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Kevin Smith plugs Kabuki on radio interview...

Posted By: MACK!
Date: TUE, 6/5/01, 5:40 a.m.

I copied this from a post on the Bendis board.

Very nice of kevin to do this. WHat a real sweetheart.

Someone on the radio show asks him about me and my run on DD and he goes out of his way to mention that they should read Kabuki. What a pal.

DM

It's all below... the interview. Here is the posted transcription from the Bendis board:

This is the phone interview conducted on the morning show on 94.7 KNRK today with Kevin Smith that I mentioned last night. The hosts
are Gustav and Daria. Nothing particularly newsworthy here - at least nothing that hasn't been discussed on this board already - but it's a
good, fun interview conducted in a reletively mainstream arena. There are also plugs for a number of comics personalities and books
including Oni Press and David Mack.

Anyway... enjoy...

-----------------------------------------------------

Daria: Now, one thing about Kevin Smith movies is he, um, he often likes to reference the same thing...

Gustav: Yes.

Daria: ...in each one. Whether it's Star Wars or hockey... um, one thing that's also pretty much a constant with most to all of his movies
is, of course, the appearance of Jay & Silent Bob. Silent Bob being Kevin Smith and Jay being... I... I think his name is Jason Mewes. Is
that right Kevin?

Kevin Smith: Yeah, Jason Mewes is Jay, I am Silent Bob.

Daria: Now, um...

Kevin Smith: Was that your question? I just guessed.

Gustav: [laughter]

Daria: Yes!

Gustav: Yes, that is the question.

Kevin Smith: I heard a beep, and then all I heard was "Is that right Kevin?" [and I thought] Oh, uh, I gotta come up with a name.

Daria: Yeah, I know, I was just praying to God that you were there already.

You're, of course, familiar with Portland because, uh, Oni Press is here.

Kevin Smith: Oni Press is there, and they're the ones who published our comics originally, yeah. My, um, good friend and first editor,
Bob Shreck, who now works over at DC in Manhattan, used to live out there as well.

And I've got peeps out there:

Matt Wagner, who does the covers for our Green Arrow comic book lives out there. He also did my first comic book work that, uh... uh,
a little Jay & Silent Bob short story called [I couldn't figure out what he says the title is - something about a dog].

And there's another guy, Mike Allred, who lives out in Portland, who did the covers for the comics in Chasing Amy.

Daria: Kevin, you've actually got a lot of people that claim to be your peeps out here...[laughs]

Gustav: I think you just threw some mad props to your peeps, Kevin.

Daria: [Gasp!] Did he throw mad props?

Gustav: Yeah, I... I think you threw some mad props .

Kevin Smith: I did, I did. And, you know, hopefully, I will be hosted well by them when I get out to the Portland area.

Daria: Oh, I have no doubt.

Now, Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back is the movie and it's been, um... the date has been pushed, I understand, because of... is it because
the release of other Summer movies?

Kevin Smith: August 24th. Originally we were scheduled for August 10th, and then we moved to August 24th to get away from the
Juggernaut that is Rush Hour 2.

Daria: Ahhhh, Rush Hour 2.

Gustav: Right.

Kevin Smith:: It opens August 3rd, and I want to be nowhere near that movie.

Daria: Now, in an interview, um, on ViewAskew with Jason Mewes, it was... he mentioned that you had said... um, earlier that Dogma
was going to be the last movie appearance of Jay & Silent Bob. What changed your mind? Or is Jason not a reliable source for, uh...
heh, for quotes.

Kevin Smith:: You know, uh, what changed my mind is that I have a mortgage, and, uh... No, what changed my mind is that... it was
never really intended to be the last movie featuring them. I... the one thing I never intended to do was make a movie featuring them as
the lead characters. Because I always thought that would be a weak, soft idea particularly because... uh.... How hard is it to make a
movie about two guys - one of them doesn't really even talk - ...

Daria: Right

Kevin Smith:: ...and make it interesting for 90 minutes? Or, not let them wear out their welcome. 'Cause that's the danger of those
characters, particularly Jay. That schtick could get old.

Daria: Oh, I don't see how. [laughter]

Gustav: No, I don't... No... uh-uh. [laughter]

Kevin Smith:: Pardon?

Gustav: No, we don't think that's going to get old, ever.

Kevin Smith: Yeah, you know what? It didn't. It still worked like gangbusters this time around. I was shocked. We just did a test
screening... not last week, but the week before, and we scored through the roof. Um... and people... if... you felt the moment we were off
the screen - if we were off the screen for more than two minutes, three minutes, you felt the audience get restless, and when we came
back... it didn't matter what we did - the slightest thing - they would laugh at it hysterically. Um, they love the characters, it's so weird.

Daria: And that test audience was not only comprised of people that were very familiar with your work and had seen...?

