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AICN Legends: Part 2 of Capone's (inhale) marathon session with (exhale) Kevin Smith!!!
Hey everyone. Capone in Chicago here.
Last week, I had the fairly lengthy first part of my marathon interview with the great and always enlightening Kevin Smith, and today we'll wrap up our zesty session. We kind of go all over the place in the second half of our talk, including a few more words about his upcoming Warner Bros. film A COUPLE OF COPS/DICKS, his history and legacy as a writer and filmmaker, his recently released book "Shooting the Shit"--a collection of the best SModcast transcripts, his relationship with and place in the online community, and his GREEN HORNET screenplay being turned into a comic book.
And for those of you who question why Smith belongs in a column called "Legends," the answer is simple. For better or worse, he changed the way films were made with CLERKS, simple as that. And beyond that little achievement, he changed the subjects that films were made about and the conversations that characters had in said films. I'd be willing to venture that more would-be filmmakers of a certain generation were inspired and influenced more by Smith's works than any other filmmaker that came out of the 1990s, including Tarantino, for the plain and simple reason that Kevin made it look easy and it was a lot easier for young filmmakers to seeing themselves in Kevin than anybody else.
And for those of you who think that I did this "kiss-ass" interview so that we can get scoops on future Smith films, you've got to be fucking kidding me. There is literally no such thing as a scoop about anything Smith does. The dude writes about everything he does on his own web site and on Twitter. What fucking scoops could you possibly be referring to. Okay, on to Part 2 of the AICN Legends interview with Kevin Smith…
Capone: Does the fact that you’re so bloodthirsty to make HIT SOMEBODY put more pressure on you to have A COUPLE OF DICKS do well?
KS: Not at all. Oh, god, no. I mean, look, if my career has done nothing, if it has proven nothing, it’s that I can make little amounts of money and still continue to work. I’ve never made a movie that made more than 30 million bucks, but, based on their budgets, they’ve made people lots and lots of money. People are always, like, Why, why, why? That’s it, dude. I’ve made people money. And, not every filmmaker can say that, but I’ve made people money every time out. Even the one that fuckin’ everyone thought didn’t make money, I still was able to fuckin’ clear a profit for them.
Look, people love big profits, and that’s why they make stuff like TERMINATOR or TRANSFORMERS or HARRY POTTER, ’cause those are just cash cows. But, everyone likes to make money, period, and all film is risky, so they’re happy with any return. And, a return on a movie that doesn’t cost that much money is a really healthy return, particularly when your video is as strong as mine has historically been. So, that’s why they kept letting me do it and whatnot, because they’re, like, Well, look, he may not fuckin’ kill at the box office, but the dude earns fuckin’ money, time after time.
So, I’m used to it. If A COUPLE OF DICKS withers on the vine and dies, it still can’t fuckin’ stop my career, dude. I mean, I’m kind of…'ensconced' is not the right word, but I’m there, I’m here. I’m one of those people that you know their name and shit like that. And, I’ll always work. I mean, I may not always get hired by studios and shit, but I can self-generate. I mean, that was one of the reasons I found it easy to kind of go forward with A COUPLE OF DICKS, because somebody said to me…It was a brilliant piece of advice. I was just, like, "I don’t know, man, direct somebody else’s script. That seems weird." And, they were, like, "Well, Kevin, you can always make a Kevin Smith movie. You can’t not make a Kevin Smith movie. You can do that anytime you want. Why not go try make somebody else’s flick? See how that feels." And, I was, like, "You’re right! I could go away for a thousand years and come back and write a Kevin Smith movie in my sleep. You know why? I’m fuckin’ Kevin Smith." [Laughs] I have no choice, dude. That’s all I can do.
So, it’s there. It’s always going to be there. I’m not connected to the material I used to write anymore. Not in the way where I’m like Leonard Nimoy, “I am not Spock” and shit like that. It’s just I can’t do it anymore. And, if I do it, it’s disingenuous, and you’re going to smell it. And, people have been smelling it for a few years. Look, my favorite work that I’ve done of everything thus far is CLERKS II. And, that turns a lot of people off, because they’re, like, "Well, clearly, he’s an idiot, if you think that." But, that movie meant the most to me. And, that one was the bellwether. Watch that movie, and tell me that this didn’t predict the end, you know. It was just me sittin’ there, going, like, "These guys are growin’ up, guys. They don’t have much left for the world of fuckin’ ‘Who shot first? Greedo or fuckin’ Han Solo?’ because it’s just…they’re not in their 20s anymore." So, it was kind of a way of slowly saying good-bye to that which gave me everything I have.
That’s the other scary thing, too, dude. It’s one thing to face, like, the notion that I can’t write like that anymore, like, "Ohhhhh, poor me, the artist." And, I put my fuckin’ hand to my forehead, and I walk away sadly. The other thing is, like, that’s my fuckin’ vocation, dude, like, that’s how I earn. If I can’t make those movies anymore, holy shit. How the fuck am I going to feed my kid? So, that was frightening, too, but, then you just got to go, like, Look, you’ve lived on no money, you’ve lived on lots of money. You’ll be able to do both. What you can’t live with is fuckin’ some movie that you’re just doing for a paycheck or some movie that you’re doing that you’re really not interested in, or something like that. So, if it means taking less money to do the gig, do the gig. And, that’s kind of where A COUPLE OF DICKS came from.
