Director Kevin Smith talks about his ‘Indecent’ Las Vegas trip

Director Kevin Smith's best Vegas story is right out of the movies. It involves gambling, his wife and a hotel bed covered in $10,000.

Years ago, Smith went to the Strip to play the tables with wife Jennifer, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and other friends.

All the men lost. Smith's wife won $10,000.

"That was a heady night, because when we got back to the room, we threw the money on the bed and (had sex) on it, like that movie with Robert Redford, 'Indecent Proposal.'" he said. "For married people, that's pretty hot."

Smith directed pop culture classics "Dogma," "Clerks," "Chasing Amy" and "Red State." But he never turned his film eye to Vegas. Why not?

" 'The Hangover' took care of that for everybody. We have to skip one generation before everybody makes another Vegas movie."

These days, Smith runs his own online radio network, SModcast, featuring 25 free-to-download podcasts by Smith and others, including one by Vegas-based porn star Katie Morgan.

In fact, Smith's new EpixHD.com special "Jay and Silent Bob Go Down Under" is a video version of Smith's podcast "Jay & Silent Bob Get Old," co-starring Jason Mewes of "Clerks."

Smith has recorded a few podcast episodes in Vegas hotels.

He says podcasts allow real people to chat authentically about life and niches (not just politics, news and sports) during our era of high-def inauthenticity.

"Human beings need food, (sex) and to be heard," Smith says. "To be heard is always the most difficult."

But people can cheaply record a quality podcast and give it to listeners for free.

"I'll always love cinema, but it's so slow-moving" and expensive, he says. "Whereas podcasting is like having a reliable bike that you can pass off to somebody and say, 'Here, take the bike, go for a ride.' "

FREE HOMELESS BOOZE

Rodney Carrington and his two sons recently made 150 lunches for homeless people - including little whiskey bottles - then handed them out personally.

"We gave 'em turkey and cheese sandwiches, three Oreos, a bag of chips, a Capri Sun and a little bitty bottle of whiskey - good (stuff), like, Jack Daniel's," he tells me.

Homeless recipients in Bixby, Okla., swarmed his truck.

"If you want to know what it feels like to be Justin Bieber, and be really famous, and have people clamoring after you - get 300 airplane bottles of whiskey and drive your ass to the homeless section of town," he says.

Some chaos ensued. He had to tell homeless people to get out of his truck after they refused to line up.

"They don't care about structure or nothin'. They don't care if they hurt your feelings," he jokes.

But it was a good experience for him and his sons.

"I'm in a fortunate position in my life. I don't have any judgment for anybody's choices," he says. "There have been times in my life if someone said, 'Do you want a sandwich and Jack Daniel's,' I'd go, 'Yes! Are you kidding? What an awesome thing that is!' "

He and his sons will do repeat the giveaway on Christmas.

"I'm not buying them (the sons) anything for Christmas. We're going downtown to give (stuff) away.

"While they may be pissed off right now, when they get older, they're gonna understand what dad did. Like: 'Oh, remember when dad used to take us down there and we got attacked by homeless people because we were handing out whiskey bottles and sandwiches?' "

Carrington performs Thursday-Dec. 15 at the MGM. Check out my Thursday column, when he talks about being single after 18 years of marriage.

Doug Elfman's column appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Email him at delfman@reviewjournal.com. He blogs at reviewjournal.com/elfman.