadway puppet sensation Avenue Q, lost his Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album of the Year to Wicked. The boys are back this year, and looking to take what's theirs. I had a chance to chat with Lopez and Parker about books, Grammy's and Orgazmo.

What were your guys reaction when you heard about the Grammy nomination for Book of Mormon? Trey Parker: I kind of forgot about the Grammy's for a little while. After we won the Tony's it was over for me. With the Grammy's it was just sort of like, "Oh yeah, cool." Robert Lopez: Not me. I went through it once with Avenue Q, so I was googling it everyday.

Are you guys planning any future projects together? TP: We don't know. We're doing road tours of the musical now, and we'll be spending a lot of time together? Maybe something'll come of it.

What're you guys reading right now? TP: Stephen King's new book about the JFK assassination "11/22/63."

I just read his memoir On Writing. It was great. TP: I love that book. It's great. RL: I'm between books right now. I just finished the Steve Jobs biography. I was blown away [turns to Parker]. We should do a musical based on it [they both laugh]. Call Scott Rudin.

Trey, of your lesser known movies: BASEketball, Orgazmo and Cannibal The Musical, which was your favorite to make? TP: Oh man? Probably BASEketball. We didn't write or direct it, we were just actors, which is fucking great. You get sunshine blown up your ass all day. You stand where you're supposed to and say the shit you say. The other projects were a lot of work for us.

Do you guys ever intend on not being awesome? TP: No. RL: I might try it. We'll see.