But, also, it came at a good time, too, because those movies were all about me trying to talk to the audience, trying to talk to people. But, by virtue of the fact that I could do that through a SModcast or fuckin’ Twitter now, or any number of other things that I’ve always done, Q & A’s live on stage, I don’t need to put it into the work anymore. So, I don’t need the work to communicate with the audience the way I did. Now, I can treat the work like work. For years, the people were, like, "Fuck him, man. He don’t make movies, he makes blogs. His movies are just blogs. It’s all too personal. He’s not working cinematically."
And, they were absolutely right. But, they were absolutely fuckin’ wrong, too. I mean, that’s thing: everyone thinks there’s a hard, fast rule on what it is, what film is. And, there’s not. It’s something to everybody. That’s why you’ll meet people who are, like, "My favorite movie is JUWANNA MANN," and you just wanna be, like, "What the fuck?" But, guess what, he’s right, or she’s right. It’s so subjective. It’s, like, everything that surrounded them…I mean, that’s the thing…The cineasts, the chilly, cold cineasts just want you to ‘judge the work,’ but, it’s, like, you can’t just judge the work. Nobody just judges the work, man, like, you know, you’re informed…The reason JUWANNA MANN is your favorite movie is not because it’s a great film, but it’s because the night you saw it, man, was when you found out, like, this girl that you really liked did like you back. Or, omigod, that was when we found out we were pregnant, when we saw JUWANNA MANN. Or, omigod, my dog died that day, and then I saw JUWANNA MANN. It took my mind off it. And, plus, it was funny, and the popcorn was so fuckin’ good that night. And, I’ve never had a better blend of soda. So many factors go into it, dude. It’s ridiculous for people to be, like, "I’m going to divorce myself from all of these outside other things, and I’m just going to concentrate on the art."
It doesn’t work like that. Moviegoing has never been that. And, all the staid critics in the world can’t turn it into that. It’s everything. It’s that fuckin' piece of shit that cut you off on the way in to the fuckin’ movie theater. It’s the fact that you had to park in the back row, and it was fuckin’ drizzling, and so you get in there wet, and you’re fat and you’re sweaty, like I do when you walk, ’cause you sweat when you fuckin’ breathe. And then you sit down. The fuckin’ trailers, you couldn’t even hear ‘em, looked like it was projected through a glass of milk, and you had to get up and tell the motherfuckers, "Would you fuckin’ project it right…or, the sounds not up." And, you sit down and finally watch the movie. And then, it washes over you. But, all this other stuff informs it as well.
And, that’s the way it should be. Just judging the film itself, it’s like, why bother? Film is communication. It’s me talking to you. It’s the filmmaker talking to the audience, so I don’t know, man, I’d much rather hear from the filmmaker, rather than kind of just look at the work itself. I’d rather know what was on the filmmaker’s mind when it was going on--not through some fuckin’ press kit notes, you know.
Capone: Well, you just described the birth of Ain't It Cool, I think.
KS: Exactly, dude! I mean, that’s why, like, it’s been a great time to be alive, because it was, like, around the same time…like, I did CLERKS, and Robert [Rodriguez] did EL MARIACHI right before me. And, Quentin [Tarantino] did RESERVOIR DOGS before him. And, Harvey and Bob [Weinstein] were doing exciting things, you know, daily with fuckin’ Miramax. And, then, out of nowhere, this fat dude in Texas was just like, "I’m going to talk to people about movies." Such a brilliant idea, so simple. And, he had the benefit of being the guy who kind of did it first. And, now, everybody does it. But, he was the first guy--and, it was born out of passion. It was born out of, like, "Hey, nobody else is doing it, I wanna do it, ’cause I wanna talk about fuckin’ movies."
And, what do they do for him--they beat him up. [laughs] He can’t win. You know why? Because some people don’t like to see people doing well. Some people genuinely don’t like the work, and, hence, they don’t like you. Some people don’t like you, period. I thought people would go, like, "I love his movies, but I can’t stand him." I’m, like, "Really? I mean, they’re interchangeable. That’s so weird." So, it’s born out of necessity, or born out of his desire to fill a gap that’s there.
I mean, talk to Harry. I guarantee you Harry is not nearly as interested in Ain't It Cool News now as he was when he started it, because now there’s a bunch of places out there. Now, he has a never-ending flow of people to talk to about movies, whereas, back in the day, he was a dude holed up in a bed with a bum leg, or something like that…and, "Who can I talk to about movies, except my dad?" He’ll never be lonely again, dude. All he has to do is fuckin’ sign on to his web site and put up a blog, and a thousand people will tell him he’s great, or that he’s a fat jerkoff.
And, that’s what we deal with online all the time. That’s why I’m so curious how fuckin’ somebody like Brittany Spears deals with “You fuckin’ whore,” the shit that people write to her. But, then again, she’s probably used to it. I just want somebody like fuckin’ Meryl Streep to get on Twitter, you know what I’m saying. Meryl Streep has probably not dealt with any hostility from the general public in quite some fuckin’ time. She’s beloved, our greatest American actress. But, you know by process of elimination, dude, somebody’s going to jump on Twitter if she’s on there and be, like, "You suck cock!" Somebody’s going to tell Meryl Streep that she sucks cock, and Meryl Streep’s going to have to confront it and be, like, "Omigod, who are these people?" And quickly turn off to it. But, those of us who have been online since the early days, like Harry…Harry must have a fuckin’ iron skin at this point, dude.
