Actor, director, author, podcaster, and producer of AMC's series Comic Book Men, Kevin Smith now can add life adviser to his resume. (He's recently penned a book entitled Tough Sh*t: Life Advice From a Fat Lazy Slob Who Did Good.) In light of his recent book and the renewal of Comic Book Men for a second season, AMCtv.com interviewed Smith (who also answered some questions submitted by AMC viewers.)

Q: The title of your new book Tough Sh*t: Life Advice From a Fat Lazy Slob Who Did Good sounds like a self-help guide. Would you describe it that way?

A: Any book is a self-help guide if you can take something from it. There's a Bible thing -- I was raised Catholic and what not -- that always profoundly affected me. I can't quote chapter and verse, but it's like "Whatever you give out, comes back to you seven-fold." That made an impression on me as a kid. It seemed simple enough so I thought, Well I've got a lifetime, I could try that out. And it's worked for me in my life. But to me, Tough Sh*t reads more like a biography than anything else. It's information for those who are like, "What happened to him?" Or more like, "What's wrong with him?" I've had people say, "Oh, this makes Red State make more sense." The book -- knock wood -- has been the least criticized thing I've done in nearly 20 years...

Q: It spent several weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List...

A: Man, that was really important to the publisher. They were like, "We got to get on that list. That's how we sell books." And I'm just like, not anymore, that's not how I sell anything now. How I sell my stuff now is all built on stepping away from the mainstream -- with the podcast, etc. So you tell me I'm on the Times Best Seller List, I'm flattered, I'm honored, and that's nice. But what does it for me -- you go to my Twitter page and those are the reviews of Tough Sh*t that make the difference to me. I can't tell you how many people have said the book's inspiring. And that, I dig. It's not about being on a list.

Q: What made you decide to start writing books?

Continue reading "Q&A - Kevin Smith, Producer of Comic Book Men" »

Brian Nashel, the executive producer of AMC's Comic Book Men, talks about working with Kevin Smith, bonding with the cast over their shared Jersey roots, and earning a hard-won chuckle from Walt Flanagan.

Q: Kevin Smith has done a fair amount of producing himself. Did that make your job any easier?

A: Working with somebody who's a producer and director is a lot easier because we speak the same language. We're both editors, as well. I'll edit a lot of stuff that I direct and I know he edits his own films, so when we started making cuts of the show, we could do a lot of insider "editor speak" and cut to the chase on how to tell these stories.

Q: After working with teenagers (My Super Sweet Sixteen), meteorologists (Storm Chasers) and fashion designers (The Fashion Show), how did working with comic book aficionados compare?

A: It actually was, hands down, the most fun I've ever had making a TV show. I can approach the guys from a point of view that's close to their own because we all grew up in the '70s. We have a lot of the same pop culture references and we could talk about the TV shows we used to watch. When a customer came in with the Six Million Dollar Man [action figure], the whole cast --- me included -- were like "Oh my god, that was my favorite toy." I think it helped me win the cast over, because Walt Flanagan is a tough customer. To get Walt to like you is sort of the crowning achievement.

Q: When was the moment you felt you won him over?

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Ming Chen is the Secret Stash's jack of all trades, taking care of the tasks that no one else can or will do. He spoke with AMCtv.com about the day for which he still thanks Kevin Smith and being ridiculed for his comic book tastes by his co-workers.

Q: When Kevin Smith told you he was going to make a show at the Secret Stash, were you in right away?

A: I'm pretty much on board with anything he wants to do, never mind that he signs my checks. This was definitely something I was on board with. I think he sent me an instant message one morning, saying, "Listen, this is gonna sound weird, but we're thinking of doing a TV show at the comic book store." It's pretty crazy, the paths that Kevin takes you on if you hang out with him long enough.

Q: What were some of the reasons it appealed to you?

A: A show about three guys that I hang out and joke with about stupid things like comics, TV, movies, and pop culture? We do that anyway -- to do it in front of a camera where everyone else can see it, and maybe somewhat validate it, I thought that might be exciting. I never had any aspirations about being on TV at all, but it sounded like fun.

Q: Did he give you any advice on how to act naturally in front of the camera?

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Walt Flanagan is the Secret Stash's store manager and long-time friend to Kevin Smith. He spoke with AMCtv.com about how he and Smith bonded over Batman, his favorite comics, and why he doesn't like hearing himself laugh.

Q: You went to high school with Kevin Smith. Did you hit it off immediately?

A: I knew of him in high school but I didn't speak to him. It was only after he graduated. We both worked at a recreation center in our town, Highlands. It took probably almost six or seven months before we even spoke, and it just happened to be around four months out from Batman, the Michael Keaton movie. The PR machine was starting to ramp up, he expressed an interest in going and seeing it, and that kind of led to him finding out that I was into comics.

Q: You bonded over comics, then?

A: Yeah, over Batman and the upcoming movie. I gave him some books that I thought were cool to read before the movie came out. His exposure was more to the Adam West TV show Batman, and he wasn't really following what was current back in the '80s.

Q: Do you have a favorite Batman incarnation?

Continue reading "Q&A - Walt Flanagan (Comic Book Men)" »

Bryan Johnson is not an employee at Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash, but he's as much a part of the store as anyone else. In this exclusives interview with AMCtv.com, he talks about the drawbacks of having a potty mouth on reality TV and his love of busting Ming's chops.

Q: How did Kevin Smith present the idea for the show to you?

A: He called me and basically laid it out, like, "Hey, I was talking to the executive producer on Red State. She has a friend at Original Media that wants to do a reality show about a comic book store." He said they could use his place, then they wanted to use us too, that's how they presented it. I'm usually in for just about everything. My big reservation was becoming part of a TV genre that I criticize often. But the good point was, well, maybe we can bring a little respect back to Jersey after Jersey Shore.

Q: Since you've been in movies, were you more comfortable than the other guys about being a TV personality ?

A: I think we were all sort of, in the beginning, a little bit weirded out by the cameras being there. But once you fall into your comfort zone -- which is making fun of each other -- you sort of forget the cameras are there. Kevin told me all you have to do is just be yourself. It's not a performance. I'm not really memorizing lines or anything, so I felt it was a lot easier, actually, than being in a movie.

Q: Were your conversations different with the cameras there?

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