Tough Shit: Life Advice from a Fat, Lazy Slob Who Did Good
Kevin Smith
Profane, honest, and totally real advice from comedian and director Kevin Smith – one of America’s most original voices.
272 Pages • ISBN 9781592407446
“In the face of such hopelessness as our eventual, unavoidable death, there is little sense in not at least trying to accomplish all of your wildest dreams in life.”
– Kevin Smith, Tough Shit: Life Advice from a Fat, Lazy Slob Who Did Good
Take one look at Kevin Smith: He’s a balding fatty who wears a size XXL hockey jersey, shorts, and slippers year-round. Not a likely source for life advice. But take a second look at Kevin Smith: He changed filmmaking forever when he was twenty-four with the release of Clerks, and since then has gone on to make nine more profitable movies, runs his own production company, wrote a bestselling graphic novel, and has a beautiful wife and kids. So he must be doing something right.
As Kevin’s millions of Twitter followers and millions of podcast listeners know, he’s the first one to admit his flaws and the last one to care about them. In early 2011, he began using his platform to answer big questions from fans-like “What should I do with my life?”- and he discovered that he had a lot to say. Tough Sh*t distills his four decades of breaking all the rules down to direct and brutally honest advice, including:
Why he has accepted Ferris Bueller as his personal savior, and what the Tenets of Buellerism can teach about hiding in plain sight and lip-syncing in the face of danger Why it’s really fun to eat but not so fun to be fat What to do about people who don’t like your policies (for starters, tell them to pucker up and smooch your big ol’ butt) What Kevin’s idol Wayne Gretzky can teach us about creativity and direction
For anyone who’s out of a job, out of luck, or just out of sugary snack foods, Tough Sh*t is an unabashedly honest guide to getting the most out of doing the least.
“Remember: It costs nothing to encourage an artist, and the potential benefits are staggering. A pat on the back to an artist now could one day result in your favorite film, or the cartoon you love to get stoned watching, or the song that saves your life. Discourage an artist, you get absolutely nothing in return, ever.”
“Only someone who doesn’t understand art tells an artist their art somehow failed. How the fuck can art fail? Art can’t be graded, because it’s going to mean something different to everyone. You can’t apply a mathematical absolute to art because there is no one formula for self-expression.”
“If you’re alive, kick into drive. Chase whimsies. See if you can turn dreams into a way to make a living, if not an entire way of life.”
“As human beings we govern our actions with our deepest fears. But if you name that shit, you claim that shit: let enough people into your closet and you’ll find there’s no more room for skeletons. Leave yourself nowhere to hide and you can live your life unguarded.”
“There’s a trick to being whatever you want to be in life. It starts with the simple belief that you are what or who you say you are.”
“Batman has an impeccable moral compass, he’s clever and mysterious, and when fucktards get sassy, he punches them in the face.”
“We can’t all be Superman, but we sure as shit can train hard, and with loads of practice, we can be Batman. And who the fuck doesn’t wanna be Batman? Batman has an impeccable moral compass, he’s clever and mysterious, and when fucktards get sassy, he punches them in the face.”
“My American Dream has always been simple, and it’s one I encourage you to adopt as your own: Figure out what you love to do, then figure out how to get paid to do it.”