[Warning: This post contains some explicit content.]
Anyone who knows me is made painfully aware of my Kevin Smith obsession within the first few minutes of meeting me. I have a knack for inserting pieces of his screenplays into everyday conversation. So when I found out that Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes were coming to my small town of Durango, Colorado to record a live podcast… needless to say, there were white and brown stains I had to wash out of my trousers.
What? Those two don’t happen at the same time for you? Then, you’re the weird one.
Sorry… you see, this is the effect that Mr. Smith has had on my sense of humor. Let’s talk about the show.
Many people don’t realize what “Jay and Silent Bob Get Old” is when they buy a ticket. They see “Jay and Silent Bob” and they are interested just based on the cult following of the two 90s film icons. For those of us who have been listening to the podcast since episode one, it is essentially Jason and Kevin telling stories back and forth. Some stories are funny, some are scary and funny, and some very sad, but still funny. Yet they always find the humor in every one, no matter how awful.
You may be thinking, “Awful? But, aren’t these guys known for dick and fart jokes?” Yes. But through the years of these two making us laugh our asses off, Jason Mewes was battling a very dangerous drug habit. Heroin, Oxycontin, Cocaine, Alcohol, etc. You name it; Jay’s done it. Sometimes all at once. It even drove Kevin and Jason apart for a number of years despite being close friends most of their lives. Jason was sober for almost five years then relapsed when he had back surgery and became addicted to Vicodin. Then in 2010, Kevin had an idea. What if he and Jason met once a week for a podcast recording where Jason could unburden his demons into a microphone in front of a live audience?
In Kevin’s words, Jay and Silent Bob Get Old is an “Intervention Podcast” created out of necessity in order to keep Jason clean. Kevin theorized that putting Jason’s stories out for everyone to hear would not only be therapeutic but would also put Jason’s fans on watch dog duty. It worked and continues working as people who recognize Jay in real life are constantly cheering him on for staying clean and/or asking how many days it’s been since he used.
The episode I attended was number one-hundred and two and Jason hasn’t touched a drug or a drink in nearly one thousand days.
The stage had a very minimalist feel. There was no set to speak of; only the curtains as decoration. On the stage itself, there was only a table with a cloth over it and two microphones.
MC Chris’ theme song began to bellow through the Fort Lewis College Community Concert Hall and my girlfriend looked over at me. “You’re so cute,” she said as my puppy dog eyes widened. I have been a Kevin Smith disciple since I was about twelve years old, yet I have never been able to see any of his live Q&As or podcast recordings until now. In other words, my veiny, purple-headed nerd flag was at full mast.
Kevin and Jay had the entire audience in the palm of their hands for almost two hours. When we weren’t laughing with tears streaming down our faces, we were sitting with mouths agape as Jason told another one of his harrowing drug stories. Our mouths weren’t open too long before they shoved a fleshy comedy cock in them and made us laugh again. I could see in Jay’s face that the humorous moments of his terrible saga were the best therapy he could ask for.
I could go on and on here about every detail of the show if I wanted to: the invention of the word “Badussy,” a very special performance of the game “Let Us Fuck,” and more Kevin Smith airplane hijinks involving some human on human leg humping, but… my work here is done. I have said all I can say. Now that I’ve given you the tools, its time for you to use them to make your own opinion:
Click here to listen to JAY AND SILENT BOB GET OLD!
(Note: Episode 102 from Durango will be available soon I hope!)
It’s free and it’s funny as shit. Or my name ain’t…
