Kevin Smith is no stranger to the brash and taboo, and his ever-increasing fan base is evidence that we need more of his type in Hollywood. His films have a fiercely loyal following, his personal appearances are in constant demand (where do you go after selling out Carnegie Hall?), he's blasted past a million Twitter followers and his first two books are NY Times best-sellers.
Smith has returned with a third print offering, this time eschewing the journalistic narrative for the highlights of his and producer Scott Mosier’s highly-rated “SModcasts” (Smith/Mosier/podcasts). The SModcasts are frequently taboo-hunting grounds, giving equal time to bestiality and bukkake eggs (don't ask) as they do to the snip-by-snip discussion of Mosier's vasectomy. The best of the best were compiled into Shootin' The Shit With Kevin Smith, a riot of a read if there ever was one.
In the book, the two friends ramble through a variety of topics as far ranging as one might imagine, while the language is as coarse as any conversation between drunk longshoremen. Unabashedly raw and completely unapologetic, Kevin Smith pushes the low-brow humor to an all-time high with his Mosier chats.
A few random Smodquotes:
- "I'm the kind of guy you want to cut open like a f*****g Tauntaun and sleep inside of!"
- "If you're too old to believe in Santa, you can't believe in magic.... or Jesus."
- " I could eat that. It tastes like pee, but I'll eat it..."
- "Better a gay Batman than no Batman at all."
If you don't laugh out loud while reading this book, you're either illiterate or Kathie Lee Gifford is your brand of humor. The easily-offended certainly need not apply. If you’ve seen Smith's films, you should know precisely what to expect from a man who's already sold millions of copies of a book where he recounts his morning bowel movements in excruciating detail.
In addition to the chemistry-milking rants between Smith and Mosier, there are notable appearances by numerous guests as well. Among them are Smith’s daughter Harley, his wife Jen and filmmaker Malcolm Ingram.
Coming in at a lean 384 pages, Shootin' The Shit With Kevin Smith is a quick, hilarious read. I made the mistake of digging into it on a late-night flight from Nashville recently, and nearly got thrown off the plane with my howling laughter. In other words: if you're a fan of Smith’s work, this book is a side-splitting must-have. For all others, consider yourselves warned.
Shootin' The Shit With Kevin Smith is out now via Titan Books.
