The bearded comics writer/filmmaker/author/pride-of-Jersey was utterly comfortable in his own skin (right down to his self-effacing fat jokes), if not his signature outfit: hoodie (navy), ankle-scraping denim shorts and backward ballcap. Smith — director of “Clerks” 1 and 2, “Mallrats” and “Chasing Amy” right up through this year’s “Cop Out” — had his fans in the palm of his perspiring hand from the get-go, and he seemed to feed off that energy. The room was the height of pure geeklove — from shared “insider” references to a hug for a female fan who giddily requested the embrace.

Smith recently attended a George Carlin tribute ceremony in New York, and Thursday night’s crowd reveled in his storytelling about the late comedian. Smith relayed stories about how sweet and sentimental Carlin could be in person. Once, after Carlin talked about his then-recently deceased first wife, the touched Smith said: “I wish you were my mom and dad.”

Smith also said that by example, Carlin — whom he called “an incredible craftsman” as an entertainer — “taught me a way to live. … to play it truthfully.” Added Smith: “I miss him every day and think about him every day.”

Scroll to the very bottom of the article for a bonus fan-shot Youtube clip from the event.

Hey, it’s Jay and Silent Bob.

Drug dealers as lovable as Muppets.

These guys made it okay to be friends with your pot dealer. Up until Jay and Bob, drug dealers were portrayed as less than desirable elements in our culture. They made it possible for bromances like Pineapple Express to come later.