- Hardcover: 263 pages
- Publisher: Gotham Books (20 Mar 2012)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1592406890
- ISBN-13: 978-1592406890
- Product Dimensions: 21.1 x 14.7 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,460,148 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Tough Sh*t: Life Advice from a Fat, Lazy Slob Who Did Good
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Product Description
Review
"elevating the white-guy-doing-nothing prerogative from a lifestyle choice to a moral principle" (The New York Times)"
--This text refers to an alternate
Hardcover
edition.
Product Description
Would you take advice from a fat, balding, lazy slob in a size XXL shirt, shorts and slippers, who has taken Ferris Bueller as his personal saviour? How about from a hugely successful writer, performer, director, producer and bestselling author? Kevin Smith is all these things and more, and he s back, this time answering Life s Big Questions in his lewd, crude and hilariously rude style.
--This text refers to an alternate
Hardcover
edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Since I saw a headline on my RSS feed - "Fat Director kicked off flight" - and clicked on it, then (after reading the brief article surrounded by many ads) going to the Smodcast website, I've been hearing about Kevin Smith's life ever since. For a solid 2 years and change I've had Smodcast and its many, many attendant podcasts playing whenever I've had a long drive with myself or a walk to work or washing up and needing something non-musical. But having listened to the many entertaining stories Kevin has imparted, along with having seen his Q&A specials "Too Fat for Forty" and "Kevin Smith Burn in Hell", I realised after the first chapter of this book that for a person who shares everything, there's very little left to surprise someone who's been following along and listened to every story.
Smith uses his father as an example for the rest of the book - Don Smith was a man who worked 20 years in a job he hated (the US postal service) to provide for his family and then after a too-short retirement, died of heart failure, screaming. The message to Smith was clear - never do a job you hate, never have regrets so when the time comes, you won't go out in as much pain.
From there we get a whirlwind look at Smith's career, the story of "Clerks", and a brief synopsis of every film made since then. The filming of "Cop Out" and his clashes with Bruce Willis are documented, as well as the filming of "Red State" which takes up several chapters. What became known as the "Too Fat to Fly" incident with South West is detailed, and a loving final chapter to his wife Jennifer Schwalbach closes out the book along with a short note from their daughter Harley Quinn Smith.
But for most Kevin Smith fans looking for something new or different from what Kevin usually blogs/tweets/podcasts about? It's not in this book. "Tough S---" is basically a summary of Kev's career as well as a look into the memorable events of the last couple of years, all of which has been thoroughly talked about through Kevin's many podcasts. I suppose for those who haven't been following the pods this is a good place to get his thoughts on the South West incident, Bruce Willis, and Red State, but for those who have, the book might seem like a lot of re-heated material.
That said, the book's message is put out clearly - if I can do it, so can you. Kevin is the encouragement any artist reading this book might lack and, with it, that artist might go on and create and find confidence in their work and create more. And for that alone, this book is worth it.
Despite the feeling of déjà vu I felt while reading it, Smith writes so fluidly (a theme in and of itself in the book) and with such verve, humour, and intelligence, the book is never dull and having read some other reviews of this book, he is clearly an inspiration to many readers. For anyone looking for a book that markets itself as a self-help book but is really a series of funny essays in the life of a charming and gifted storyteller, this book can do no wrong. A quick read but fun, "Tough S---" is a good time with common sense wisdom amid the jokes.
Smith uses his father as an example for the rest of the book - Don Smith was a man who worked 20 years in a job he hated (the US postal service) to provide for his family and then after a too-short retirement, died of heart failure, screaming. The message to Smith was clear - never do a job you hate, never have regrets so when the time comes, you won't go out in as much pain.
From there we get a whirlwind look at Smith's career, the story of "Clerks", and a brief synopsis of every film made since then. The filming of "Cop Out" and his clashes with Bruce Willis are documented, as well as the filming of "Red State" which takes up several chapters. What became known as the "Too Fat to Fly" incident with South West is detailed, and a loving final chapter to his wife Jennifer Schwalbach closes out the book along with a short note from their daughter Harley Quinn Smith.
