Lazy Slob Who Did Good - Tough Sh-t - Life Advice from a Fat

Regardless of whether you care for Kevin Smith's movies, smodcasts, or anything attached to him throughout his 20+ year career - this book was a page turner. He has a fascinating story to tell, some of which is hilarious, others heartbreaking. I have seen every Q&A this man has released since "An Evening With Kevin Smith" and I still put the book down feeling like I was hearing new stories, being told new jokes, and continue to be amazed with Kevin as not only a director, entertainer and business man, but as someone I would love to share a beer or two with. Read this book.

Even though Mr. Smith shares his personal life in his podcasts, he some how manages to share it in a more deeper and wonderful way. What a Golden Goose this man is. I can't fairly rate this with a perspective apart from his podcasts, but if you're an active podcast listener in general, this book is a good read. I got confused with that last sentence, but it makes sense… right?!

If you like Kevin Smith movies or enjoye listening to any of his numerous podcasts, then this is a great pick for you. Filled with behind the scenes info you don't always get on the podcasts. I flew through it.

Some material from his stand up and some from his smodcasts, it was a great read, no doubt If you keep up with his misadventures and are a regular listener. it's gonna be a review but if you know little about him or have not read or watched his stuff It would be a great way to familiarize yourself with his works and life. He is a cool guy with an interesting view on Hollywood and the business he is in. The book is very smodtacular

Kevin is smart and insightful. This is definitely worth reading for whatever you want to get out of it: humor, inspiration, guidance, narrative...it's all there. also, as a surprise bonus my copy came autographed.

I thought this book was equally entertaining as one of Smith's movies. I honestly felt like I was watching it on the big screen. the store had it delivered on the scheduled date in protective packaging - no complaints here.

I thought this book was equally entertaining as one of Smith's movies. I honestly felt like I was watching it on the big screen. the store had it delivered on the scheduled date in protective packaging - no complaints here.

I would classify this more of an autobiography than an advice book. There are some great nuggets of advice like following the puck, but mostly this is a good read about how Kevin went through the different stages of his life and what he learned on each one. A must-read for any Kevin Smith fan.

Time and time again, Kevin Smith has been an intense inspiration to me and thousands more, I'm sure. This book was no exception. Reading this truly made me appreciate who he is compared to what he makes. I loved this book and now, thanks to Kevin, it's time for me to go and be creative. Thank you, Kevin Smith.

For Kevin Smith fans, non-fans and those interested in some inside-Hollywood drama, I recommend this book. I saw Kevin do a Q & A onstage a while back and he inspired me to quit my job to write full-time. He's just as inspiring and funny in print. I recommend it for any writer, artist, filmmaker or wannabe rebel ready to take charge of their careers and get more out of life. Or just buy it for the laughs.

I admit I'm hardwired to like it. I dedicated one of my books (Self-help for Stoners) to Kevin for his message: equal parts inspiration and "Get off your butt and make it happen!" As Kev writes, "...once you have a taste of working for yourself, doing what you love doing? You'll work ten times harder...but you'll never feel it and never recognize it. Controlling your own little universe is key." Bingo and banzai!

He writes about dealing with disappointments, too, so it's not all, "I lucked into millions, why can't you?" He knows the struggle to stay true to yourself when naysayers, doubters and snipers shoot you down. Somehow, many of the misfortunes turn to gold down the timeline. It's never clear in the present which misfortunes will turn out to be the best thing that could happen to you, even if it's getting kicked off a plane and mocked by the world. Keep going until the bad luck plays out and you make the happy outcomes evident.

In short? No more puck-chasing! Be where the puck is going to be!

Why? Because Hooked on Smitty worked for me!

This complaint is completely directed at the store, and not Kev, who is amazing.

While the book is full of hilarious content, I did pay extra to view the videos. the store says that the audio/visual content is only accessible through iPads, iPhones, and iPod Touches. Having the Kindle app for my iPhone, I thought, "Hell yeah, video intros on my iPhone 4. Woo!" Once I downloaded the book onto my phone, I was frustrated to discover this message when I came upon those video intros: "There is content at this location that is not currently supported for your device." Why would the store say that iPhones support the a/v content while my iPhone notifies me that it cannot...? My iPhone is up-to-date with the latest software from Apple; the only thing I don't have is Siri and 4G-LTE capability because it's an iPhone 4.

UPDATE:

I totally forgot all about this review, but I updated the app a few days later, resynced everything, and voila! Extra video content! Everything worked perfectly, I got to see Shecky swim in a pool, and all was well in my universe.

