It's not so much that I hate small talk, it's just that I find it boring past the required introductory information (like what's your name, where ya from, what do you do for a living). After that, conversation needs to go somewhere. Maybe I'm eager to get to the above mentioned topics? You can learn some genuinely interesting things about people when you have a deep discussion(or if you guys have been smoking a ton if weed).
Topics that should be limited, as seen from experience are politics and religion. Not that talking about them should be discouraged, just be careful because people will on you if you say the wrong thing.
I don't know, maybe it was Katsumoto and Nathan's interaction in The Last Samurai or The Doctor in Doctor Who that all of a sudden made stimulating conversation appealing. What do you like to talk about?