But for most Kevin Smith fans looking for something new or different from what Kevin usually blogs/tweets/podcasts about? It's not in this book. "Tough S---" is basically a summary of Kev's career as well as a look into the memorable events of the last couple of years, all of which has been thoroughly talked about through Kevin's many podcasts. I suppose for those who haven't been following the pods this is a good place to get his thoughts on the South West incident, Bruce Willis, and Red State, but for those who have, the book might seem like a lot of re-heated material.
That said, the book's message is put out clearly - if I can do it, so can you. Kevin is the encouragement any artist reading this book might lack and, with it, that artist might go on and create and find confidence in their work and create more. And for that alone, this book is worth it.
Despite the feeling of déjà vu I felt while reading it, Smith writes so fluidly (a theme in and of itself in the book) and with such verve, humour, and intelligence, the book is never dull and having read some other reviews of this book, he is clearly an inspiration to many readers. For anyone looking for a book that markets itself as a self-help book but is really a series of funny essays in the life of a charming and gifted storyteller, this book can do no wrong. A quick read but fun, "Tough S---" is a good time with common sense wisdom amid the jokes.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
23 reviews
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Great Story For Nerds And Geeks Like Me (Us)
21 Mar 2012
Format:Hardcover
I'm a nerd. I completely admit it. I grew up collecting comics and playing video games. I couldn't find a date in high school and struck out in college. I was never a good athlete, and didn't even do great in school. That's why I love Kevin Smith and I love this book. He's an inspiration for nerds and geeks like me. Like us!
Forget Tucker Max and his stories of hooking up. I wish to God I was like Tucker Max. But I'm not. Like most of the normal population I'm more like Kevin Smith.
There are only a few books that are written by nerds like me (us) who've done well for themselves. I'm a huge fan of In Stitches by Dr. Anthony Youn, a plastic surgeon. He was a comic collecting, skinny Asian nerd who became a plastic surgeon. Hilarious book about how he discovered his calling and found out how to land a good woman. I highly recommend this one. I also think Rob Sheffield's Talking to Girls About Duran Duran: One Young Man's Quest for True Love and a Cooler Haircut is a good one, too. If you're a big music fan, this one will appeal to you.
My favorite parts of this book involve his riffing on celebs, like Bruce Willis. It's easy to be the good-looking, charismatic, ladies' man actor, but much more entertaining to be the "Silent" fat, laxy slob who somehow makes it big.
It's cool to see people like Kevin Smith, Seth Rogan, and everyone on the Big Bang Theory do so well. Kudos to Kevin on this entertaining book!
Forget Tucker Max and his stories of hooking up. I wish to God I was like Tucker Max. But I'm not. Like most of the normal population I'm more like Kevin Smith.
There are only a few books that are written by nerds like me (us) who've done well for themselves. I'm a huge fan of In Stitches by Dr. Anthony Youn, a plastic surgeon. He was a comic collecting, skinny Asian nerd who became a plastic surgeon. Hilarious book about how he discovered his calling and found out how to land a good woman. I highly recommend this one. I also think Rob Sheffield's Talking to Girls About Duran Duran: One Young Man's Quest for True Love and a Cooler Haircut is a good one, too. If you're a big music fan, this one will appeal to you.
My favorite parts of this book involve his riffing on celebs, like Bruce Willis. It's easy to be the good-looking, charismatic, ladies' man actor, but much more entertaining to be the "Silent" fat, laxy slob who somehow makes it big.
It's cool to see people like Kevin Smith, Seth Rogan, and everyone on the Big Bang Theory do so well. Kudos to Kevin on this entertaining book!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
The Life and Times of Kevin S
29 Mar 2012
Format:Hardcover
Since I saw a headline on my RSS feed - "Fat Director kicked off flight" - and clicked on it, then (after reading the brief article surrounded by many ads) going to the Smodcast website, I've been hearing about Kevin Smith's life ever since. For a solid 2 years and change I've had Smodcast and its many, many attendant podcasts playing whenever I've had a long drive with myself or a walk to work or washing up and needing something non-musical. But having listened to the many entertaining stories Kevin has imparted, along with having seen his Q&A specials "Too Fat for Forty" and "Kevin Smith Burn in Hell", I realised after the first chapter of this book that for a person who shares everything, there's very little left to surprise someone who's been following along and listened to every story.
