Really Kevin Smith?
September 30th, 2010 . by Tim Babb (TANcast's #1 Host/Editor Fan)
Day 30
I can’t begin this blog without first acknowledging the effect SModcast and Kevin Smith in general has had on me. Andy, Noah, and I would not be doing TANcast were it not for SModcast. Kevin’s inaccurately titled “Jersey Trilogy” provided many hours of fun at the TANhouse.
But a while back, SModcast had quite a few misfire episodes (almost as though they were stooping to TANcast quality). The fun banter and odd ball stories were getting shoved aside for the recurring themes of pot and hockey. I think it’s taken a noticeable uptick recently, but I very much remember being disappointed in SMods for quite a few months in a row. Well I wasn’t the only one who noticed this. Apparently people had left some comments saying so both on the SModcast site as well as Kevin’s View Askew message boards.
Yeah, big man, we’re talking about you and you can’t stop us. What now?
Among these comments were people who shared my opinion that the Tell ‘Em Steve Dave (TESD) podcast had now surpassed SModcast in comedic value. So I guess people were leaving posts saying that TESD had replaced SMod as their favorite podcast. Kevin reacted by getting his panties in a twist…
Um… why rank them at all? And why let us know who’s jockeying for which position in your heart? That’s tacky.
I think we’d all rather you just kept it simple and said “Thank you.”
Oh…I didn’t realize that the only appropriate response was to worship at the alter of Kevin. Granted, I’m no fan of negative comments, but if you put something out there, it’s going to be reacted to. You can’t get butt hurt at every little comment…especially when you own a million dollar home in LA and are famous for making movies.
I didn’t say any of this, because I was not moved enough to do so. Others however apparently have more passion and/or more time on their hands and refused to drop the issue. At which Kevin “Thick Skin” Smith (not a fat joke) had this to say…
Why would you wanna do that? When you’ve been informed how not-into that I am?
Can I tell you how stuff around here comes into existence? It’s because I take a massive interest. And obviously, I’ve taken a massive interest in SModcast and its spin-offs. The good news is that you get HOURS UPON HOURS of free entertainment. The bad news is that some of you are getting too comfortable in your expectations, and are quickly allowing said expectation to become gross entitlement.
Y’know how this all goes away – this fucking golden age? When people feel the need to try to pit my friends and I against one another. When people slap the host in the face. When people – even after being expressly told the host would rather you not brought shit like that into his party – insist on introducing into this organization that sort of unrest or divisiveness.
Comments like yours are what’s gonna kill my enthusiasm for SModcast. And when my enthusiasm for it all goes? Guess what happens?
Speaking of which, five times now I’ve returned to the board in the last month, and all five times, I was reminded why I enjoy Twitter so much more: absolutely ZERO sense of entitlement over there. Some cats here, on my own message board, assume they’re owed… well, anything. You guys are playing the old game – when I was younger and far more tolerant; when it seemed like there was all the time in the world. Newsflash for all you devils’ advocates and “But I’m a TRUE fan”-ers: I’m not interested in your reindeer games. To be fair, I never was; but at least I was more polite then. Now? Approaching 40? Shuttering this board is no longer the unthinkable notion it once was. There’s no more Askewniverse; the website can just as easily follow.
We’re in the second Act, folks. You like it, stick around. If not, don’t bitch; just leave. A lack of gratitude is an enthusiasm-killer. Why would you wanna ruin it for everyone else?
So go ahead: keep expressing your very important thoughts about which free, funny podcast you’re being given weekly is better. Then, when it all goes away, you can express your very important thoughts about that, too. And when you’re done being very important? Know that it was folks like you who sent it packing.
I mean, we’re 15 years in at this point; you still don’t get where this all comes from?
Jesus…
So basically…”say nothing negative, or I’ll take my ball and go home.” Apparently, he did just that because his message board has been locked down. You can’t post on it anymore. Way to go Kevin, you showed us.
