Pop Break Live: Jay & Silent Bob Reboot Roadshow at The Paramount Theatre in Asbury Park, NJ
Kevin Smith, Jay Mewes and friends kicked off their much anticipated 65 city Jay & Silent Bob Reboot Roadshow tour in Asbury Park, New Jersey on Saturday, October 19, 2019 – exactly 25 years to the day since Clerks premiered at Sundance becoming a breakout hit.
The Jay & Silent Bob Reboot Roadshow took place at the storied Paramount Theatre in Convention Hall. The sold-out audience were the first stop of the aforementioned tour, a tour which included the screening for Smith’s new film, Jay and Silent Bob Reboot. Reboot finds the legendary Jersey stoner duo (reprised by Smith and Mewes) back in action after a decade plus disappearance. They were last seen in Clerks II and it’s been 18 years since Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. In this film, the two are on the road to Hollywood trying to stop a major motion picture studio from rebooting the superhero epic Bluntman and Chronic.
Following the film the fan favorite writer and director donned the stage with co-star Jay Mewes (followed by a five minute standing ovation from the audience, giving Smith a moment to shed a tear of gratitude and hug his best friend) for a lengthy Q & A delving deep into the Kevin Smith lore as well as offering many insights into what to expect down the road for the View Askew Universe.
Smith quickly shut down any worries that his production company View Askew (which produced Clerks, Clerks II, Dogma, Chasing Amy and more) were largely behind him. It’s just the opposite in fact. “It felt good to get in the sandbox again and play with these characters. This is simply reopening the doors to the View Askew Universe ladies and gentlemen.” A statement which received much praise. He capped the thought with a piece of announcement news as well to the next follow up on his slate, two actually: Mallrats 2 and Clerks III.
Kevin Smith is, if nothing else, upfront and honest to his fan base with what he is. Since he is not making Marvel or Fast and the Furious films, “Nobody’s clamoring to see a Jay and Silent Bob sequel, unless you make it financially justifiable. It’s the only way the movie gets made.” So Smith had to orchestrate a special agreement to get the film off the ground by partnering with Saban Films and Universal Studios for a chunk of money as well as borrowing $2 million of equity from outside investors. This led to the idea of touring the film from city to city ensuring a profit as well as combining two of Smith’s favorite past times of making films and performing in front of a live audience.
With this formula in mind, Smith has reason to believe this will allow him to go back to the well and get clearance on his next two projects. Projects that will generate people will come out to see.
In the years following Smiths setback of making major motion pictures he has gone on to build up a podcast empire named Smodcast, running a multitude of shows with guests and frequent collaborators like Scott Mosier, Marc Bernardin, Ralph Garman and, of course, Jay Mewes on Jay and Silent Bob Get Old.
“We go out all over the country to do Jay and Silent Bob with no movie and people pay good money for that. Talking about all the old movies. I knew they would enjoy this, something new.”
During the fan questions Kevin answered inquires such as what went behind the scenes of the more tender parts of the film such as the films ending where Jay, Silent Bob and Jay’s daughter, Millennium Fulcon aka “Milly” (Harley Quinn Smith) share a moment at the quikstop years after it became a indie landmark in the Garden State. Smith was quick to disprove that it was actually the same store (the film was shot in New Orleans), but shared his emotions of watching his age old friend act opposite his real life daughter and their bond and that has stretched back to when she was born. “Harley pulled a great performance out of Jay, maybe his best work yet.” Smith regarded with a smile.
It’s no secret that Jay Mewes had struggled with substance issues throughout his life. With the help of Kevin he managed to maintain sobriety for the last several years. So when he was asked how he remained motivated during the hard times, Mewes opened up candidly saying he avoided all negativity aimed towards him whether it’s bad reviews or the internet entirely. He tries to spend as much time with his wife, Jordan and their daughter as well as Kevin and his family. Both families were in attendance as well as they stay very close with each other.
Leading into the end of the premiere Smith was asked what it was like to inspire his fans and the upcoming generations. Smith delved into stories stretching back decades but stated at first being an inspiration wasn’t his plan at all when he began back in 1994. It wasn’t until his third film, Chasing Amy that he began to meet his fans and realize that he was the voice of reason for those taking an interest in storytelling and filmmaking. As
As the years progressed he’s seen his carefully crafted words and images stem into a life of their own and inspire new up and coming talent. This is ultimately his goal in life, to leave an impression on those who listen to him and to achieve their dreams.
Kevin Smith knows that fans are everything, they are the wind beneath his wings and in turn plans to live out the remainder of his filmmaking days crafting his work for them. After suffering a heart attack in 2018, Smith took a good long look at himself, thanked the heavens and shifted his life’s work into high gear, and has no plans of slowing.
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