Capone: It took me, like, five or six years to learn to be entertained by it as I was being insulted, I'll admit.
KS: Yeah, it takes…dude, it took me, like, the better part of 15, like, 14 years. It wasn’t until I developed a drug habit that I could finally disconnect from it, you know what I’m saying? Because that’s what people don’t get, like, they think they’re just talking about your movie. But, those movies were personal. Those weren’t just movies. That was me exposing myself, so you go after the work, you go after the filmmaker. You’re not just saying, "Ahh, this really bugged me." They’re saying, "Your life doesn’t interest me." And, that’s where the personal reaction used to come from.
But now, by virtue of the fact that I’ve been doing it for this long, and I smoke as much weed as I do, and also by virtue of the fact that I’m fuckin’ 39, those days of fuckin’, like, [mock wailing] "Omigod, they can cut me to the quick" are over. You know what cuts me to the quick now? Terror, for my daughter…that, you know, she’s going to go out and get killed one day, or snatched, or some sick shit. You know, that takes over. Suddenly, it’s just, like, why do I care if some motherfucker online tells me I’m an idiot. It’s, like, "You’re right, dude, I am. You win. Congratulations! Let me shake your hand. You told me. Now, move on with your life and conquer more people."
Capone: I feel like I should address the book coming out, “Shooting the Shit.”
KS: Feel free.
Capone: What were the criteria for deciding which SModcasts or which sections would make the book?
KS: I turned it over to Ken Plume, ’cause I was, like, look, Ken Plume is the only guy who’s listened to every SModcast, probably at least three times. He gets them dry, and then he he’d listen to it to hear what we’re talking about, so he can decide what musical bed he’s going to lay under it. Then, he’s listening to it while he’s doing that. And, then, he has to listen to it when it’s all done. So, he has heard all of them and has heard every inch of them, with or without music. He’s the most familiar with them. And, I was just, like, if anybody’s going to know, it’s him.
I get e-mails from Ken every week. I send him a podcast, and he’ll send me an e-mail, saying, "I got it. I’m working on it now." And, every once in a while, he sends an e-mail where he’s, like, "I got it--Wow, this one’s really funny." And, you know, like, he’s the guy who sits there and judges them all the time, because he has to listen to them. And so, I was, like, this guy, of anybody, he’s going to know the funny ones. So, I turned it over to Ken. And also, you just wanted to keep Ken involved, because he’s such an integral part of the SModcast equation. He’s the guy who mixes the background music, but in a book, there’s really no place for that.
Capone: Was there any listener input on what they liked the most?
KS: Yeah, we put up a category once a long time ago, and it was, like, “Favorite SModquotes” or something like that. And, I think that was because Ken and Ming were trying to make a bumper sticker, and they wanted to know, like, what was a favorite quote or most-repeated quote. And, then, we just kind of abandoned the idea but kept the thread up there, so people still use it to kind of comment on their favorite bits or whatnot. And, I guess, Ken might have used that as a reference as well.
Capone: Do you ever set an agenda for any of the SModcasts, or do you just get in there and start talking?
KS: Generally, we just kind of go and start talking. I mean, throughout the week, if I see links online to stories and shit that I’m, like, "Ohhh, we could talk about this," then I’ll grab those. But, generally, we don’t do that anymore. We did that more upfront where we were kind of dealing with news stories, but now, we just kind of sit down and start babbling.
But, there’s a lot more editing that goes on now than there was in the beginning, because what I’ll do now is record for three hours or something like that, however much time we feel like going, and then just let it go and not think about the time. We used to do it in, like, 52-minute increments, ’cause that’s all the card would hold. And then, one day Ming was, like, "Why don’t you just get a bigger card?" And, I was, like, "Oh, yeah. We’re such idiots." So, once you get that big a card, it was, like, we could go for hours. And, what I’ll do is I’ll take three hours and bring it down to, like, what it is you hear every week. And, it’s not always three, sometimes it’s two. And, there are long, boring fuckin’ sections that I’ll hack out, and so you just hear the best of it, and it sounds like one fluid conversation. It kind of is, but I took the shitty stuff out.
Capone: Between the Twitter stuff and the SModcasts and the tour and the books, have we heard most of your best stories up to this point, at least until the next movie? For example, you told some great Bruce Willis stories when you were here.
KS: Yeah, I mean, that’s the thing. The beauty of the job is that it informs the Q&As, because with every new movie, there’s new stories to talk about. In terms of the best, I don’t know, I mean, sometimes there are stories that are way better than others. And, then, it’s, like, I think about the evening itself, not so much the stories that are told, but, like, what happens. And, each evening is unique unto itself by virtue of the fact that the audiences are going to be different each time. So, for me, I’m never, like, "Oh, man, I once told a funny story, and I don’t have that any more." The show has the chance to go to weird, wonderful places, like the Ann Arbor show that some people were writing about online. Like, with the dude asking for a tattoo…becomes a whole bit, and it’s so insanely memorable. And, it’s so memorable that people who weren’t even there talk about it, you know, "He tattooed the dude’s ass, a crack next to his crack" and shit like that. So, you know, it kind of goes out from there as well.
