Talking on stage is Kevin Smith’s second job. The first, of course, is filmmaking, as the New Jersey born and raised writer, director and actor is the man behind the indie cult hit “Clerks” and its sequels, along with other films like “Mall Rats,” “Chasing Amy” and “Dogma” among others. In addition to writing and directing films he’s become a spoken-word hit, taking stages around the world to simply talk about filmmaking, family and life around Hollywood, many times joined by his longtime friend and screen partner Jason Mewes, who has played “Jay” alongside Smith’s “Silent Bob” in many of his films.
If you go
WHAT: Jay and Silent Bob’s Aurel Sects Tour.
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Dec. 17.
WHERE: Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College, 1000 Rim Drive.
TICKETS: $30/$59.
MORE INFORMATION: Visit www.durangoconcerts.com.
Smith and Mewes will return to Durango on Dec. 17 to gab it up once again at the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College for “Jay and Silent Bob’s Aurel Sects Tour.”
Smith’s talking gig came about via his filmmaking.
“Because of the movies, they would always kick me out on stage to explain myself after the movies done, in Q&A form,” he said. “Early on, I couldn’t wax erudite about filmmaking, as I’d only made one movie. So instead, I’d use the time to try to tell them amusing stories. And in telling the fun stories about making a movie, I kind of had this slowly growing second hustle of me standing on stages talking about making movies. First to film festivals and colleges, then just regular theaters. Then I sold out Carnegie Hall, and that put me into a different echelon.”
Bringing Mewes on stage was the direct result of the duo’s podcast, which started in 2007. Their digital chatter initially served as an audio intervention, their main topic being Mewes’ history with substance abuse. Revealing his problems to the world was a way for Mewes to have multiple sponsors in the form of worldwide listeners, as every aspect of their lives was topical.
What started as them discussing the darker side of Mewes’ life has grown into them simply chatting about their own lives, and the hilarity that comes from being two Hollywood outsiders whose movies have earned respect from the worldwide film industry; they’ll play Jay and Silent Bob on film and on stage, while also discussing their lives as Smith and Mewes, who are also both dedicated family men.
“He’s the father of two small kids, so he’s got all sorts of material that I don’t have,” Smith said. “And my kid is 26, and I’ve been married for almost 30 years at this point, so my material leads in that direction. So between the two of us, we covered the entire family spectrum at this point. And Jay and Silent Bob as family entertainment is nothing I ever imagined.”
While their show, however, is not family entertainment, it is entertainment about family; fans of the Smith films know he operates pretty blue on screen, and that goes for on stage as well, so ears should be mindful of colorful language.
You can also be mindful of an endearing friendship. Laurel and Hardy, Abbot and Costello, Martin and Lewes all had miffs that severed their stage and screen partnerships; not Smith and Mewes. Thirty-one years into a relationship both on and off stage and screen, and the two are still going strong.
“People seem to enjoy that we’re still friends, we get that a lot. People are like ‘I can’t believe you guys are friends in real life, even Chuck D and Flavor Flav had a falling out, but you guys are pretty tight,’” Smith said. “We get along pretty easily, and it’s charming that people like that we’re friends in real life, that we’re not just acting.”
Bryant Liggett is a freelance writer and KDUR station manager. Reach him at liggett_b@fortlewis.edu.
