It's such a strange phenomenon that a stranger can loom so large in your life, but in all honesty, Kevin Smith has for me.
And I planned to tell him so.
Until I got to Barnes and Noble for the signing of course.
The friendly fine book purveyor told me in no uncertain terms that Kevin Smith's assistant said their won't be a signing at all, you can trade in your book for a signed copy and it would just be a straight Q&A.
If you've never seen or attended one of Smith's Q & A's they are amazing to behold. Hilarious stories and antidotes about his life, scattered with his trials and tribulations in the entertainment industry. Check them out, there's even one on Netflix (Too Fat for Forty) so you've literally got no excuses.
Last night was the third such event I've been to and as great as they are, I had my heart set on telling this famous stranger how much he had inspired the course my life had taken.
So, like Kevin himself, I took to Twitter to express my feelings.
I sat and stewed, listening to the other fans telling their own stories, laughing and gossiping like twelve-year-old school girls about the latest goings on of the man himself.
Then it was announced that he was coming early to start signing so that he could devote a much longer period to the Q & A. I grumpily acknowledged that it was a very cool gesture, but I'd be lying if I said I was still more than just a tad disappointed.
Right around 7pm, the blur of orange and blue swooped around the corner and everything changed; in my mind, just the sight of the man of the hour, wiped away all the bad feelings I had harbored about tonights change in plans. I didn't need a personally signed book, this was going to be fun.
I smiled as he happily greeted the fans and posed for media pictures with the book.
He told the crowd that tonight was his and Jennifer Schwalbach's anniversary of the first time they fucked, so this was a special night for him too. He was all smiles ... until he pulled his phone out.
And then he mentioned two Twitter posts...
Kevin read aloud the first twitter post, speaking of "no personal signings" and that all "he wanted was a hug." He searched the room, called the man "a squeaky wheel" and said he would indeed get his hug.
Then he proceeded to read my tweet. I held up my hand and owned it as he finished reading it to the crowd. He acknowledged me with a smile and said something to the tune that he would get to me.
If my interaction with Kevin would have ended there, I would have been a pretty happy guy.
The questions started to flow in as he went over his fan's questions, some really good ones, some repeats from prior Q&A's and everyone was laughing and feeling good, when it suddenly dawned on me: Everyone that knows me, knows what Kevin Smith is to me. They know that the path I'm on has been directly influenced from him. Why don't I just tell him? Who gives a shit if it's in front of a hundred or so other Smith-philes.
So I bided my time, waiting for the opportunity to strike. It came in the form of a fan that literally had 6 questions. Each time Kevin answered, in his awesome drawn out way and each time the fan had a rebuttal. I knew that my comment would be a nice change of pace.
Up went the hand and Kevin pointed to me.
I said I've just got a comment if that's cool, to which he offered up the mic, but I didn't want to make an even bigger scene. I pushed forward.
I told Kevin Smith that I started writing in 2003, because of him. He showed me that a guy like me from the middle of nowhere could write his thoughts, feelings, jokes, and interests and have the chance of telling stories that people can relate to and connect with.
He nodded, even seemed as if he geniunely appreciated it. I continued on.
I told Kevin that because of him, I too, had given independent film a try, even if it had been a massive failure, he gave me the target to shoot for, using my ambition as ammunition to take on such a monumental task, because where I'm from, people just don't do such things. You settle down, you work at Publix, you have a family then you follow in your family's footsteps, kinda just waiting for the next big event in life.
He gave me the courage to strike out and follow my dreams because, hey if he can do it, why the fuck can't I?
His smile grew bigger as I told him this, his eyes beginning to twinkle like a much younger & higher Santa.
I pushed on, telling him that I am here now because of him, not just at this Barnes and Noble, but in Los Angeles, California, following my dreams with my best friend and writing partner, beating the preverbal streets, writing and dreaming, going after it with all we have.
He spoke earlier of a fire to tell stories, to feel like you have to tell this story or die, and that is me, us, The Make Believe Picture Company, personified.
I thanked him for the opportunity to be on his S'Modcast's the first week they were up and running last May. He smiled and asked who we were and seemed to genuinely remember it, recalling it like one of my own friends would.
I finished with another overall "so ... thanks." feeling great; knowing that I had gotten to personally tell him what he meant to me, as personal as speaking over a crowd of people can be.
I was happy to get it off my chest. As a celebrity and filmmaker he probably hears this everyday, so it wasn't new to him, but he acted as if it were. He treated that moment as if it meant as much to him as it did to me. I will be forever grateful for that.
And then he invited me up for a hug.
You better believe it was the quickest I had ever jumped to hug a sweaty man in my life.
He whispered a "thank you" & "good luck" to me, and I whispered can I get a picture to which he happily obliged.
This was just a small thing to him but such a huge moment to me. Cementing that I did the right thing coming out here. The struggles, the being away from my family to establish myself, the fight to live here and try to pursue my dreams. Ringo said, "it don't come easy" and that ain't the half of it.
Sadly, that photo op. opened the floodgates to where everyone began to ask for pictures, and never once did he say no, inviting people up and letting them get a little bit of him to take home.
I walked out with Eric as a line of at least 40 people began to form for pictures after the show. There's no doubt in my mind they all left with the moment they were hoping for too.
I was going to be a life-long fan to begin with.
I've followed Kevin through thick and (not so) thin. Maybe not always agreeing or totally convinced that he was doing the right things or making the best decisions but firmly standing by my man.
Last night, I became a bigger fan of Kevin Smith the writer, director and best selling author. But I also became so much more appreciative of the man himself. He is exactly as he sells himself to be and that's an amazing thing in a town littered with fakes, phonies and pretenders.
I've been on this path for a long time, trying to make lightning strike, and following in the footsteps of Kevin Smith, Tarantino, Rodriguez; all self-made filmmakers and visionaries, all guys who did/do it their way. I'm happy to say that now more than ever.
They say you shouldn't meet your heroes. You'll come away disappointed. In this case it was the exact opposite. Thanks Kevin.
There has been a palpable shift in our fortunes over the last two weeks, thanks to a lot of hard work and a never-say-die attitude, we have started seeing the ground moving above the seeds Eric and I have been planting for the last 3 years.
We're ready to take that fire, these stories, and this drive and start making some real headway. It's coming guys.
Thanks for being here with us as it's happening.
@MakeBelieveKyle