I don’t know. I would think by this point you’ve heard everything I’ve had to say. But, I’m still shocked that people stand up to that mike and ask me something, when I’m, like, "Huh, I didn’t know that, okay, let’s go."
Capone: What do you get out of Twitter? What do you get out of reading what people send you?
KS: I mean, it’s no different than what I’ve been doing for the last 15 years. Like, we got on line in late ’95 with the View Askewniverse when Ming, the guy who built it…I said, Ming, what I’d really like to have on this thing, this ‘web site’--’cause I didn’t know what it was then--on this In-tor-net--was to put up something where I can have a kind of Q&A every week, ’cause I like doing Q&As. So, the idea of just kind of being able to talk to people about whatever it is they want to talk about and answer their questions really appeals to me. So, Ming goes, "Well, I can do you one better, dude, I’ll put up what they call a message board, and on this message board, people will be able to post all the time. And, then, you can answer them at your leisure." I was, like, "Get out of here!"
So, he introduced me to the idea of the message board, and since 1995, I’ve been on the View Askew message board, answering questions. And, sometimes, they’re, like, three paragraphs, sometimes they’re two-page answers, and sometimes, they’re shorter. And, as time goes on and I got busier and busier, the answers got shorter and shorter. Then, all of a sudden, Twitter comes along, and it was, like, "Hey, we do the exact same thing, but we only have 140 characters to do it in." And, that means that your time…you don’t spend two hours answering one person. You can move on to something else.
And, suddenly, I was just, like, man, "I’ve had insane training for this. I have been on line training for this since, like, ’95. I can do this in my fuckin’ sleep." And, I enjoy doing it. That’s why we started the View Askew web site in the first place, so I could reach out and talk to people who actually bought tickets to the movies and shit like that. Because before that, you had to go off, like…The only way you could find out how you were doing was to see what the critics would write or how people voted with their wallets at the box office.
So, the notion of being able to, like, jump on line and talk to somebody who bought a ticket two hours ago, and they could tell you, "Hey, man, I don’t fuckin’ make much money, and I want you to give me ten bucks back, because fuckin’ that movie sucked." Or, "Hey, man, I was havin’ a shit day, and I saw your movie and ‘thank you’, because, my god, it was exactly what I needed." That’s way more interesting to me, you know. That’s communication. That’ why I got in the game in the first place: Throw a message out there. Get a response.
And, with the online world, we get quick responses in a way that you never have before. And, you’re getting direct responses from people that actually buy tickets to see the movie. I mean, you know, you get to write about the flicks and whatnot, and by virtue of that, you get to see some shit for free. But, you know how much shit you don’t see by virtue of the fact that you’re, like, "Alright, I gotta get dressed, and then, I got to find somebody to watch the fuckin’ kids, and then, she don’t like this kind of movie, so that means that, like, I’m going to have to go see some bullshit she wants me to go see later on as a trade-off…and, if we do this, she’s not going to fuck me tonight, ’cause she never fucks me after the movie." All those things you go through before you can be, like, [big sigh] "Okay, I’ll go see the movie."
So, I realize the decisions that go into somebody leaving the house to go see something I’ve created. And, I take that responsibility seriously. I feel like, you know, not everyone’s going to leave the house to see my shit--that’s what I’ve learned historically over the years--but, the ones that do, I’m going make sure that they have the best fuckin’ time they can. Or, I’m going to try, and maybe, it hits them one way one day and hits them another way the other day. I mean, I got people who, like, loved CLERKS religiously and then just one day they wake up and they’re, like, "Yeah, but I’m not in my 20s anymore. Like, you know, CLERKS was fun then, but, you know…" My movies are the movies that people grow out of, sooner or later. Just like the John Hughes movies. People grow out of them and shit. But, then, they remember ’em fondly and come back to them, and embrace them, and shit like that.
It’s weird. In 15 years, I’ve watched people go away and return. I’m like the Giving Tree, man, you know. The fuckers come back, and be, like, "Give me some apples." "Here you are." "I want to make a boat." "Here." "I just want to sit on you." I’m, like, "Do it. Please. That’s what I’m here for. Use me. Please. Just talk to me."
Capone: You were talking about RED STATE earlier and how it may never get made--not the first thing of yours that you’ve written that hasn’t.
KS: Yeah. No, I’ve had a wake of fuckin’ projects and things that didn’t happen. I used to, very much in the day, I just liked to talk about whatever was going to happen without thinking, hey, it might not happen. I’d be talking about shit two years in advance, and then it would never materialize.
Capone: But, do you have a favorite unproduced script?
KS: Of the unproduced screenplays right now, it would be RED STATE. RED STATE is a real mind-fuck, man. RED STATE is the flick that, if executed properly, the fuckers on Ain't It Cool News talkbacks that don’t like me, would be, like, "FINALLY, he learned how to make a film." You know, it’s just that fuckin’ obscure and not user-friendly. It’s a garage-band movie, man. And, like, they would be embraced by people who were, like, "I like the disturbing and inane kind of thing." Goth kids are gonna totally dig it. Or, though, they probably won’t. I don’t even know if Goth kids will. I don’t know who’ll dig it, but there’s a small audience for it. But, that’s my favorite unproduced screenplay right now, by virtue of the fact that I didn’t write HIT SOMEBODY yet.
