It seems as if Kevin Smith can do no wrong when it comes to the entertainment industry. Smith arrived on the scene in the early ’90s and easily conquered the realm of filmmaking by delivering critically successful films, which included 1994’s Clerks and 1997’s Chasing Amy. While being hailed as breath of fresh air for the world of comedic cinema and churning out a plethora of classic films, Smith also managed to become a New York Times Bestselling author by penning My Boring-Ass Life: The Uncomfortably Candid Diary of Kevin Smith. In addition to working on his upcoming film A Couple of Dicks, he has managed to keep the juices flowing both in many creative arenas, be it social networking, comics or interactive speaking tours, just to name a few. Even with all those irons on the fire, Smith has set aside some time to deliver his second foray into the literary world and what I consider one of the funniest books I have ever read. Shootin’ The Sh*t With Kevin Smith: The Best of Smodcast highlights Smith’s uncanny ability to deliver brilliant social commentary, while retaining a light hearted and highly comedic atmosphere.??
The book is a collection of conversations between Smith and his friend and producer Scott Mosier from their fantastic and highly rated podcast or as it is know better, “Smodcast.” While the majority of the conversations are between Smith and Mosier, there are appearances by numerous guests. Among these guests are Smith’s daughter Harley, his wife Jen, and filmmaker Malcolm Ingram. The conversations cover a range of topics including Smith’s twisted and pornographic ending to the Harry Potter series, the sexual habits of his household pets, his disturbing incident after eating four pounds of steak tartare, and even his elaborate idea for a Michael Bay-style film about the second coming of Christ. Absolutely nothing is safe in this book. If you are easily offended, you may have gone too far by reading this review. As indicated by my previous statement, this book is unabashedly raw and completely unapologetic. I found myself laughing out loud several times while reading the book and even had to wipe away tears of joy from time to time. With this book, Kevin Smith proves again that he is nothing short of a comedic genius.??
Coming in at 384 pages, the book is a surprisingly quick read and is definitely for adults only! If you are a fan of Smith’s work, this is a must buy. If for some reason you are not familiar with the great Kevin Smith, I encourage you to give it a chance. Shootin’ The Sh*t With Kevin Smith: The Best of Smodcast is easily a ten out of ten! – Steve Johnson of Icon Vs. Icon
Get your dose of comedic genius by picking up Shootin’ The Sh*t With Kevin Smith: The Best of Smodcast from Titan Books. The book hits stores on September 22, 2009.
RATING: 10/10
Jason Price founded the mighty Icon Vs. Icon more than a decade ago. Along the way, he’s assembled an amazing group of like-minded individuals to spread the word on some of the most unique people and projects on the pop culture landscape.