Kevin Smith: Yeah, it was a very low percentage of actual fans or people who had seen the movies. It was... a lot of fresh faces. It was
wonderful. We got great scores - I'd never been involved in a test screening that successful with anything we'd ever done.

Daria: Now, um, as far as the trailer goes to this movie... um, one thing that's really quite funny is that, uh, on your web-site, ViewAskew,
there's this portion where you're like, "I'm so sick of people talking bad about my movies." You know, "Why can't they find something
better to do?"

Kevin Smith: Right.

Daria: And then there's this web-site that you're referencing in particular called - I think it's, like, "PoopShoot" or "MoviePoopShoot", or
something.

Kevin Smith: "MoviePoopShoot".

Daria: So you go to that site, and there's people, like... yeah... just barely literate people, basically, just talking about, y'know, like, how
into "4:20" they are and stuff, and sort of, like.... dissing, as it were, this movie. But when you go to try to po... their postings - you try to
click on what they had to say, and it... Did you hack in? You must have.

Kevin Smith: Basically, we created that site.

Gustav: Hmm...

Daria: Ohh... Okay, I see... That's pretty funny.

Kevin Smith: We made this site called "MoviePoopShoot.com", it-it's essential to the plot of the movie actually, and, um... it's basically
one of these movie web-sites where people talk trash about movies and tell people how they would do it better, of course. And, uh, we
decided to put it live out on the Web and attach the trailer to it rather than just throw the trailer out there and say, "Hey, here's the trailer."
- we kind of made a game of it and hid it within that site. So, when you went to it and read these horrible news stories - "scoops"- on,
um... on-on the movies, um, particularly the Jay & Silent Bob movie, if you clicked on the responding posts which were just a stream of,
like, "Jay & Silent Bob Sucks!" kind of thing, um, you found the trailer. So, it was just, uh, kind of a fun way to put the trailer out

Gustav: Hmm...

Daria: I completely fell for it...

Kevin Smith: Did you fall for it? Oh, God...

Daria: ...I 100%, completely fell for it.

Kevin Smith: ...very bright.

Gustav: [laughs]

Daria: That is so funny.

Well, watching the trailer, um, I saw... see, I was... it was kind of dissapointing, because I was all ready to do an unflattering impression
of Joey Lauren Adams...

Kevin Smith: Right.

Daria: ...but then I saw that she is, in fact, in the movie. So, I guess, ah...

Kevin Smith: That is correct, but you can still do your unflattering impression.

Gustav: You, uh, you actually dated her at one time.

Daria: That's right.

Kevin Smith: Well, she was my girlfriend for two years - wonderful person.

Daria: Now, I know it's uncool to bring up old relationships, but didn't... I mean, honestly Kevin, didn't you ever just want to shake her by
the shoulders and say, "TALK NORMAL...!!"

Kevin Smith: [laughs]

Gustav: [laughs]

Daria: "...You're not a Muppet!"

Kevin Smith: No, y'know, I was kind of into the voice...

Daria: Ahh, all right.

Gustav: The voice never got on your nerves - not once?

Kevin Smith: [laughs] ...It sounded like she'd taken a hit of Helium.

Daria: [laughs]

Gustav: [laughs]

Daria: Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back... the plot of it, um, as I understand, is basically Jay and Silent Bob are going from New Jersey to
Hollywood to try to stop Miramax from making a Bluntman & Chronic, which is sort of their alter-ego, superhero, um, pot characters.

Kevin Smith: Exactly. The movie is basically Jay and Silent Bob try to stop the Jay & Silent Bob movie from happening.

Daria: Um, is it... uh, is it premature to talk about Fletch?

Kevin Smith: Uh, no. That will probably be the next flick out, but I haven't started working on it yet, 'cause we were working on this
movie for the last year. But I think that's probably the next movie that we're gonna do.

Daria: And, uh.. I-I...

Kevin Smith: Miramax optioned the series of books that Gregory McDonald wrote that the first movie was based on, and, uh, there's a
book in that series called Fletch Won. It's about... it's kind of a "Fletch: Year One" story... it's about his first job at the paper. And, um, so,
we've gotta use a younger version of Fletch and hopefully it's going to be Jason Lee.

Gustav: Hm.

Daria: Yeah, Jason Lee... I read an article with him where he said that basically it is him, and if it's not him, no movie will be made. And
then it...

Kevin Smith: Yeah, well, it... I said it's him, and if it's not him, then I don't want to do the movie - I just think he's perfect casting, and that
he's a wonderful guy and a great actor that doesn't get enough screen time as far as I'm concerned.

Daria: You're known for using your friends and actors that you like and your buddies, over and over again in your movies, and not only
that, but also different references come up almost all the time, if not all the time like, um... Steven Spielberg and John Hughes movies,
and Star Wars, and hockey...

