- The Daily Iowan (of all papers!) recently ran a fairly sizeable View Askew article that covered all 4 flicks and lots more…An interesting read. There’s even some trivia to test your knowlege.
Keeping up with Jay and Silent Bob
After years of hard work, toil and lots of illegal substances, Jay and Silent Bob are everywhere. Millions either know them from their recent series of MTV promos or their appearances in films. But Jay and Bob’s first appearance was in the indie hit “Clerks,” which was written and directed by Kevin Smith, who portrays Silent Bob. Smith based the characters on two actual drug dealers living in the New Jersey suburb where he grew up. But the nature of the characters came from somewhere else, namely Jason Mewes, the actor that plays Jay. “Jason is like a sonic boom with dirt on it,” Smith explains. “It was always my feeling that — if I ever rose to a position where I could exploit his natural talent — I would. So based on that, when I thought about ‘Jay,’ I knew he’d need an antithesis — someone who did the opposite of what he did: talk. Hence, Silent Bob.” In the four years since their debut, the duo are everywhere, from Smith’s films to MTV commercials. So here now, in easy-to-digest factoid format, is everything you ever wanted to know about Jay and Silent Bob, Kevin Smith and more …
“Clerks”
Smith, a comic-book aficionado, recently wrote a comic book sequel of sorts, “Clerks: The Comic Book,” published by Oni Press. The story details “Clerks” stars Dante and Randal attempting to get into the “Star Wars” action figure market.
The laser disc edition features 25 minutes of additional footage with seven scenes not included in the theatrical release, including the original ending in which Dante is shot during a hold-up.
“Clerks” was filmed at the same store in which Smith worked at the time. He was only allowed to film after regular business hours, so he wrote in an explanation for why the shutters were down.
The funeral and Randal’s sale of cigarettes to the minor both take place at 4 p.m.
Jason Mewes doesn’t appear on the poster for “Clerks” because Miramax executives thought that he was too odd-looking for advertising.
Memorable quotes:
After losing a hockey ball from the roof:
Dante: Are there any balls down there?
Jay: About the biggest pair you ever seen, dingleberry!
Silent Bob’s only line: “You know, there’s a million fine looking women in the world, dude. But they don’t all bring you lasagna at work. Most of ’em just cheat on you.”
Reportedly, Jason Mewes was so nervous about acting in “Clerks” that the crew had to get him high before filming.
“Mallrats”
Trisha Jones’ book of sexual escapades was published by Pendant Publishing, a reference to “Seinfeld.”
The two main characters are named Brodie and Quint, a reference to “Jaws.”
The studio tried to have Jason Mewes replaced as Jay up until the first day of filming.
The music heard when T.S. and Hamilton are waiting for the elevator is the same as in the elevator in “The Blues Brothers.”
Memorable quotes:
Jay: Where do you get these wonderful toys? (A reference to the first “Batman” film.)
Silent Bob’s only line: “Excitement? Adventure? A Jedi craves not these things.” (A reference to “The Empire Strikes Back”)
Smith apologized for “Mallrats,” although he later admitted that the apology was “tongue-in-cheek. Never was I like, ‘Oh man, I am so fucking sorry!’ It was a joke.”
“Chasing Amy”
Smith and star Joey Lauren Adams (who played Alyssa Jones) began dating after “Mallrats” and broke up not long after “Chasing Amy” was released. Smith has said that much of the material in this film was based on his relationship with Adams. “Granted,” Smith said in the liner notes of the “Chasing Amy” laser disc, “Joey wasn’t gay, and I’ve never fallen in love with a lesbian (well, not that I know of anyway). But the movie did grow out of my initial reaction to Joey’s past (which, in all fairness, wasn’t nearly as salacious as Alyssa’s crafted history).”
“This flick, more than the other two, is me on a slab, laid out for the world to see.” — Smith.
This is the only film where you will see Silent Bob say more than a sentence. Bob’s most memorable lines [to Jay]: “Bitch, what you don’t know about me I can just about squeeze into the Grand fucking Canyon. Did you know that I always wanted to be a dancer in Vegas?”
The laser disc includes 10 scenes deleted from the theatrical release, including a confrontation between Holden (Affleck) and one of Alyssa’s former lovers.
“Dogma”
“Dogma” is Smith’s first post-“Jersey Trilogy” film, due to be released this fall. It stars Ben Affleck, George Carlin, Matt Damon, Janeane Garofalo, Salma Hayek, Jason Lee, Alanis Morissette, Alan Rickman, Chris Rock and of course Mewes and Smith as Jay and Silent Bob.
Smith calls it “kind of our biggest movie to date. A big, apocalyptic road movie, and a satire of Catholicism. Jay and Silent Bob join forces with a fallen apostle, a muse and the scion of Christ to save the world from two renegade but harmless angels.”
The harmless angels are played by Academy Award-winners Damon and Affleck. Damon was featured in “Mallrats,” while Affleck had roles in both “Mallrats” and “Chasing Amy.”
General trivia
Smith was the executive producer for “Good Will Hunting,” but Damon and Affleck forgot to thank him in their acceptance speech.
Talk about a full plate … Along with “Dogma,” Smith’s future projects include a “Dogma” novelization and comic book adaptation, a six-to-12 month run in Marvel Comics’ “Daredevil,” as well as an indefinite run in DC Comics’ “Green Arrow,” more “Clerks”-related comics and even a television show. He also has written or is writing scripts for the following films: “The Six Million Dollar Man,” “Fletch 3,” “Green Lantern: The Movie.” His script for “Superman Lives” was to be produced until director Tim Burton threw it out.
Smith owns a comic store in Red Bank, New Jersey, called “Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash.” The store is just blocks from the headquarters of Smith’s production company, View Askew, and also sells merchandise from his films, much of it autographed! Both View Askew and Secret Stash may be accessed on the Web at http://www.viewaskew.com/
Many of the characters in Smith’s films are related: Alyssa Jones (“Chasing Amy”), Heather Jones (“Clerks”), Tricia Jones (“Mallrats”); Dante and Gill Hicks (“Clerks” and “Mallrats” respectively — both played by Brian ); and so on.
Smith’s favorite “Star Wars” movie? “Empire.”
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