Bait and switch ...
Last night I happened to go along to the fantastic "Evening WIth Kevin Smith" at the indigo2.

Now the seats in the audience were a cramped and tight affair, and at 6'6" and pretty bulky there was insufficient legroom, let alone arse-space so I figured I'd resign myself to an Evening Propping Up The Bar (at the back of the room, so I'd not miss the show).

Kevin Smith opens up with one of his stories that I reckon goes on for maybe about 30 minutes when he points out the microphones and that they're there for us to ask our questions and I figure I'll never get the chance to do this ever again so I saunter down and get in behind a couple of people on one side of the stage.

Mr. Smith then starts answering questions and it seems to take an age for him to get round to me, long enough for him to switch out of his hockey jacket top and into a robe, and when he does reach me the mic isn't even working. I'm wondering if it's a sign I should duck out but I decide (or perhaps it was the pre-show booze that decided) I was definitely going to do this...

The mic comes on and he asks me my question, and in front of a packed house I start to ask my question.



"As a fat, bearded, glasses-wearing Kevin, ..."


And then I pause for a beat and he's looking at me obviously unsure where this is going because I'm far from a small guy, and the crowd seems a little stunned, but I continue
"...I've had my share of abuse over the years and I wanted to ask you ..."


He cuts me off, looking somewhere between relieved and surprised.

"Hang on, is your name Kevin too?"

"Yeah"

"You should come up on stage!"

And I look around thinking he's joking but he's all "no, seriously, the guy will show you how to come up, and I'll answer the next dude's question while you're making your way round."

So I make my way around the back, up on stage and he's answering the question when I appear behind him, looming a little, and he turns to me and invites me to sit on his couch, slap-bang in the middle of the stage, while he continues to answer the next guy's question. He then comes over, asks me to take my jacket off and hands me his hockey jacket, and asks me to put it on and zip it up and then sit back down. So I do. He then gets me a spare mic and sits next to me and asks me my questions. So I finish up asking the question, which concludes with me asking him what he's had to face since he got famous, and we chat a little, and then a few other questions. And I'm thinking "ok, this is a sympathy spotlight thing". And then he says "Hey, do you wanna stay up here for the rest of the show?"

"If it's cool with you it's cool with me."


And that's how I spent most of an Evening with Kevin Smith, with Kevin Smith, on stage. Admittedly most of it he was up on his feet wandering around, and I was just sat there on the couch/sofa thing trying to remain relatively inconspicuous, answering a few things he asked me.



After the gig I got to pop backstage but he was obviously tired and, hey, as much as he knew my name I could have been anybody so I felt slightly out of place (and my wife was still out front), but he offered me a photo (taken with the shitty camera on my phone) - twitpic.com/lfmgo - and he and his crew were pretty cool about the whole thing and saying I was a good sport for sticking it out up there, and then I left him to do whatever he does when he finishes a gig.



So, I managed to sit in comfort throughout the whole show, and get bought beer (I had 3 beers from people in the audience randomly buying me some whilst I was up on stage), and sit as close to the man as was possible.



I call that a successful evening (with Kevin Smith), even if it isn't a successful QotW answer as I was never actually rude to the guy.


*pop*
(phyphor, Wed 14 Oct 2009, 18:48, 9 replies)

I like this

( Cadmus has teh uplikn coeds at, Wed 14 Oct 2009, 19:24, closed)

As a major Kevin Smith fan
you are now my new hero.

*click*
( The Resident Loon Not a demographic. Do not measure., Wed 14 Oct 2009, 19:55, closed)

^^^^^
!
(Sir Clitherington Smythe offers him yourself., Thu 15 Oct 2009, 0:07, closed)

Pure awesome
I smiled the whole way through this. I love Kevin. *click*
(aylab, Wed 14 Oct 2009, 19:57, closed)

I was there!
It was great that he got you on stage, and that you stayed there. Shame your wife didn't go up too...! Speaking of wives, I think you really ought to edit the proposal into your post. Can't believe the guy did that after Kevin (Smith) abused the couple about videoing themselves having sex, and the guy asking how you tell if someone's the one.
(MattWPBS, Wed 14 Oct 2009, 20:48, closed)

I was there too!
My wife's very shy (she sent me a text at the time telling me how embarrassing it was, which I obviously showed to Kevin Smith afterwards).

And my wall of text was pretty lengthy so I didn't include any of the other people's questions and answers, but, yeah, the proposal was pretty insane (but the couple seem well suited to each other).
(phyphor, Wed 14 Oct 2009, 21:02, closed)

Love it!
You lucky bugger ... I'm a huge fan of Kevin Smith and I didn't have a clue that he was there last night.

What irks me is that O2 aren't shy in sending me bloody adverts - I've had 3 today for Whitney fucking Houston.

Anyway, I digress, excellent story, very well told and am just a smidge jealous!
(Penguins_Made_Me_Do_It is a dolt ... and she don't care, Wed 14 Oct 2009, 21:15, closed)

You get a huge click
As I am also a massive Kevin Smith fan!

Plus you look like Andre The Giant
( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Thu 15 Oct 2009, 8:51, closed)

Great tale, very well written, sir
Let's face it - Kevin Smith is a bit of a god amoung men. Well done you. Click!
( SpankyHanky, Thu 15 Oct 2009, 10:20, closed)