Review of Kevin Smith’s Tough Sh*t

I listened to the audiobook, which is read by Smith and captures his personality and humor, so I recommend that over the print version. My first and biggest impression of this book: wow, this guy is crass. Lewd and crass. Like a sleazy high school boy. If you can look beyond the constant sleazy sex, sexual fluid, and sexual organ references, and excessive profanity, the book does have some worthwhile, uplifting messages: namely, if you believe in your dream and follow that dream, you can make it a reality.

On the basis of motivation and inspiration, my best friend bought this for me and insisted I read it. I’m neutral on Smith and his work – I really liked Clerks, and I recall enjoying Chasing Amy, but I haven’t seen all his films and I’m okay with that – I’m not into stoner flicks. This book would certainly be more enjoyable for a fan of Smith’s work. There is a lot of name-dropping of movies, actors, directors, and others in the movie biz, and since I don’t take much interest in that world, a lot of it was lost on me. Smith sums up his life and work, sharing humorous anecdotes. He actually did make me laugh out loud a few times, which I appreciate. It’s not a long book, so I suppose it was worth the listen (or the read).

Kevin Smith is unbelievably intelligent. He's well-spoken and is an excellent storyteller. I purchased the audiobook version for a long (7 hour) drive back from the beach a few weeks ago. I've honestly only seen Smith in "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" and knew a tiny (think: crumb of bread) amount about his actual directing gigs and writing abilities.

Again, let me say that he is an amazing storyteller. You feel as if you're right there with him as Bruce Willis is being a difficult actor, when the stewardess fat-shamed him (powerful, painful and entertaining all at once) and when he cursed at Harvey Weinstein. Smith is relatable and brilliant.

My only issue is that this book is great for those moviephiles with lots of knowledge about films. It certainly kept my interest for the long, lonely drive home but it didn't necessarily have life advice, as suggested, but rather tons of intriguing stories that will entertain and inform even those with little film knowledge!

Overall, I recommend the audiobook. Hearing the stories with Smith's narration and details will hold your attention!

Kevin Smith's attempt at giving his life advice through a semi-memoir is really not all that unexpected from this filmmaker more known today for his long-winded Q&A sessions/podcasts filled with tales of his experiences on the set as well as in real life. Luckily for us fans of his gifted storytelling techniques, this book doesn't stray far from expectations.

In fact, there's quite a lot to love in this book of Smith's. He opens up with his usual honesty about a great many items that have definitely been discussed previously, but not necessarily in this detailed of a candor. His depiction of the events of the Too Fat to Fly fiasco alone make this book a fantastic read.

However, the life advice section of this book is one that really caused me to have some trouble with the whole. I mean...outside of moments like the issues on the airplane and his struggles with Bruce Willis on set, I'm not really sure where he's getting that the s*** is all that tough...I mean, his life is incredibly blessed in that he made one solitary attempt at producing a movie and found great success, and even with the few critical failures that have occurred over the years, continues to be heralded as a great indie filmmaker.

In fact, time and time again, what this book really shows is how he's managed to find success with relatively minimal effort, as opposed to the artists of the world who struggle in obscurity for their entire careers, working day in and day out on their crafts for a lifetime. I believe Smith may have a skewed vision of the world in which he believes that if you put your heart into something it will ensure success, purely because that worked for him. Of course, those artists who do the same but to not achieve "success" may beg to differ.

All the same, the book is a really fun read, well within Smith's expected voice. The life advice segments just seemed a little forced.

The infuriating thing about Kevin Smith is his determination to hide his intelligence and sensitivity behind a cloud of vulgar profanity and fart jokes. CLERKS and CHASING AMY were the films that prompted me to start writing screenplays and making my own short movies, and for years I held him up as an indie role model, although I lost a bit of faith when Smith squelched his unique voice and began churning out mainstream-ish comedies like COP OUT and ZACK & MIRI. Smith feels my pain -- he's apparently upset with himself, too. But in this new quasi-autobiography, Smith writes with great pinnace about his life, his creative output, his family, and his role models. The result is an absolutely charming book, bordering on inspirational. Smith is often hilarious, but he occasionally delves a bit too far into the gutter for my tastes. (I read far more about his attraction to his wife's a**hole than I ever wanted to know, for instance.) But I couldn't put this book down, and I am pleased to announce that my faith has been restored. Well-played, sir. Well-played.