ANYWAY…I told you all that just to share this conversation with you Noah and I had about the Smith a month or so ago…
Tim: Kevin Smith irritates me sometimes. I guess he’s not posting the live SModcast from Branford because it didn’t sell out
Noah: He did say he would do that
Tim: Annoying
Noah: …and if you complain, he may stop free SMod all together
Tim: Yup. what an ass
Noah: lol …a funny ass
Tim: True. But his insecurities are starting to annoy me more and more
Noah: You think he did it because he is insecure?
Tim: Yeah…he can’t handle sniping and he wants to try to get all the shows to sell out
Noah: sniping?
Tim: On the boards…people complaining
Noah: It sounded like he wanted to sell out the show and SMod is free, so kind of hard to say hey give me free shit
Tim: not anymore..he has an advertiser…I pay for it the same way I pay for tv, by listening to advertising bullshit
Noah: Well the show is still free to us and tv can pull shows anytime it wants really and they do, regardless of what we want…but i do agree it is annoying
Tim: Yeah like I’m supposed to buy a ticket for a show I can’t go to just to hear it on line? Go fuck yourself. I guess at the end of the day it’s annoying because he keeps throwing “it’s free” in my face…but if it WASN’T free, I wouldn’t listen…and I wouldn’t miss it
Noah: But you hate knowing there is a SMod out there that you can’t listen to?
Tim: I do it annoys me because I feel like he’s just lording it over us. I get it fat man, you have one muscle and you’re flexing it. bravo.
Noah: Uh oh…Tim is turning on the Kev
Tim: yup…the more I read his post the more it annoys the crap outta me
So there ya go. Those are my impotent rantings about Kevin Smith. As part of a free podcast, I invite you to leave any comments you like. They’ll have to get pretty harsh for me to shut the site down. But if you’d like to tell me Im full of crap…feel free. Especially if you’re Kevin Smith. (I feel he’s earned a free shot or two at me)
September 30th, 2010 at 11:41 pm
I’ve never listened to any of Kevin’s podcasts…But I’ve listened to every single TANcast.. Therefore… Tim Babb > Kevin Smith
October 1st, 2010 at 2:07 am
I hate it when writers/musicians/bloggers/whatever (in this case, Smith) rant about haters complaining, telling them that if they don’t like it, they shouldn’t read/listen/whatever. You know what, take your own advice! If you don’t like the complaints, ignore them. You chose to be an entertainer; you have to accept what comes with that, regardless of whether you’re doing it for free. And you if insist on being a douche bag, at least keep it to a minimum. Shutting down the message boards is so fucking kindergarten.
I don’t really care about or pay attention to Kevin Smith, I just see this behavior a lot and it always bugs me.
October 1st, 2010 at 6:44 am
A great month’s blogging, TIm. You frequently make me want to write essays in reply, but often (not always) I decide that the world can do without them.
I actually don’t have a huge problem with what KS is saying. It’s an odd by-product of him engineering a place for his fans to chat that he’s head honcho of the place where his fans are perhaps most likely to chat about him. He’s asking people to respect the fact that they are somewhere that he goes to, and to respect his feelings somewhat.
If you walked up to someone in the street and said (pointing) – “you’re not as good looking as him/her”, or if you sat in the middle of a row on a plane and told the person on your left that they were not as interesting as the person on your right, you’d be a dick. The feelings are the same on the internet, so I figure that the principle should be too.
The second posting gets a bit aggitated, and you could argue a bit pissy, but in the end, he’s not saying anything that’s not pretty straight down the line. It’s a reality – if people feel like they’re getting hassled for providing something for free, they’ll just stop providing it. He could stop visiting his forums, of course – but so could those who can’t respect his feelings. Are we really to believe that the internet does not provide any other forums for expressing opinion other than the VA forums?
October 1st, 2010 at 6:46 am
(Wow… I always assume that it’ll look much smaller when it’s at full width… and yes, that really was a “version 2” which I planned to be shorter)
October 1st, 2010 at 10:32 am
@Matt I think your examples of the plane and the person on the street are different than what is going on with KS. He is putting himself out there, saying I am here to entertain you. I think it is more like when a critic reviews a movie/album/resturant. Only that we are all critics and it is very easy for us to let Kevin know how we feel. I agree with Geoff that it comes with the territory, and if he doesn’t like it then he can go hide in his house and watch his 100 inch tv.