Smith uses his father as an example for the rest of the book - Don Smith was a man who worked 20 years in a job he hated (the US postal service) to provide for his family and then after a too-short retirement, died of heart failure, screaming. The message to Smith was clear - never do a job you hate, never have regrets so when the time comes, you won't go out in as much pain.
From there we get a whirlwind look at Smith's career, the story of "Clerks", and a brief synopsis of every film made since then. The filming of "Cop Out" and his clashes with Bruce Willis are documented, as well as the filming of "Red State" which takes up several chapters. What became known as the "Too Fat to Fly" incident with South West is detailed, and a loving final chapter to his wife Jennifer Schwalbach closes out the book along with a short note from their daughter Harley Quinn Smith.
But for most Kevin Smith fans looking for something new or different from what Kevin usually blogs/tweets/podcasts about? It's not in this book. "Tough S---" is basically a summary of Kev's career as well as a look into the memorable events of the last couple of years, all of which has been thoroughly talked about through Kevin's many podcasts. I suppose for those who haven't been following the pods this is a good place to get his thoughts on the South West incident, Bruce Willis, and Red State, but for those who have, the book might seem like a lot of re-heated material.
That said, the book's message is put out clearly - if I can do it, so can you. Kevin is the encouragement any artist reading this book might lack and, with it, that artist might go on and create and find confidence in their work and create more. And for that alone, this book is worth it.
Despite the feeling of déjà vu I felt while reading it, Smith writes so fluidly (a theme in and of itself in the book) and with such verve, humour, and intelligence, the book is never dull and having read some other reviews of this book, he is clearly an inspiration to many readers. For anyone looking for a book that markets itself as a self-help book but is really a series of funny essays in the life of a charming and gifted storyteller, this book can do no wrong. A quick read but fun, "Tough S---" is a good time with common sense wisdom amid the jokes.
Smith uses his father as an example for the rest of the book - Don Smith was a man who worked 20 years in a job he hated (the US postal service) to provide for his family and then after a too-short retirement, died of heart failure, screaming. The message to Smith was clear - never do a job you hate, never have regrets so when the time comes, you won't go out in as much pain.
From there we get a whirlwind look at Smith's career, the story of "Clerks", and a brief synopsis of every film made since then. The filming of "Cop Out" and his clashes with Bruce Willis are documented, as well as the filming of "Red State" which takes up several chapters. What became known as the "Too Fat to Fly" incident with South West is detailed, and a loving final chapter to his wife Jennifer Schwalbach closes out the book along with a short note from their daughter Harley Quinn Smith.
But for most Kevin Smith fans looking for something new or different from what Kevin usually blogs/tweets/podcasts about? It's not in this book. "Tough S---" is basically a summary of Kev's career as well as a look into the memorable events of the last couple of years, all of which has been thoroughly talked about through Kevin's many podcasts. I suppose for those who haven't been following the pods this is a good place to get his thoughts on the South West incident, Bruce Willis, and Red State, but for those who have, the book might seem like a lot of re-heated material.
That said, the book's message is put out clearly - if I can do it, so can you. Kevin is the encouragement any artist reading this book might lack and, with it, that artist might go on and create and find confidence in their work and create more. And for that alone, this book is worth it.
Despite the feeling of déjà vu I felt while reading it, Smith writes so fluidly (a theme in and of itself in the book) and with such verve, humour, and intelligence, the book is never dull and having read some other reviews of this book, he is clearly an inspiration to many readers. For anyone looking for a book that markets itself as a self-help book but is really a series of funny essays in the life of a charming and gifted storyteller, this book can do no wrong. A quick read but fun, "Tough S---" is a good time with common sense wisdom amid the jokes.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
A Welcome Return to Form
21 April 2012
Format:Hardcover
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.
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