Reading Kevin Smith is kind of a guilty pleasure for me. On the one hand, his humor can be base and vulgar. On the other hand, he is a very good writer, extremely intelligent, and his sense of irony and effortless wit are a joy to behold. (It doesn't hurt that I also happen to find him very attractive, and that I am a fangirl who understands the whole comic book thing.) Sometimes he hides his light under a barrel tagged with profanity, but it strikes me as more of a marketing ploy to keep his younger audience engaged.

Smith is a chronicler. This is his third memoir, and while it may be hard to believe that a guy his age has experienced enough in his life to fill three volumes, his journey has actually been pretty fascinating. Smith shares with readers how a regular guy from NJ decided one day that he wanted to make movies, and then did. The life advice he gives is no joke. Very real coaching on how to attain your dreams; sometimes told with a wink and a nudge, but very sage advice, regardless.

If you can get past the first chapter, which is full of sophomoric humor and spunk jokes, you may find the rest of the book to be quite the surprise. Smith always treats the reader to insider (and sometimes bizarre) stories about hollyweird, and this book is no exception. He gives behind-the-scenes peeks at what is involved in making movies, what box office dollars actually mean and provides a frank and honest description of getting things done (and not getting them done) in tinseltown.

In his last memoir, Smith romanticized about working with Bruce Willis. In this memoir, he recounts his experience of working with Willis on the set of "Cop Out", and describes the fanboy disillusionment that arose from directing the star.

In one chapter, Smith goes into details about his run-in with the airline that said he was too fat to fly. He turns the story on its ear, with his unique ability to turn his personal humiliation into hilarity.

The very worst part of the book is when Smith writes that he is going to stop making movies. I can't help but think that the guy who gave us Clerks, Chasing Amy, Jersey Girl (yeah, I pretty much loved Jersey Girl, even though the fallout from "Bennifer" killed it at the box office)and Dogma, still has more to say via the medium. Smith goes on at length about his SModcasts and his plans to keep writing.

The best part of the memoir? When Smith references my favorite book of all time: The Outsiders. (though admittedly, he was probably referencing the movie).

Near the end of the book, Smith gets candidly personal and writes about his family...he goes on and on about his wife, the fabulous Ms. Schwalbach...who stole him away from the rest of us girls. He tells the story of their meeting and how Jen and his daughter Harley have changed his life. A very entertaining read.
C.A. Wulff - author, Born Without a Tail

This book is proof positive of the mantra 'do what you love and the money will come'. If you're not a fan of Kevin Smith, or aren't familiar with his body of work, this isn't the book for you. If, however, you're an aficionado of Clerks, a devotee of Reaper, a lover of Comic Book Men, or a devotee of Smith's weekly Smodcast, these pages offers a brutally honest, self-deprecating insight into the mind of the man behind these phenomena. These are far from his only achievements. Smith has been involved with a string of other movies as actor, scriptwriter or director, plus his spoken-word tours have sold out venues across the globe.

The book begins with a side-splitting paean to Smith's father. His love of - and devotion to - family is a constant presence. This adoration of mother, father, wife and daughter infuse the book with humanity, making it more than just another 'how I did things my way' autobiography. Aye, Kevin Smith did things his way, and continues to do just that. We learn how he met Harvey Weinstein and became involved with Miramax in the early days, learning his craft by watching the masters. The Weinstein experience was a rite of passage for Smith, who went out on his own when he felt that he had the necessary film-making and financing skills to survive in the big bad world. The risks he took in creating and securing finance for his latest film, Red State, could have been crushing had things not worked out as planned. In Smith's case, his hard work, meticulous attention to detail, and knack for self-promotion paid off.

'Tough Sh*t' is as honest an autobiography as you'll find. Kevin Smith doesn't attempt to paint himself as a saint or a gifted genius. Quite the opposite, in fact. His opinion of himself is that he's a slacker who learned a few things by observing and repeating, adding his own unique tweaks along the way. This, of course, is not strictly true. No slacker could cram as much work into as short a space of time as Kevin Smith has done over the past couple of decades. What we have here, ladies and gentleman, is a bona fide gifted workaholic in slacker's clothing.

From start to finish, this book educates, entertains and carries a palpable sense of wonder. Highly recommended.

