Wednesday 18 July 2018

#56 - Kevin Smith 07/18/18

This is another one of my "people that inspired me to become a comedian" blog posts. Today, I thought I'd take a couple minutes to touch on Silent Bob himself, Mr. Kevin Smith.

I'll be honest, I don't watch a lot of movies. I primarily just watch Ghostbusters, Ninja Turtles, and Rocky on a rotation. When it comes to Kevin Smith's work, I've only really seen Cop Out (which I like, for the record. It's me and my buddy Dave's go to flick. Haters gonna hate), and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. But I don't look up to Mr. Smith because of what he does as a film maker. My appreciation for him comes from what he has to say on podcasts and at Q & As. His outlook on life inspires me.

I wrote a blog last month entitled, "Just Try". Within that post, there's a video clip of Kevin Smith, where he explains how his Dad's passing gave him a "why not?" mentality toward life. He tells the audience that his old man was a good guy, who lived by the rules, didn't hurt anyone and worked a job he didn't like to support his family. But despite playing it safe for his entire life, he "died screaming" (watch the clip for a full explanation of what "died screaming" means). Kevin realized that no matter how safe you play the game of life, it's going to end the same way; you'll die screaming. Nobody gets out alive in the end.

And as such, Kevin explains that he developed a "why not?" attitude toward art, and life in general. Instead of asking "why?" when someone tells you they want to try something, ask "why not?" Ask yourself the same thing. If there's something you want to try in this life, big or small, and you haven't done it yet, ask yourself "why not?" We all lose in the end, so while you're here, there's no reason not to go after every single dream you have. Push yourself, and encourage others to go after their dreams. Don't discourage people, pick them up. Help them. And they'll do the same for you.

This was the first Kevin Smith clip I found, and I couldn't stop watching it. I started searching for more his work, and came across his appearances on Joe Rogan's podcast. I have two of his episodes saved on my phone, and listen to them every few weeks. I watch his Youtube clips, and I've listened to his book twice. When I first heard him explain how he made his first movie, I was completely obsessed with his story.

For those that don't know, when Kevin decided "fuck it, I'm making a movie", he didn't go looking for money or help. He sold off a big chunk of his comic book collections, maxed out his credit cards, and just went for it. And this was back when everyone didn't have an HD camera in their pocket like we do now. He didn't know where this film would end up taking him, he was just an artist with a vision and he took his shot. I fucking love that story. When I heard it for the first time, it inspired me like nothing else ever has. It's badass. He's living his life by his rules. That's what I want to do.

Anyone that encourages someone else to chase a dream or try something new is making the world a better place. Kevin has a voice that is heard by a lot of people, and he spends a lot of his time using it to encourage artists. I sure hope I'm not the only person that heard his message and took it to heart, I can't imagine I am. So Kevin Smith, in the 1 in a million chance you read this; thank you. You've inspired me as much as anyone on this planet has.

So much in fact, that I'm even going to watch the rest of your films. Once I finish Ghostbusters again, of course.

Thanks for reading.

Adam


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