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For the second time in a week, I had the pleasure of listening to Kevin Smith talk his ass off as he winds down his Australian tour with Jason Mewes. As part of the Graphic Festival, Smith & Mewes held their final show at the iconic Sydney Opera House, talking all things film, comics and vulgar sex stories. Here are 8 things I learned.
Kevin has no interest in directing a superhero blockbuster
Existing as part of the Graphic Festival, there was bound to be a some mention of the current trend of comic book adaptations on the silver screen. When the question was posed if Kevin has any desire to transition into the field, he confidently admits that he does not. He openly says that he isn't much of a filmmaker, he just has an uncanny knack of putting dialogue together. He would much rather leave the men in tights to the visionaries, noting that he doesn't really move the camera around, which is necessary for visual storytelling.
Yoga Hosers starts touring in January
The second installment in Smith’s ‘True North’ trilogy (the first of which is Tusk) has been completed and is set to start touring film festivals in January. Starring much of the cast from Tusk, Yoga Hosers tells the story of two convenience store workers (Smith’s daughter Harley & Johnny Depp’s daughter Lily-Rose) who have their workplace invaded by Canadian-Nazi bratwurst that live beneath the store. I assure you I am not making this up.
Jay and Silent Bob will appear in Moosejaws
During the Jay and Silent Bob segment, Kevin presented a reading of a brand new scene from Moosejaws starring the duo. It was so new that Jay had barely even looked at it which led to some hilarious and insightful directing tips from Kevin.
The scene in question was a play on the infamous monologue in Jaws in which characters take turns comparing their scars. In Moosejaws, Jay and Silent Bob reference injuries they received in previous movies which ultimately ties his two universes together.
Walt and Kevin are finally concluding The Widening Gyre
For half a decade now fans have been clamouring for Kevin Smith and Walt Flanigan’s (one of Kev’s closest friends and star of Comic Book Men) conclusion to their long gestating Batman comic The Widening Gyre. Although he didn’t specify a date, Smith let us all know that the finale is definitely happening soon. In fact, he brought the pages to Australia with him to rearrange the order of the book, even moving entire issues to the beginning.
Mallrats 2 starts shooting in January
We knew Mallrats 2, the sequel to Smith’s sophomore effort was coming. The original cast (sans Ben Affleck - probably too busy being Batman or something) have all signed on to return for the follow up that is 20 years in the making and it starts shooting in January 2016. We also got an outline of the plot and yes it sounds as batshit crazy as a Kevin Smith film is expected to be. Brodie holds a mini comic-con inside the mall to raise enough money to save it. During the con however, terrorists attack and it’s up to Brodie to save the day. Pop culture cameos have been promised.
George Carlin's death was devastating for Kevin
One of the greatest comedians to ever grace the stage, George Carlin died in 2008 and upon being asked about him, Kevin confessed that he was close to shedding tears.
Kevin emulated Carlin’s on stage persona in his early years and despite not being close friends, his death hit him hard. When George’s daughter asked him over the phone how he was doing, he simply broke down because it was the first time anyone had asked him how he was doing.
He concluded his touching tribute by confessing that he prays only 3 times in his life: When his planes take off, when they descend and just before a show, asking the lord to “not let him embarrass George”.
Joe Quesada personally reached out to him to write a Daredevil comic
Having very minimal comic work under his belt at the time, Smith had always expressed an interest in writing for Marvel and/or DC. In 1998 his wish was fulfilled when Joe Quesada (currently CCO at Marvel) reached out to Kev informing him that they were kicking off a new imprint called Marvel Knights and wanted him to write an 8 issue series on one of his favourite characters, Daredevil. Illustrated by Quesada himself, Daredevil: Guardian Devil was released and Kevin went on to write stories for both major companies centred primarily on Spiderman, Green Arrow and Batman.
Kevin cares so much about podcasting that he'll champion yours (if your story is as unique as this guy's)
One of the most heartwarming moments of the show came from a young gentleman who had been diagnosed with a brain tumor and given 2-5 years to live. When people asked him what he wanted to do before he passed, invariably his answer was to live long enough to see the culmination of the MCU with Avengers: Infinity War 1 & 2. This was usually met with an underwhelming response to which Smith replied “fuck em, those movies are awesome!”. It got a lot more sentimental than that though as he implored the young man to start a podcast, tell his story and chronicle his journey. Smith promised that if he talks about it, he will make it and if no one supports him, Smith will. It was easily the most beautiful moment of the night and spoke volumes about who Kevin was as a person.
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