Who is Julie Dwyer?

Kevin Smith: [laughs] Julie Dwyer - she's a character that we, um, reference in the first movie. She dies in the pool at the YMCA - she
has an anurism and dies in mid-backstroke, and we just wound up referencing for a few movies after that. In Mallrats, it opens up with
them talking about her. In Chasing Amy, um, the helium voiced Joey Lauren Adams mentions her at one point. So, uh, it's just a way to
keep the... all the folks connected - like everyone has this one shared event, it was one of thosse local legends that everyone in town
new about - but it's not really based on anybody.

Daria: It's not.

Gustav: Mm.

Daria: Um, it's... sor-- You have a question...?

Gustav: No, no, go ahead.

Daria: [laughs] I've just got... like, all these... I've got this whole list...

Gustav: Daria's got this... dictionary of questions

Daria: I totally... Kevin, I totally, actually, want to fangirl out on you regarding Daredevil, but I know that probably wouldn't be cool,
especially since I...

Kevin Smith: Are you the comics guys that...? Somebody was... was one of you maintaining that I killed off Mysterio?

Daria: [astonished] Yes!

Gustav: Well...

Daria: And the thing is... Kevin...

Kevin Smith: Which one?

Gustav: Daria was... uh, y'know [laughs]

Daria: Kevin... The thing is... okay... it's not so much that you...

Kevin Smith: Can-can I just give you my position on this.

Daria: Yes, absolutely, absolutely.

Kevin Smith: Mysterio is a suit - not the guy in the suit. Do you know the name of the guy in the suit?

Daria: Um.. it's... oh... God...! It... uh... some... Beck...? It's something like Beck.

Kevin Smith: It is Quentin Beck. You know what? That's-that's pretty good - that's better than most people. But Mysterio will always be
a suit - it doesn't matter really who's in the suit. So, we killed off - me and Joe Quesada, the guy that drew the story with, uh... the stoy
that I wrote - uh, killed off the guy who was in the suit. It doesn't mean there won't be a Mysterio in the future. Are you kidding me?

Daria: Yeah, but I mean th--!

Kevin Smith: With Spider-Man getting huge again? Mysterio will be back.

Daria: [sighs] It's just the way that he died, though, Kevin! It's that he would... First of all, he would never refer to himself as a
second-string villain.

Kevin Smith: Right... Oh, he, but he does, he... I mean... at that point in his life, he had to accept the fact that he was a second-string
villain. But he was trying to go out like a first-string villain, and in the end wound up going out and copying the death of-of, um... another
character that died in comics a long time ago. Uh... Kraven. The Hunter.

Daria: But, basic--!

Kevin Smith: The story was just about how there are no new stories to really tell.

Daria: It was actually... and the storyline was, actually, excellent, if... if, um...

Marvel Knights' Series, uh, of Daredevil one through eight...

Kevin Smith: Daredevil, yeah, it was... I had a really good time with it - and some people really seem to dig 'em - um, on the story. And
hopefully I'll go back and do another Daredevil story sooner or later, but right now I'm just working on Green Arrow...

Daria: Green Arrow

Kevin Smith: ...over at DC.

Daria: Now, um, when David Mack took over the writing after ... after, um issue eight, um...

[laughs] I just... We've probably lost a big portion of the audience...

Gustav: [laughs]

Daria: ...but I'm on a roll, baby!

Kevin Smith: Listen to you. You will never get laid talking like this...

Daria: [laughs] Oh, I...

Kevin Smith: ...It can't happen, a guy hears that you talk comics, he's gonna turn and walk away.

Gustav: Uhhh...

Daria: Oh, I get laid, honey [laughs].

Gustav: [laughs]

Kevin Smith: [laughs] Ah.

Daria: But when David Mack took over, he actually, um... y'know, he went back and referenced you a couple times. Like, he had Maya
and Matt Murdock go to see Mallrats in, uh, in issue eleven, and uh... Did you know he was gonna do that...

Kevin Smith: Not at all...

Daria: ...or was that like a nice surprise.

Kevin Smith: ...but Joe Quesada, who stayed around to do the art chores for that - for at least a few of the issues that Mack wrote - um,
he would e-mail me panels from time to time... and, uh, I thought that was very nice, they didn't have to do that.

Daria: That has to be so exiting.

Kevin Smith: Then, at this point, people on the Internet were like, "Oh, enough with the in-jokes." You know, people on the Internet
always have to piss on something you're enjoying.

Daria: [laughs]

Gustav: [laughs]

Kevin Smith: But, uh... No, I didn't - I had no idea, and I met David once or twice at a few comic book cons and he's a very sweet guy -
very talented artist, too.

Daria: Do you get to ch--?

