I recently got a chance to catch up with Jason Mewes (Clerks, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Zach and Miri Make a Porno) and had an amazing time talking to him. Jay’s got a lot going on, talking to me from Canada where he is busy filming season 2 of Todd and the Book of Pure Evil. He and hetero life-mate Kevin Smith are brining the goods to San Diego, as they not only participate in some of panels but also put on a live broadcast of their Jay and Silent Bob Get Old podcast, available via Smodcast Internet Radio, or SIR. By the way, tickets for their live show are available online at Smodcast.com, but they’ve already sold out of some sections– you’ll want to grab these quick while you still can.
Mewes couldn’t be more excited for Comic-Con. “I’ve been going since 1995- though I missed a few in there- and I love it. I get like a kid every time I step off onto the floor there- I love to just roam around and check out all of the different booths and new toys.” The sheer enormity and spectacle of the con is almost overwhelming- Mewes was blown away by the Star Wars Hoth display last year- and he’s incredibly excited by the diversity of what’s there.
“You know, it used to just be Marvel and DC. And now everyone’s there- like Mattel… but the biggest thing is the vibe and walking into the hall and seeing all the tables.”
Part of the vibe that Mewes digs is the costumes. “it used to be just the big superheroes, but now you have people showing up from Watchmen.” Amazingly, Mewes says he has never run into any cosplayers dressed as Jay and Silent Bob or their comicbook superhero alter egos, Bluntman and Chronic. San Diego? Are you listening? I think that’s a gauntlet being thrown down.
One thing currently plaguing Comic Con is how crowded it is. I personally blame genre drift as suddenly everyone is having a panel at comic con. I explained my personal vendetta against Twilight and Twihards, and Mewes chided me. “So somebody likes Twilight. That’s fine. Maybe that’s what they’re into, so if it gets them there, it’s fine. But I definitely feel that. Back in the day, sure it was crowded, but you could go three feet without bumping into somebody.” The more the merrier it seems, and who cares why you come to Comic-con, as long as you’re adding to the vibe, right?
“I don’t want to complain because I still get to go,” explained Mewes. And with that sentiment, i could not agree more.
As for right now, Mewes is filming season 2 of Todd and the Book of Pure Evil which he explained as “90210 meets Tales from the Crypt meets Buffy and Degrassi.” While the show has been a hit in Canada, we’ve only barely been able to start seeing it here in the US recently, and Mewes was excited people now get to see it. The show centers around a group of kids in high school and a book of pure evil. Mewes explained the plot of one episode where a girl who is overweight makes a deal with the book to turn her thin. but then the fat sucked out of her body turns into a monster that goes around spraying other kids and turning them morbidly obese. Mewes plays Jim the janitor, who tells the kids what they need to know. This show sounds amazing, and I’m going to do my best to check it out when it premieres August 2nd.
So if you’re going to be at comic-con next week (like me, Swankmotron, Androidika, and I hope a couple others), get those tickets for the live podcasts, and watch for Jason Mewes roaming the floor looking at stuff. And don’t worry folks- if you’re not going to be at Comic-Con, they’re taking J&SB Get Old on the road– they’ll be doing shows soon in Boston and Jersey, and you can check out Smodcast Internet Radio (SIR) every day for more details.