Something happened to me in the past year. I became intensely fascinated by Kevin Smith. This wasn't too surprising, since I have always thought he was a great interview and he's a super nerd. But I'm kind of not really into stories from a male perspective. My favorite stories are for, by, and/or about strong powerful chicks. But in the past couple of years, Smith's been more available via his podcast, aptly named Smodcast, with longtime producing partner Scott Mosier. And I've found it interesting to an alarming degree!
Capitalizing on the popularity of his commentaries, Q&A sessions, and other instances where he tells stories about working in Hollywood, he decided to start podcasting. A podcast, for the uninitiated, is like a radio show on the interwebs. Usually you can get access to podcasts, which are pre-recorded audio (and sometimes video) files, on iTunes, but you can also live stream from various websites. You don't have to go through iTunes to have a podcast, but it helps, because it is a giant catalog of free information by interesting folks. That's right, most of them are free. Smith's are all free. You can even see him live at the only podcasting theater in existence, the Smodcastle. But that will cost you. This summer he toured the nation on a deluxe bus recording podcasts in front of paying audiences, all of whom not only are followers of his films and comics collaborations, but his 130+ podcasts. They paid to see him talk to his friend and record it.
How did this start? I saw Clerks when it came out in the mid-90s. I know, that's totally crazy because it did so poorly, but it's true. I remember referencing the film with friends all the time. I have always been a fan of dude humor that revolves around dick jokes, and this seemed like the kind of movie that understood you don't have to be stupid to make those jokes. You just need to be totally immature, or at least allow yourself to be. I liked Mallrats a lot, Chasing Amy less so, and Dogma a little more. I always appreciated a lot of his humor. It's been given poor adjectives like puerile, juvenile, childish, homophobic, sexist, and other awful things. Some of that stuff is true. Some of it has its place in the world and shouldn't be necessarily a mark of awful story-telling.
So, that initial interest in Smith's oeuvre resulted in my decision to rent An Evening with Kevin Smith, which is sort of a stand-up film which cobbles together various Q&A events at colleges in the early 2000s. He was hysterically funny. There is a sequel, so I rented that too. There is all kinds of YouTubery of him at ComiCons and other events telling amazing stories. Like the one where he was hired to create a movie for Prince and got to go to Paisley Palace and entertain the wild notions of a loon. Or the one where he talks about the controversy surrounding his film Dogma and how he went to a protest of the film at a theater in New Jersey. A live news reporter spotted him but didn't recognize him and asked him (as an anonymous bystander) what he thought of the protest. And he dishes about celebrities. I love celebrity dirt. Especially when it's about people who act outrageously, because those people are mistreating personal assistants and valets and nobody knows about it until someone like Smith gives it up. That was the initial draw. His podcast is about celebrity dirt, but it's about much more.
It's his view of current events, his relationship with his friends and family, a good repoire comedically with Scott Mosier, and insight into guys. That perhaps is why I go back each week. Hearing men talk seemingly without filter. About anything. About how to deal with relationship issues, about how Harry Potter should have ended, about why Kirk Cameron is a total asshole. I have always wanted unfettered access to decent guy conversation. Guys who have interests and are passionate and not racist jerks who are afraid to show or talk about emotions.
The central quality that draws me is Smith's ability to reveal so much of himself. The stuff that people keep hidden for fear of being ostracized, the feelings and ideas that might get him called "queer" or "freak" are all on display. In fact, not only does he reveal all that stuff, he makes fun of himself, jokes about the standard "dude" response, and rounds it out with a good bit of cursing. He is not afraid to tell his friends he cares about them. In fact, he seems to be amazingly loyal and warm-hearted. All of his friends from New Jersey are still part of his life, some have joined him on the podcast (yes, I listen to Tell 'Em Steve-Dave, the Walt and Bryan podcast too).
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| Lothario Brian Quinn, Layabout Bryan Johnson, and Comedic Super Dad Walt Flanagan from Tell 'Em Steve-Dave |
The success of his podcast has resulted in what could be called a podcast empire.
Of course there are problematic elements of Smith's shows, and most of them are complex rather than simple "reasons why not," at least for me. I won't argue that there are some gay jokes that seem to associate gayness with negative qualities or qualities that make you not a "real" man, but they seem almost out of place against all the jokes that celebrate queer life, make fun of homophobes and turn the notion of masculinity on its head. Smith seems to really enjoy pointing out sexual double-entendres (my favorite thing ever) and finding a way to turn almost anything into a joke about men fellating one another. I think a lot of the jokes acknowledge that sexual desire is complex and that he is open about being fascinated about sexuality in all its forms. Many hetero guys have a hard time even acknowledging gay sex exists, but Smith asks questions about it and wants to know more. He loves, for instance, that bears find him sexy. Lesbian issues he's not so clear on. He's a man's man, and knows a lot about male culture across the straight/gay divide, but he's not as well versed in women's issues. His podcast is sponsored by Fleshlight, which makes a masturbatory device that proves objectification can be disturbing and weird. But that's another post.
At the same time, he is often one to point out the lack of great women's roles in film, especially in comic-related projects. He made God a woman in his Dogma movie, and she wasn't a bitch or a whore. The women in his films run the gamut from temptress to nerd to intellectual to confusing three-nippled fortune teller. Though he admits that as a straight guy he was perhaps not the best person to write a story with a lesbian central character, he also points out that the criticism he received in that regard was valid, and made him think twice about doing so again. He uses the word "mysogynist" and knows what it means. His young daughter put into perspective how difficult the world is for young girls. At a recent ComiCon he is quoted as saying:
“That’s what I love about a comic book convention. People will come to a convention, stand there in a Spock costume, look at someone in a Chewie costume, and say, ‘Look at that fuckin’ geek.' How dare you pass judgment on those 12-year-old girls who like vampires!”
The only thing that makes me sad/mad about listening to his podcasts is the real self-hatred he has, especially regarding his weight. He admits that he doesn't shower with the lights on because he doesn't want to see his naked body. He thinks of himself as undeserving of sexual attraction, and reveals that his eager-to-please attitude is all rooted in being overweight. He makes disparaging comments about his weight almost reflexively, as a way to say it first before someone else does. Knowing this from his podcasts, it was heartbreaking to learn he'd been kicked off a Southwest Airlines flight for being "too fat" even though he fit into his seat and was belted in with no problems.
Bringing fat issues to the forefront isn't something he had particularly championed, but after that incident, he brought to light the serious disadvantage that people of size deal with on a daily basis. Not only did Southwest seem to not see the problem with the incident, the joke that it became in the press made the situation worse. I loved him a little more after he talked about it in the podcast. He could have easily gone into hiding for a month, but he spoke bravely (and, admittedly at great length) about it.
His humor is not for everyone. But I have been reveling in it for the past 4 months. I've probably listened to every podcast, even the tangential ones his friends do without him. Even as I'm explaining it here, I can't understand why I, a feminist pop culture professor with degrees in cultural studies, am so taken by this guy, but I am. He seems like a loving, soft-hearted, loyal guy, who tries to understand the world around him. Sure, sometimes he does so using only information gleaned from movies and television, but his thirst for knowledge is real!
Who knows what my next obsession will be, right?
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