Kevin Smith – Birthday Q&A

I just got back from Kevin Smith’s Birthday Q&A in Red Bank, NJ.

I have a couple of the Q&A sessions on DVD, but the DVDs don’t even begin to convey the magnitude of the live experience.

Best entertainment value ever. Kevin talked from 7:30 PM to 1:45 AM – NONSTOP!

No breaks for over six hours.

The Q&A sessions really highlight the difference between Kevin Smith the speaker (possibly the “real” Kevin Smith?) and the actor mostly seen as Silent Bob in the movies. Obviously he’s not silent in the Q&A. The guy can talk, and he’s a hilariously entertaining speaker. He made the point a couple of times that the Q&A DVD’s are responsible for landing the acting roles in Catch And Release and Die Hard 4.

Topics included the Smith family dogs, motel rooms during the Clerks 2 shoot, various movies, various actors and, of course, fart and dick jokes. He ended with a hilarious (and painful) story of his anal fissure and it’s effects on jury duty.

During a question about remakes, he talked about the movie A Man For All Seasons which is my favorite movie of all time. Apparently it’s one of his favorites too. (If you haven’t seen it, drop everything and order it now. The story of Sir Thomas Moore, and the suffering he went through for refusing to betray his principles is an amazing story that can be appreciated even if you’re not of a religious bent. – Alan)

The evening was recorded for another Q&A DVD. If you buy it, look for me. I’m in a purple Mooby’s shirt on the first row of the balcony all the way on the left.

UPDATE: Added Wikipedia link for Kevin Smith.  Apparently there are some people who don’t know who he is.  Go Figure.