Capone: Oh, you haven’t written it yet?
KS: No, no, no. I’ve got all my notes, ducks in a row. I don’t start writing until December.
Capone: Okay. But, I like the idea you mentioned when you were here that you were turning your GREEN HORNET screenplay into a comic book.
KS: Yeah, yeah. Nick Barrucci who runs Dynamic Forces, he’s got a comic book label now, I think, called Dynamite, or something like that, and they do, like, “Red Sonja” and a bunch of books, licensed books. He got in touch with me before A COUPLE OF DICKS happened--I was in preproduction still--and he said, "Hey, man, I got the license for 'Green Hornet.'" And, I was, like, "Green fuckin’ Hornet. This fuckin’ thing haunts me." And, he was, like, "Do you have any interest to work on it?" And, I said, "Honestly, dude, not at all. I mean, I got the 'Widening Gyre,' I got this movie I’m heading into, like, there’s just no time. You’d end up just waiting for scripts forever." And, he was, like, "Well, didn’t you write a script for the movie?" And, I was, like, Umm, yeah. I said, "Omigod, yeah, there’s that. And, they’re never going to make that movie. I mean, Seth [Rogen] is now making his movie with Michel Gondry, so it’s just gonna sit there. But, you wanna do that?" And, Nick was, like, "Omigod, that would be totally great. Let’s do that. Yeah, and we’ll just sell it as, like, the fuckin’ movie, the ill-fated movie that wasn’t."
So, I was into it, and I said, "Let’s do it." And, then, we went and asked Miramax, because they own the script technically, and Miramax was really sweet about it. I mean, this is the Daniel Battsek Miramax now, the more Disney Miramax. So, it was weird, going back to…It’s like going to your house, and somebody else moved into your childhood home. And, you’re, like, "Hey, I left a jar of marbles in this closet in the back. Can I go get it?" And, they’re, like, "Yeah, come on in."
So, I went and did that, and I said, "Can I do this?" And, they said, "Yeah, since nobody’s ever going to make the screenplay, and they’re off making a GREEN HORNET flick now, feel free." And, the only thing they asked for was to get the profits for it. Anything I would have made for it, they were going to take from it, because I had already gotten paid to write the GREEN HORNET screenplay. So, their rationale was, like, "Why should you get paid twice?" I said, "You’re absolutely right." I’m not interested in the money anyway. I just want Nick to have something to publish. And, it would be kind of interesting to see how people would have reacted to my GREEN HORNET movie. At the very least, if the book comes out, and people were, like, "This fuckin’ would’ve sucked," then I was, like, "I knew walking away was a good idea." But, if it goes the other way, and they’re, like, "This would have been bad-ass," I’m going to kick my own ass for the next 10 years.
So, that is going to happen. We’re pulling that together now, and they’re going to go forward with that. And, people will get to see the GREEN HORNET movie I would have made.
Capone: Yeah, well, there might be other scripts you could do that with. I know a lot of people were clamoring for your SUPERMAN script.
KS: Yeah, there was a dude years ago, we’re talking 1996, when I was working on it…A dude on line. It was called Project Pocket Watch. And, what he had done was take my SUPERMAN LIVES script, and he was illustrating it. And, he was putting up page by page. He has long since abandoned it, as you can imagine. That was probably a decade ago by now. But, he was doing that. He was drawing the unproduced screenplay, which I always thought was kind of interesting. Lot of free time, lot of free time. Well, eventually, he lost that free time, so he was, like, "What the fuck am I doing? What a waste of time." And, he just moved on.
As everyone does. That’s a typical Kevin Smith fan. Sooner or later, we hit a point where we’re, like, What the fuck am I doing? And, they move on. But, thankfully, there’s more behind them.
Capone: Yeah. Well, you sold out the Chicago Theatre, which is no small feat. So, I think there are always going to be people who care about what you’re up to.
KS: And, the weird thing is. I look at them now, and they used to all look like me. And, now they don’t. Now, they look like chicks, and 50-year-olds, and teenagers. It’s all over the map, man. Some of them are black, dude. What? How did that happen? I don’t appeal to a black audience at all, but apparently I’m starting to.
Capone: Does it freak you out when you see teenagers in the audience?
KS: No, no. That doesn’t freak me out. That makes me go, like, "Okay, I guess I can buy that Edmonton Oilers jersey. The next crop of fan base is there." The day I don’t see teenagers in the audience, that’s when I’m, like, "Sell the cars. We’re going to a smaller house. It’s over."
Capone: You name-dropped Harry's and the Ain't It Cool name about a half-dozen times during the show. It was a proud moment for me.
KS: Oh, no worries. I mean, I live in that world, you know. I’m in an Ain't It Cool world.
Capone: I just came back from a week in Austin with Harry for Fantastic Fest.