First, a warning: this book contains more naughty language and downright profane sentiment than any book I've read in a long, long time - maybe ever! If you're familiar with Kevin Smith's work, then you're already acclimated to the language. If you're new to the "View Askewniverse," proceed at your own risk. ;-)

That being said, I'm a huge fan of Kevin Smith. I love his gift for dialogue and characterization, his talent for giving a sparkle to minutiae, and the sweet heart that beats behind an undeniably dirty mouth. Most of all, I love the fact that he is an ordinary guy who's made it big by making art. This book was just as touching, inspiring and hilarious as a fangirl could've wished. Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book:

"As much as you want to walk your own path you're terrified of standing apart. Because the pack offers security, normalcy, convenience, protection and identity. So here's the tough s***security, normalcy, convenience, protection and identity? They're opiates you've got to wean yourself off before you can be an individual. You can't stand out if you're blending in."

"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."

"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."

"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."

Any fan of Smith will enjoy this book. Those who aren't fans will likely find themselves entertained and inspired. I'll definitely be reading this one again.

Kevin Smith's "Tough ****: Life Advice from a Fat, Lazy Slob Who Did Good" is a fun and enjoyable read that any comic geek or movie buff will love to read. Kevin talks about his life, his love of movies, how he became successful, and how he got to where he is today in and inspirational and fun way that tells readers to get a job doing things they love to do. Kevin Smith's down to Earth attitude will quickly rub off on you and make you want to make something after reading this book.

When I read that Kevin Smith was writing another book, I laughed. Another one? What else did he have to write about?

A lot. His life was never really a cake-walk. Here is a guy from Jersey who made a movie with a bunch of friends and now, he wants out of the business. Let me tell you, Kevin takes a look around him and realizes there is more to life than money. He walks away from millions of dollars to be a studio director and starts Smodcast. And he does well by his friends who have been with him forever.

You don't learn how to be successful from business school. That is one thing I have seen. Kevin gives you a swift kick in the rear and to not waste any more time. Get this book and you'll re-learn things that you forgot.

In this memoir Kevin uses the very personal story of his father's death to promote living a life without abandon. As you may or may not know, Smith is an extremely successful "pod-caster", and if you have listened to any of these numerous recordings you probably have a good idea of what this book will be like. What you may not have heard in their entirety are some priceless stories included in this book. Although there are many memorable quotes in this book, not many can I repeat here ;)One of my favorites is in relation to his wife saying:

"...to paraphrase Conan the Barbarian's King Osric, "There comes a time, thief, when the jewels cease to sparkle, when the gold loses its luster, when the throne room becomes a prison, and all that is left is a guy's love for the chick he initially believed was a hooker paid for by Chris Rock."

This is just one example of hundreds of witticisms that Smith bestows in this book. In the comedy/memoir book realm I would say he has solidified himself among the greats. He is the type of guy who doesn't make accommodations for people and tells it like it is. His relatable personality and refreshing honesty is nothing new, but this book gives a thorough recount, through his eyes, of the major moments in his career. Kevin is what every aspiring film maker should be listening to right now, but really any passionate person will enjoy this book as his writing shines in way that will extremely amuse and inspire you.

If you don't trust me here is what author Mitch Albom said about the book:"Kevin Smith is nicer than he lets on, thinner than he thinks, and smarter than almost anyone in the room. He has today's world - and tomorrow's - running for cover."

Kevin Smith is brilliant, hysterically funny, inspiring, at times poignant and definitely not for the faint of heart. Generously peppered with the F-bomb, Smith's message: If you can dream it, you can become it. Tough Sh*t is the Red Bull boost any writer will appreciate if you're slogging through a first draft of a novel and wondering to yourself, Can I actually get this book published?

He also challenges the critics. Hey, we all love and believe great reviews of our work but when a less than favorable one starts floating around, Smith wants to know, What exactly is it that you've created today Mr. Negative Ned Reviewer Man? The only reason you have a job is because creative people like us bleed for our art. Again, Smith reminds us what's really important as writers/artists and that we just have to keep going.

Just curious, Hip to be Square Kevin Smith, are you reading these reviews? There's a lot of 5 stars here. I'd hate for you to miss them.

This Exit 153B Jersey Girl loves her some Kevin Smith!

An entertaining read at the very least and also a book with lots of practical and helpful advice - that is, if you can extract it from the surrounding profanity. The discussions on the indie movie community, its evolution, and the authors experience within the movie business provides a great insider view.

Perhaps not something I would recommend to a family member directly, but a fun book nonetheless. My only other recommendation would be: get the audiobook for the full Kevin Smith experience.

Excellent book.. read it... Got it on Audio and listened again (Kevin reads, and ad-libs into it)... Intelligent, inspiring and philosophical in many ways. Kevin delivers a sharing of anecdotal and personal experiences through a level of human-ness and humor; a message that can be related to and measured against a readers own personal experiences and pathway(s) to success..