CRITIC REVIEWS
Dark Entries: Review of ‘Chilling Tales from the Porcelain Seat’
I always imagined that plumbers everywhere are pointing their fingers and laughing ROTO-ROOTER GHOST HUNTERS at us. Sure, they bear the brunt of many bad-humor jokes, but when their pockets are fat–look who’s laughing now!
Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson of Ghost Hunters fame have made plumbing wizard Roto-Rooter synonymous with the paranormal world. The two have partnered to bring you Chilling Tales from the Porcelain Seat, true tales of the strange and unexplainable in the perplexing world of plumbing. And perplexed you will be after reading what some people consider ok to push down their pipes–including beer bottles and a variety of animals (not just fish!).
Chilling Tales is a perfect little vignette bathroom reader (c’mon, we all do it) and a fun novelty book that actually has some helpful factoids and toilet tips in it. The true stories and bizarre accounts that actual Roto-Rooter plumbers share are both hilarious and horrifying. There’s even a whole section dedicated to those wacky DIY fanatics who take on way more than they can handle. Grant and Jason’s advice? If you don’t wanna die, don’t DIY (well, actually I said that) because plumbing is a dirty and sometimes dangerous job! Most hilarious is the How to Poop at Work: A Survival Guide contribution:
TURD BURGLAR: Someone who does not realize that you are in the stall and tries to force the door open. This is one of the most shocking and vulnerable moments that can occur when taking a poop at work. If this occurs, remain in the stall until the TURD BURGLAR leaves. This way you will avoid all uncomfortable eye contact!
The photos in the book do a nice job of backing up some of the stories–particularly the section about root growth and your pipes. Yes, when nature attacks she’s ugly as hell and these roots pulled from plumbing look eerily similar to monstrous hairballs.
After reading Chilling Tales all my dreams of owning my own home were flushed down the drain, but the book is a fun and easy read–perfect for any Ghost Hunters fanatic, plumber or potty prince/princess.
- Screamstress.com
'Ghost Hunters' Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson team with Roto-Rooter for 'Chilling Tales from the Porcelain Seat'
It's no secret: I love Syfy's "Ghost Hunters" series. But I think their latest venture is a bit too far out for me.
Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, along with their day-job bosses at Roto-Rooter, have released "Chilling Tales from the Porcelain Seat."
According to a news release, "The idea behind the book stems from all the strange, funny, unexplained and simply weird experiences both the Ghost Hunters and other Roto-Rooter plumbers have witnessed over the years involving pipes, drains, sinks and toilets inside America's homes and businesses.
"There's a story about a Roto-Rooter man called to unclog drains at a Florida alligator farm who worked in waist-deep water while handlers kept gators at bay with prods. Another story deals with a kitchen sink drain clogged from end to end with broken glass from a full case of beer bottles that had been pushed down the garbage disposal at a party. 'Chilling Tales' features toilet trivia and even a chapter that tells the Ghost Hunters' inspiring story," the release says.
Sorry Jay and Grant, I've had plenty of plumbing horrors of my own over the years. I have learned though necessity where the water shutoff valve is behind the toilet. I really don't want to concentrate my thoughts on other people's pipes and toilets.
But, hey, bathroom readers could go wild for it.
Regardless, visitors to Roto-Rooter's Web site can enter Roto-Rooter's Chilling Tales Sweepstakes for a chance to win a trip to join Jason and Grant on a ghost hunt at The Stanley Hotel in Colorado (the inspiration for Stephen King's book and movie "The Shining") or the chance to stay at the "haunted" Spaulding Inn of New Hampshire, now owned by the "Ghost Hunters" stars, the company says. Now, those activities are for me!
- Marcia White, lehighvalleylive.com
“The more I read this book, the more relieved I become.” – Anyonymous
'Ghost Hunters' keep touch with Rooter roots in new book
For even casual fans of Syfy's Ghost Hunters, the backstory of Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson is as familiar as Superman's.
Plumbers by day, paranormal investigators by night, Hawes and Wilson of Warwick, Rhode Island, are best friends and leaders of The Atlantic Paranormal Society. Even as fame came their way with the successful cable TV show in 2004, the two continued to snake drains as blue-collar workers. So even though the story doesn't involve rocketing to Earth from the doomed planet Krypton, it still has that relatable hook of great entertainment.
The dynamic duo of the paranormal pop culture world are likely doing more ghost hunting gigs these days than plumbing ones, but they've maintained a mutually beneficial relationship with their boss Roto-Rooter Plumbing and Drain Service.
Now they're lending their voices as commentators to Roto-Rooter's new book, Chilling Tales From the Porcelain Seat . Essentially a collection of humorous and horrible porcelain god stories the leading plumbing company has picked up over the years, Hawes and Wilson pipe in (pun intended) with observations and one-liners every so often.
The "How to Poop at Work" survival guide is especially helpful, but more than just a book on how "everybody poops," there are weird ditties about reptiles, flushed drugs, a chocolate bunny and rescued kittens. While not technically a Ghost Hunters or TAPS book, Chilling Tales is an enjoyable and quirky little bathroom book worth reading outside of the bathroom.
However, if you're more interested in the spiritual world than the scatalogical one, you need only wait until the show's season premiere on Aug. 19 or for Sept. 29, when the next TAPS book comes out. Seeking Spirits: The Lost Cases of The Atlantic Paranormal Society by Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, with Michael Jan Friedman, is a follow-up to Ghost Hunting: True Stories of Unexplained Phenomena from The Atlantic Paranormal Society. An embiggenable sneak peek at the jacket is below.
- Aaron Sagers, Paranormal Pop Culture
“I am flushed with excitement. I can’t wait to read this book.” – The Porcelain God
Book surprise: 'Chilling Tales From the Porcelain Seat'
The summer is a big reading time for me, but it's not a serious novel that surprised me this season; it's a book about plumbing.
Plumbing and drain service Roto-Rooter's new book, "Chilling Tales From the Porcelain Seat" is a collection of humorous and horrible porcelain-god stories picked up over the years.
OK, so the "How to Poop at Work" survival guide is puerile and purely fun potty humor, but more than just a book on how "everybody poops," there are weird ditties about reptiles, flushed drugs, monster roots, a chocolate bunny and a rescued kitten. As an added bonus, Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson - devoted Roto-Rooter plumbers and famous "Ghost Hunters" from the Syfy Channel - provide commentary in the book and pipe in (pun intended) with observations and one-liners every so often.
- The Hub
“When I read this book, all my troubles go down the drain.” – I.P. Freely
“I was scared. I was chilled. I laughed. I cried. This book warms even the coldest of hearts and seats.” – Mary Poopins