KS: Oh, yeah, that’s right, dude. That was last year this time. Oh god, dude. Last year at this time I was at the Fantastic Fest, and there was nothing but hope. It was just, like, "Wow, I wonder what ZACK AND MIRI will make." And, the loved it there. They loved me in Austin. They ate those movies up in Austin. I loved going to those screenings at the Paramount. Great audience there, great theater. I always go, I always kill, and invariably the movie never lives up to what everyone thought it would be. You know, it was, like, after CLERKS II, everyone was, "You’ll make 50 million bucks." It didn’t. Not even close. ZACK AND MIRI…"Oh, this movie’s going to make a 100 million bucks." It didn’t. So, I feel like maybe I’m jinxing myself in Austin, but I don’t give a shit. I like them. They’re such nice people, and they love movies.
Capone: You've exhausted all the questions I came with, but I really appreciate you taking all this time to talk. It's been incredibly fun.
KS: No worries, man. It was great, man. Thanks for spending the time.
-- Capone
therealcapone@aintitcoolmail.com
Follow Me On Twitter
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YAY! Tell us more about how your life stinks being a famous director. I love tales of the common man...
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Thanks for this, Capone. Good job.
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Could be the title of this interview
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High rant time.
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And he's at pains to be understood. Why don't you people just love him!?!?
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bitchy nerds bitching about a nerd...make your own successful movie, then you can bitch
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had too many people asking how to have kevin appear in their films
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Kevin is clever, witty, and funny. He is a legend. All these fucking guys out there talkin shit should try to come up with something better than dogma or Chasing Amy, its not going to happen. Thanks Capone for the great interview with someone interesting and influential.
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He sucks at being a mature, well-grounded person. All he can do is gripe about his issues- what if my movie doesn't make a profit? Wah! Wah! Dude, you're a fucking lucky bastage with a great fucking career. Quit the whining and get some fucking perspective.
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the guy is just an ass. neither funny nor charming. he and tarantino are getting more alike every day. i weep for quentin, especially after that worthless self-aggrandizing POS inglourious basterds.
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Are the only two people on earth that love Clerks 2 the most.
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But you can tell it does. And he says it doesn't bother him because he smokes weed. That was either a joke that fell really flat, or a really sad statement.
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JUWANNA MANN!!!
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There is a strange sort of palpable sadness that pervades this entire interview. Like, 'the dream is over' or something. Smith has always done quality work but I feel, as he does perhaps, that he was on the verge of greatness and never quite nailed it. Kind of like the whole generation he represents (and which I'm an unfortunate member of). Heh... just like Capt. American said to Billy the Kid at the finale of EASY RIDER.... "we blew it."
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what is it, the fucking word of the month?
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or really any other audience.Who the fuck is he kidding? he's a hack along the ranks of Uwe Boll and wanker stain anderson.fuck smith and his apologetic fanbois.
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The whole interview has a Tracy Chapman, Fast Cars vibe. "I, I...had a feeling that I could...be someone...be someone..."
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You're absolutely correct, CrapHater. I felt queasy using it but it seemed right for the situation. I swear, it was the first time this month I played the Palp---- card, it'll never happen again.
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I like this guy. I am just no longer interested in his work when he became less of a filmmaker and more of a celebrity. And then less of a celebrity and more of a salesman. He should stick Inc. after his name.
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Frat Boy, he should stick Inc. at the end of his name. But he's pretty entertaining when he's trying to get me to buy his swag. I'll talk this guy pitchin' his shit over say...Jack LaLanne
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Cause Part One was so in depth.
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I mean, not that I would know personally, that's what all the chillrenzes at school say ;)
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Brandon Lee died before I was born, but I wanna voice my opinion on someone taking his (imo) iconic role as Eric Draven.
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Terror, for my daughter…that, you know, she’s going to go out and get killed one day, or snatched, or some sick shit. You know, that takes over."
I know I shouldn't care, but the admitted regular drug use would concern me as well. Know it's none of my business, but I've had first hand experience with this, and a child was involved. Rough time. -
Or I can just go ahead a bitch right now. Cunt.
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Cunt.
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Good to know.
I have never been a Kevin Smith fan and in fact, hated hated HATED all of his movies except Dogma. I despise his tendency to use profanity in place of actual humor. However, this interview (especially the first part) has made me appreciate him a bit more. He seems like a pretty cool dude and it's obvious that some of the more extreme criticism bothers him personally, which is understandable. Great interview, Capone, looks like it was fun. I may never enjoy his films or his Q&A shows, but I will defend him against the typical talkback hate. He lived the dream and that's why most of you shit all over him. I do hope he makes Red State or another film I'll dig. Good luck, Kev. -
retire from the movie business. It's clear you just don't give a crap.
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When he reveals he's smoking pot regularly now. Didn't he learn anything from his pal Jason Mewes' drug problems? Now he's getting hooked on shit too. Pathetic.
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i'm pretty sure i've heard every one many times. i get bored at work and it passes the time :)
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OH PLEASE. I know plenty of people with kids who regularly smoke weed and not only do they have steady jobs and take care of their responsibilities, but they are caring and attentive parents. I'm sick of self-righteous assholes who think they know what's best. At the risk of turning this talkback into another argument over the decriminalization of marijuana, let me just say it shouldn't be classified as a "drug" the same as cocaine, heroin, etc. That's horseshit.
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Not plants. Dumbass.
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...the commentary for the original Clerks, where Mewes is so drunk he can't utter anything sensible.I'm sure Smith is better off getting the munchies than blacking out.
