Changing culture, one gamerscore at a time.

When I was fifteen, a friend of mine who comments here introduced me to two characters by the names of Jay and Silent Bob. Fast forward six years and I have mountains of the silent protagonist’s work, be it written, on screen or even simply just audio. I quote from his films, and I’ve been calling everyone “sir” for quite a while, now. Kevin Smith is one of the most talented people on the planet, and it’s simply because he writes, speaks and directs from the heart. Whether he’s talking, acting or blogging, he comes across as geniune, polite (sometimes) and always sweet.

I had the utmost pleasure of meeting the gentleman in question today, and it was without a doubt a day I’ll remember for the rest of my life. I was first in the queue, and as a result was allowed to speak to him for longer than the norm. We spoke about the Stash, and the irony that I’d just sent my LA-bound father off on a quest to a store to find him, when he was sitting in front of me. I also thanked him for his blog work, as it inspired me to both start mine up and keep it going. He was touched, and that meant a lot to me, as someone who would love the recognition he recieves, though I’ll be the first to admit (and he’d be the last) that he’s far more talented.

He signed a little film called Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, my first Smith film, and Threevening, along with a copy of his new book. Simply, the man was lovely and is utterly devoted to his fans, taking the time out from his day to take photos and have conversations with every single person in the queue, whether they were at the back or the front, and it’s not often you see that happening at a high-profile celebrity signing. Hopefully at some point I’ll see him again, successful or otherwise; either way I’ll still always want his ink on the various bits of his work that I own.

I count myself as very lucky, to have met the two writers that have inspired me to write myself, and I thank Smith and Pratchett for their tireless devotion to their work and their fans. Smith, thank you for giving me and a friend a good reason to run around like lunatics with a dictaphone every lunchtime, and thank you for helping a lot of fans with their own insecurities through discussion of your own.