I didn't get it at first. It took a few episodes to see that the Trailer Park Boys were more than amateurs. They were doing more than just smokin' weed and talkin' shit.

Following the travails of small-time, drug-loving crooks in mockumentary style, Ricky (Robb Wells), Julian (John Paul Tremblay), Bubbles (Mike Smith), and a marvelous ensemble churned out seven seasons of a highly raw and reliable sitcom (and two less-magical feature-length films). Although production ceased in 2009, the Trailer Park Boys retain a rabid cult following. The last few years they've been touring.

I wanted to talk to the performers behind these loveable buffoons about their humble origins and continuing success. Instead they called in character. "Hey, it's Ricky," Wells said when he called. "I'm here with Bubbles."

MERCURY: Okay, I've got a couple questions from our readers that I want to share with you guys. The first one is for Ricky: This guy wants advice on the fastest possible way to get drunk as fuck.

RICKY: The fastest possible way to get drunk as fuck is to do a shot of whiskey every minute for an hour and every 15 minutes smoke a canon.

BUBBLES: I disagree.

RICKY: What do you say, Bubs?

BUBBLES: I've seen Mr. Lahey when he wants to get really drunk, he makes liquor-ball sandwiches. You just pour a bunch of liquor onto the bread and roll it into a ball and fire it in your head. Eat about 20 of those and you are wasted.

Bubbles, this one's for you: What do you think about the new plastic shopping carts that some stores are using?

BUBBLES: Well, I have mixed feelings about them. I mean, they're definitely not as aesthetically pleasing to look at. I like the look of the chrome ones. But I mean, they do hold up underwater. You throw one underwater and virtually nothing happens to it. I don't think they're going to revolutionize the industry the way Isaac Birdkoff, the creator of the plastic shopping cart, thought they would.

What has been your biggest accomplishment?

BUBBLES: Mine, personally, would probably be jumping Rubberneck Gorge. There's a gorge up here near Sunnyvale Trailer Park. It's about 40 feet wide and I jumped it on my go-cart. That's probably my crowning achievement in life. I built the ramp, 48-degree ramp. I cleared out the woods so I could get more speed up and I got a crash-suit and a helmet on and I jumped her just like Evel Knievel.

How about your biggest disappointments?

RICKY: I think being a millionaire for 10 minutes kind of sucked. That was Julian's fault. That was my biggest disappointment... that and Lucy banging my dad. That was a pretty big disappointment. I wasn't shocked, but it surprised me a bit.

BUBBLES: Probably my biggest disappointment was the first time I tried to jump Rubberneck Gorge. That went horribly wrong. I tried to do it on a BMX, but I didn't have the speed and I made her about halfway across then I went right into the gorge. I went over the handlebars, my teeth went through my lip, my glasses went up my arse. It was a horrible crash..