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Nov 24, 2009 4:28:06 PM CST
Oh noes, I have lots of opinions about Kevin Smith smoking pot.
by liesandpicturesofalsolies
God, so many dumb people.
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I have a wierd thing for Kevin Smith. Its not really a man-crush. He is like that cousin you grew up with. You know the one that was always fun to be around and could always talk you into something that would eventually get you in trouble. THAT cousin. Later in life he never really grew up and got a real job. Never improved himself.
In the back of your mind you are cheering for them. You really and truly want them to succeed, but they never do. Kevin is my slacker cousin. I will never stop watching his movies (BJ jokes and all) because of the fun I had watching Clerks and Chasing Amy. But I have to resign myself to the idea that he will never stop working at the music store, smoking dope or hanging around the mall. -
And he's got fans here.
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I should record my next crap, I might sell out Chicago Theater
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I mean how do you create something as amazing as Clerks and then shit all over it with Clerks 2. Doesn't Lucas hold some kind of copyright for that kind of stuff?
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I just don't buy that he will finish it. It will end up being asked about in an AICN Q&A three years from now and his answer will begin with, "Yeah, dude, crazy thing, my laundry was coming in that week," and this will begin a four paragraph dissertation on how Kevin's laundry with Chipotle stains kept him from finishing the Green Hornet comic, and how it's actually an interesting metaphor for all our geek lives.
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...OF SPACE THAT COULD HAVE BEEN DEVOTED TO SOMEONE OR SOMETHING WORTHWHILE.
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I met him at bar and confessed I was a fan, we tried to hook up with a few chicks, then my wife showed up and pulled the reins back on me....I never saw the dude again, but he was cool to drink with.
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There was a serious undercurrent of failure and sadness running through both parts of the interview.... Probably, all in all, the most disturbing (serious) piece I've read on AICN since the beginning...
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Lucas created so many businesses with Star Wars. Kevin Smith created a legion of pot heads.
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"If I weren't so fucking stoned all the time, I'd be crying right now because the internets hurt my feewings.
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If you took out all the "fuckin' like, you know, dude"'s the interview would only be about two paragraphs long.
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Chasing Amy is my favourite film of the 90s. I've enjoyed every film you ever made but it sounds like you need some time out of the game before it swallows you alive.
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Nov 24, 2009 7:27:48 PM CST
I am amazed at the amount of vitriol leveled at Smith
by liesandpicturesofalsolies
Says more about the people posting it than Smith, I think.
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I never realised AICN was plagued by so many pious fucks. Good on Kev for being honest about himself and his movies. The guy has more balls than all the haters here combined...just keep buying that "WAR ON DRUGS" bullshit and slowly kill yourselves with shite Amurrican lager, or throw yourselves in front of moving trains, that would be better...wankers.
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Wow, that just kept on going.
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hoping to see more of Amazons great deals. Those are more exciting than Kevin Smith rambling on and on and...
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Kevin is not who he used too, meanin I doubt we get any more good movies from him...me personally love the askiew universe wit reusin same chars and places and etc, but his serious work or the work hes been puttin out after Dogma has been trash...its a shame...
but hey, at least he's smokin now...hopefully one day we'll meet up, smoke somethin, then he can rant for 3 hours (and Ill have no problem since he would be providin the "topics") -
even though i'm one of those teens he says will grow out of his films, i can't believe this dude has such a big hatefan base. he is too awesome.
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you cant be awesome without a big hatefan base... its laws of nature
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The only thing Kevin smith has been "inhaling" as of late is the $1 double cheeseburgers at Burger King
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"...people stand up to that mike and ask me something..." means folks were walking up to a guy named Michael.
"...people stand up to that mic and ask me something..." means they spoke into a microphone. This interview felt frontloaded, most of the interesting stuff was more in part 1, and the long answers here were fewer and less passionate. Maybe KS was coming down. Still, a decent interview, it reeks of who Kevin Smith has always portrayed himself in the past but sheds a little more light onto the "why" behind all of it. -
MALLRATS is his best.
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I need to find out what he thinks of drinking Mt. Dew?
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Just started re-reading his Green Arrow run today. Cant believe DC has managed to flush all his good ideas down the toilet since then. Seriously-if any of you fucks want to bitch about Smith's comics work,read his stuff and then read the stuff DC is printing now. I cant wait to read his Batman book once it gets collected. I picked up the first two issues and said Fuck It-too many ads,and back-up stories and inserts trying to get me to join the Navy. All that and a few pages of story for 4 bicks an issue-Fuck you DC...this is why people steal comics from torrents....
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Jake - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Qyl2Vt9seM Neytiri - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY_RTaKbSiE Dr. Augustine - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4mJUkGVKlI Selfridge - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2kUOrr7zZM Chacon - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyeTXZ6NcKk Thanator - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2FAVxbXWRI AMP Suit - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzyC_66id_I The Scorpion - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cM-DR8itsCw
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Never been a huge Kevin Smith fan, but I always had respect for the dude. That first interview was just weed talk, and I hate weed, but this one was a lot more interesting. I respect him even more now. Hope he keeps doing his thing.
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Maybe you were confused by a fat bearded guy, or maybe your life needed the sort of minor ego boost that only be gotten by lying online... Who can say?
