I’m nefarious for reading multiple books at the same time so I figure I may as well talk about all of them, it’s also easier than making excuses for me being a slow reader. So this week I’m gonna give you the Rundown on Kevin Smith’s new book Though Sh*t: Life Advice from a Fat, Lazy Slob Who Did Good.
Welcome back to Readers Indigestion!
For years Kevin Smith, yes I’m talking about a book written by Silent Bob, has been a pretty controversal individual for pretty much his whole career starting back when he made his first film the black and white cult movie Clerks, after that there was really no stopping him, not even Mallrats. In all reality, he’s kind of someone I look up to, a lot. He followed his dream with making films, yes some people hate him and all of his work but there are also a lot of people like me who think he’s a genius. More recently, circa 2007, Smith started a new project called Smodcast which has now turned into his own podcasting empire. How did he do it all? By just deciding what he loved to do and thought would be fun to get to do for a living. And now he’s become an internet and cult phenomenon.
From the cover:
“That Kevin Smith? The guy who did Clerks a million years ago? Didn’t they bounce his fat ass off a plane once? What could you possibly learn from the director of Cop Out? How about this: He changed filmmaking forever when he was twenty-three, and since then he’s done whatever the hell he wants. He makes movies, writes comics, owns a store, and now he’s built a podcasting empire with friends and family, including a wife who’s way out of his league. So here’s some tough shit: Kevin Smith has cracked the code. Or, he’s just cracked.
“Tough Sh*t is the dirty business that Kevin has been ingesting for forty-one years, and now he’s ready to put it in your hands. Smear this shit all over yourself because this is your blueprint (or brownprint) for success. Kev takes you through some big moments in his life to help you live your days in as Gretzky a fashion as you can – going where the puck is gonna be. Read all about how a zero like Smith managed to make ten movies with no discernible talent and how when he had everything he thought he’d ever want he decided to blow up his own career. Along the way, Kev shares stories about folks who inspired him (like George Carlin), folks who befuddle him (like Bruce Willis), and…his beloved wife, Jen.
“So make this your daily reader. Hell, read it on the Toilet if you want. Just make sure you grab a bowl and push, because you’re about to take one Tough Sh*t.”
As I mentioned earlier a lot of people like Kevin Smith, but a lot of people also hate him. Thankfully Kev doesn’t take himself all that seriously, as you’ll understand after reading any of his books or listening to his Smodcast, and he basks in people hating on him and loving him, he feeds off of it, it would seem. One way that he shows how much he doesn’t care about what nay sayers say about his is by including their feedback about him on the back of his books like this one:
“I certainly would never read anything written by Kevin Smith.”
-Tim Burton
But then you’ll read something like this that is said about him:
“I suspect that @
ThatKevinSmith is what all gods and demons aspire to be.”
-Neil Gaiman via Twitter
and you’ll realize that some important people do acutally like him. Also, on a related note, if you don’t think Neil Gaiman is someone important, you clearly don’t deserve to be reading this.
So here it is, some life advise from a fat guy who made a couple of movies and didn’t say more than a few words, maybe a full sentence, in any of them. What the hell can he teach anyone? Well I guess we’ll just have to find out while taking one Tough Sh*t.
The Ubiquitous Gentlemen 