- The US Arts Comedy Festival at Aspen had the following to say regarding Kevin’s scheudled 1-hour Q&A appearance that went down yesterday (along with a new pic of Kevin, just click the link above to check out their official listing):
- Program Run Time: 60 min
In less than ten years, Kevin Smith has become one of the most discernable voices on the filmmaking landscape. Beginning with his debut film, Clerks, Smith’s reputation as a pop-culture provocateur has grown with each film. His storytelling style, marked by colorful characters spewing often vulgar, scabrous dialogue, has become his trademark and earned him a devoted, quasi-cult following. But it is Smith’s penchant for exploring controversial subject matter and his commitment to his unique artistic vision in the face of grave retribution that places him in the front lines of the ongoing struggle to support freedom of speech in the arts.
Due to their raunchy dialogue, all of Smith’s films have received some level of criticism, largely from conservative groups. Furthermore, Chasing Amy and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back were denounced by the homosexual community for allegedly glorifying anti-gay slurs and violence. However, it was Smith’s fourth film, Dogma, that created by far the largest controversy of his career. First, he endured a lengthy battle with Miramax and Disney, who refused to release the film. Eventually released by Lions Gate, the film ignited an intense backlash from the Catholic Church who, along with other religious groups, organized protests at theaters. Smith even received death threats following the film’s release.
Thankfully undeterred, Smith has continued his prolific creative charge on all fronts. In addition to his films, Smith was one of the first filmmakers to venture into cyberspace, establishing the insanely popular View Askewniverse website. Smith’s next much anticipated film Jersey Girl, stars Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez.
- Silent Bob, Kevin’s alter-ego, along with his slacker companion, Jay, have appeared in each of his five films.
- Smith has published his screenplays, written original comic books, and has become one of the most in demand public speakers at colleges and universities across America.
- Self-proclaimed Star Wars fanatic, Smith hosted the first-ever Official Star Wars Fan Film Awards on Sci-Fi Channel.
Alright, so how about a first-hand account of what went down? Sure! Our scooper’s got a full report of his thoughts on the proceedings:
Hey guys. I thought I’d write and let you know how Kevin’s appearance went yesterday. It was the standard Q&A format just as it was in the Evening W/ Kevin Smith DVD. He did tell some of the same stories and there was no real new information revealed, but I could seriously listen to the guy talk for hours on end.
I went to the venue with literally 50+ questions to ask, but figured I would narrow it down to two. After these high school kids asked some neanderthal questions and said things like “I saw Mallrats for the 1st time in the 4th grade and it changed my life,” I had the opportunity to share my inquiries. I asked if he could elaborate on the whole Jason Lee/Fletch Won situation and he talked about the controversy there. He basically said he won’t make the movie without Lee and he’s not really sure what to do for extreme persuasion. He said maybe waiving his cock around the execs would work, but thinks his cock is small so that probably wouldn’t go over well. I responded “Well, what can you do?” He said, “I’m not sure, an enlargement I guess.”
I then asked if there will be a release date for Big Helium Dog in the near future. He said no theatrical release, but it will be out on DVD sometime soon. I guess there are two companies in mind that can put the disc out, but there’s so much going on that it’s been on the back burner for a while.
It was a great experience and I encourage everyone who gets a chance to see the man live to go and do so. I don’t care what he says, he is a hysterical and witty human being.
Being a Kevin Smith/View Askew fan since 1995, I found it to be somewhat surreal. I kept my composure but kept thinking “dude, I’m talking to Kevin Smith and he’s talking back.” Inside I had this reaction similar to Brodie’s when first seeing Stan Lee. It was great.