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I love every single one of Smith's flicks, including Jersey Girl, but Clerks 2 is far and away my favourite. It's kind of a mix between the film itself and the place I was at in my life when it came out, just as Kevin states in the interview. People can slag him off as much as they want, but as long as he's making stuff, I'll be buying a ticket.
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I absolutely loved Kevin's first 3 films, they were part of who I was at the time. I remember everything about the night I saw Chasing Amy with a group of friends,it was after an acting class.
Maybe the turning point was Dogma. I sat there thinking: can't believe I paid to see this rubbish. He was reaching for something deep, but all he could pull out was a turd.
Clerks 2 was painful, so repetitive! that shit just wasn't funny anymore, scene after scene of somenone bringing up a pop culture subject just that dickhead character could ridicule them. It's like some old stripper who flashes her saggy tits & thinks she's turning guys on.
It's not about begrudging him his success. Maybe I got caught up with so called 'adult' shit. It's more a case of, hey man, you gave me some special experiences but why can't you keep growing? It's like if Cameron had decided to churn out Terminator movies instead of challenging himself.
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I hope you're prepared for a bit of a ramble. I attempted to explain why Clerks 2 was good and I think it would take me about two thousand words to navigate around the fanboy preconceptions. Basically, I felt it was Kevin Smith starting to evolve into a different, more mature film-maker. All those characters are at their best and it really resonated emotionally with me. I know the the demon dogs will howl when they see "emotionally resonant" discussed with Clerks 2. Kevin Smith said it best up there, the man does his greatest work when he's truly communicating with the audience and the Clerks movies are the ones where he communicates the best. The man is always very candid in interviews and in those wildly popular Q&A shows he puts on, it has almost eclipsed his film work. This is my theory on why he creates such a stir among us geeks, his personal life isn't so special compared to his own but we're watching his landmark movies. I think it just infuriates people that this guy can just be himself (to massively simplify it) and be successful and relevant to cinema. There's that guy up there who talks about taking a shit and selling out a theatre, obviously demeaning Kevin's confessional style, but Smith just doesn't shit out whatever is on the surface (though I'm sure there's plenty of that as well)--he digs deep and bares his soul, and that soul just happens to be that of one content, husky, geeky, stoner (one or two traits surely not alien to your average TBer, excluding the content part). His realization that he can't put up old Kevin on the screen is very exciting to me. Especially the hockey flick, sounds so cash. Anyway, randomly, one of goals in life is to smoke a bowl with the man and hopefully soak in a rant.
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I liked Kevin Smiths honesty. Anyway good job with the interview
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but dagnabbit i loved this interview. I'll be checking out that batman and very interested in his take on Green Hornet... The coolest thing about him opening this much is that you get to see his movies in a new light. Very cool. Good luck, dude.
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Nov 25, 2009 7:13:31 AM CST
You're kevin SXmith...That guy that directed Clerks 2?!?
by megan_foxs_tool_box
You're that fucking fat douchebag? Because thatucked balls, dipshit. Your going to have to make 3 more movies in a fucking row before i give you one more cent of my fucking money-you fat fuck.
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Really really good night. Also I love Warren Zevon. He is amazing. Check him out.
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And for a guy who doesn't drink, he had a fair go at the Guinness. Well impressed.
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Sang the hit somebody song that his new movie will be based on
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I based my comment on the experiences I've had personally. I think I said in my comment I'd be concerned, but I'm not telling anybody what they can do. Whatever. And he references habitual use. I just think there's a difference. In my experience, child services was eventually called. Probably a worst case, but it happened. Do whatever the fuck you want, just know the consequences.
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Just thought i would put that out there.
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or does anyone else think this guy needs a fucking hug.I'm a huge fan of the man and his body of work and it pains me to see him this unhappy... An emo kev is not a good thing!
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When did it become cool to pluralize internet? That's just fucking stupid. All this new generation has contributed is bad grammar.
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Clerks, Clerks II, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Loved that movie. I found Dogma tedious and predictable and cliched, but maybe that was just me. Still, these interviews were . . . disappointing. I sure hope he doesn't think pot has all the magical properties he seems to attribute to it. It's just an herb, people. And hemp makes a fine rope. And paper.
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Cause, he only mentions it a zillion times. I am about his age, and like to smoke a lot too, although I am professional, yet I pray I haven't turned into such a windbag. He is a decent writer, horrible director..so his movies tend to suck. But Quiver was indeed awesome. He can still write but he is off lately.
He seems, imo, to say that now that he's a responsible middle-age guy, he can't do good material anymore because you lose your edge after you get older. Please let that not be true.
Also, and I know this is harsh, he is like another guy who has settled down and thinks everyone is interested in his settled down life or else they're lame because they haven't found the joy in it. This has been apparent in everything he's done since Jersey Girl, at least. -
It's just a stupid running gag that started a couple years ago when some clueless old senator or congressman made this speech and called it the Internets and referred to it as a "series of tubes" or something.
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i remember watching that rented vhs over and over and over again.
that is how i will always remember Kevin Smith. with love. -
yes. Kevin Smith does deserve this title. get over it bottom feeders.
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Or do "The Legend" Kevin Smiths's characters all seem to talk with Kevin Smiths "voice". I find that a bit amateurish...oh and he's an unfunny juvenile twat as well, that doesn't help.
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Whats a nubian?
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