I certanily agree that he can shut it down and not do it anymore but in his postings he makes it seem like it is a one way street. That he is doing it for us out of the kindess of his heart. The reality is he needs us as much as we need him, if no one listened to his podcast then why would he do it? I am sure at this point he is making a profit off of Smodcast, not only does he have advetisers, he also charges for the live shows and he is now on Siruis. So saying it is “free” doesn’t hold much water for me. So if he still wants that money comming in then maybe he should listen to all of his fans, including the ones that have negative things to say. This is not always the case but I think the ones that actually take the time to comment (good or bad) are the ones that care the most.
I certanily don’t like entitlement and I am sure some people feel they are entitled when it comes to him. I also think that people feel that “hey we put you were you are,” if it wasn’t for us you wouldn’t have the luxury of sitting in a million dollar home and recording podcasts in your SMOD Castle. He should be grateful and take his lumps like anyone else. Sure he is funny and he has hustle to makes his movies but again he needs us plop down our money, so maybe it is not a good idea to alienate any listners if he still wants people to see his movies and support him in whatever he does.
I generally think he is funny and I would miss SMOD if it stopped but the world was fine with out him and it will go on spinning if he stops Podcasting/Directing/Writting Comics.
October 1st, 2010 at 12:55 pm
Jeff I think your point about KS following his own advice and just not reading it is right on. Tim and Noah man… you guys sound like a couple of catty high school bitches. I wanted to rage against the machine and write more about how you perfectly exemplify those haters he’s tired of, but it really doesn’t matter. It’s just an opinion piece about how you don’t agree with how KS handles criticism.
I love TANcast so I won’t hold it against you guys but i finished reading the post and comments and just had to let out a big Andy style sigh and get on to something that actually matters.
October 1st, 2010 at 1:56 pm
@nate not sure what about my comment makes me sound catty and I am hardly a hater nor do I go to any of Kevin’s forums boards and sound off. I just think he should stop being so whiny and butt hurt.
October 1st, 2010 at 3:02 pm
I think what made you both sound catty to me was the fact you both pointed out his 100 inch TV, and his million dollar home. The man is successful and in a few areas in his life he has splurged. You bringing it up that he has a few things that normal people might not be able to afford, and in turn makes you sound petty and jealous. It’s a cheap shot, or at least that’s how it feels to me.
That being said, I realized that this really was just your opinion. That’s why it doesn’t bother me and why I didn’t write a 4 page rant detailing how and why your wrong. If i did that I’d be just like Tim… Fuck that.
;-D
October 1st, 2010 at 5:40 pm
In my opinion, TANcast > SModcast. I tried listening to SMod on y’alls recommendation. I really enjoyed a few eps, then started really noticing how whiny he really is. It’s all hockey, pot, and whine when he’s faced with criticism. Look, I get criticized too. Everyone does. You can get butt hurt over it, complain, and piss people off (because they get criticized and aren’t complaining), or you can move the fuck on, you know? That said, I wasn’t a hugh KS fan before I listened to Smod – never really thought about him one way or another, so maybe my opinion is tainted.
October 4th, 2010 at 6:47 pm
I like TESD better too. Those guys are hilarious. I still enjoy Smod, but Kevin gets on my nerves sometimes and I have to take a break. He is very whiny. Also, I wish he would let Scott talk more.
October 8th, 2010 at 10:58 am
Right on Tim. KS just seems to take things way to personally. I blame it on him being from Jersey, and most of the people I know from Jersey, either through TV, or real life seem to be total douches.
Who cares if someone like TESD more than Smod? Smod really sucked for more than just a couple months. Hey KS I am tired of you being stoned all the time, and talking about how many times you whack off with a fleshlight, it is just stupid and makes you sound like a sell out.