Kevin Smith: He does the comic book Kabuki, if you've ever... Have you ever read it?

Daria: David Mack - Kabuki, no... but I'm writing it down...

Kevin Smith: Ah... You gotta read it. If you liked his Daredevil run, you gotta pick up Kabuki.

Daria: Do you get to choose who does your artwork? Or, wh-who... when you... y-you know what I mean? For the whole colab--?

Kevin Smith: Yeah, absolutely! Absolutely, um... There... Usually I go for people who's stuff I've enjoyed before, I mean... With... With
Joe, Joe had recruited me to do the Daredevil gig in the first place, and I was a fan of his artwork - he had done the cover for the comic
that Hooper X did in Chasing Amy called "White Hating Coon", and he had also done one of the comic books that Jay & Silent Bob...
cover for the credits in Mallrats. So, I had worked with him before, kind of, and then, um, it was a no-brainer to have him do the
Daredevil arc because he's such a wonderful artist.

Daria: Okay, I know w--

Gustav: Hm?

Kevin Smith: And he recruited me for the job in the first place. Um, Matt Wagner...

Daria: Yeah?

Kevin Smith: Um... Who's a guy... out in Portland, who I mentioned before, he's... he's... I've worked with him. Um... I've always loved
his stuff.- he did Grendel and a comic book called Mage back in the day. So, um, I was a fan of his stuff.

The guy who's drawing my Green Arrow run right now, Phil Hester - and Andy Park, his inker - I was a big fan of Phil's stuff when he
was drawing this Swamp Thing story arc a few years back for Mark Millar - the guy who's now writing Ultimate X-Men.

Um... So, I usually... I tend to gravitate to people who's artwork I really enjoyed, you know, before I was writing comic books... 'cause I... I
really am just kind of a fanboy at heart, so it's nice to work with prople who's stuff that you really appreciated before you got a chance to
write a comic book.

Daria: Well, and it's so... it's... How thrilling to be able to do that, too. I mean... Do you know what I mean?

Gustav: Mm-hm.

Daria: Oh... Oh, my God.

Kevin Smith: I'll tell you, it's the best perk of the job. People are... People usually tend to think that, um, the best perk of the job of film,
you know, is the money or... or the sex that they imagine you must be having, which...

Gustav: [laughs]

Daria: [laughs] Of course... Yeah, that's what it...

Kevin Smith: It really has been the comic books - it's been the ability to walk into a DC or Marvel and say, "I'd really like to do this story"
and have them be like, "Go ahead!"

Daria: Yeah.

Gustav: Mm

Kevin Smith: And, you know, it gives you a carte blanche that some people don't appreciate you having... and, I guess, a lot of the...
kind of the naysayers on the Internet will bash you for. Because they always have to have something to attack you for. But it's been so
gratifying - if you can ignore that stuff, it's such a gratifying, um, kind of perk to the job. And... and even... even better is when the book
sells well. That's kind of the... really nice, too. Because not only did you get to go in and do exactly what you wanted to do, but it sold like
mad, as well.

Daria: One of your illustrators, Duncan... I think his last name is Feg... Fegre

Kevin Smith: Duncan Fegredo...

Daria: Oh, so good.

Kevin Smith: ... he drew the Jay & Silent Bob mini-series

Daria: Yeah, he's excellent.

Um... Okay, we've, ah, already kept you too long. Um, for which I apologize, um...

Kevin Smith: Oh, I could talk comics forever.

Daria: Oh, uh... so could I...

Gustav: [laughs]

Daria: I'm like, right now, I'm like bouncing up and down in my chair, like, with glee.

Uh... the movie, Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back - if you want to go, uh, see the trailer, go ahead and go to, uh, the really comprehensive
web-site of Kevin Smith. It's ViewAskew.com. The movie comes out on August 24th. Um, I'm sure we'll...

Kevin Smith: August 24th. It's a hoot, man.

Daria: Excellent. Thank you so much, Kevin!

Gustav: Thanks very much, Kevin!

Kevin Smith: Hey, Thanks!

Daria: Take care.

Kevin Smith: Bye.

-----------------------------------------------------

I can't believe I typed all of that.

Gustav & Daria can be heard weekday mornings from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Pacific (9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Eastern) over the Internet
at the link below - or at 94.7 fm on the radio if you live near Portland, OR. (I figure if they're gonna be kind enough to give some exposure
to the comic world, I can give them a plug.)

.
David Aspmo

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Messages In This Thread

Kevin Smith plugs Kabuki on radio interview... -- MACK! -- TUE, 6/5/01, 5:40 a.m.
Re: Kevin Smith plugs Kabuki on radio interview... -- brian monroe -- TUE, 6/5/01, 4:01 p.m.
I didn't type it... -- MACK! -- TUE, 6/5/01, 7:16 p.m.
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