# Why is Slient Bob silent? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 29, 2003, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-slient-bob-silent/191578 "2003-07-29T02:39:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aslan_of_Narnia)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-slient-bob-silent/191578/1 "2003-07-29T02:39:06Z")
I’m wonderin as to why he doesn’t really speak all that much, except near the end where he plays the deus ex machina and explains what the solution to whatever the problem is. I know, he’s supposed to be the ying to Jay’s yang, blabbermouth and someone who almost never talks. I’m just curious as to why he only talks unless it’s REALLY important. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-slient-bob-silent/191578/2 "2003-07-29T02:44:33Z")
Because Kevin Smith isn’t much of an actor and knows it, I imagine. ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-slient-bob-silent/191578/3 "2003-07-29T02:54:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by obfusciatrist \* > \*\*Because Kevin Smith isn’t much of an actor and knows it, I imagine. \*\* On the Jay and Silent Bob commentary Kevin Smith says that in as many words. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-slient-bob-silent/191578/4 "2003-07-29T02:57:44Z")
On preview I see that **Silentgoldfish** beat me to a “me too.” ::sigh:: ---
**Author:** ![Eternal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@Eternal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eternal)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-slient-bob-silent/191578/5 "2003-07-29T06:41:32Z")
I like when Jay calls him “lunchbucket.” It’s hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-slient-bob-silent/191578/6 "2003-07-29T06:49:20Z")
I guess he wanted to be in his own movies. 😛 It sorta did help cancel out Jay when it was necessary, although the scene in _Jay and Silent Bob_ where he ended up screaming at Jay really annoyed me. For the previous four movies, Bob didn’t speak because he didn’t have to. But here was a moment where it would’ve been easier to speak than to mime “the monkey is on its way to Hollywood in the truck” or whatever - and Kevin Smith ain’t exactly Harpo Marx - and he acted like there was a law against his speaking. Gah. And of course, that then made his comments to Jay and Banky at the end unsurprising and unfunny. ---
**Author:** ![Grousser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9d8465/32.png) [@Grousser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grousser)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-slient-bob-silent/191578/7 "2003-07-29T06:54:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Marley23 \* > **But here was a moment where it would’ve been easier to speak than to mime "the monkey is on its way to Hollywood in the truck"** But that was exactly the intention of the gag… ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-slient-bob-silent/191578/8 "2003-07-29T06:55:53Z")
Yes, I know. But like I said, they’d never done that before, and somehow that bothered me. ---
**Author:** ![dead0man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/edb3f5/32.png) [@dead0man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dead0man)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-slient-bob-silent/191578/9 "2003-07-29T09:37:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Eternal \* > \*\*I like when Jay calls him “lunchbucket.” It’s hilarious. \*\* It’s “lunch box” 🙂 As per the OP, **obfusciatrist** and **Silentgoldfish** have it. ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-slient-bob-silent/191578/10 "2003-07-29T09:41:29Z")
He’s an avant garde mime. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-slient-bob-silent/191578/11 "2003-07-29T09:52:13Z")
He talked at the end of each and every episode of “Clerks.” He did, didn’t he? It’s a great hook though. Cool mysterious sounding name, enigmatic guy. Works great. ---
**Author:** ![Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aslan_of_Narnia)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-slient-bob-silent/191578/12 "2003-07-29T09:56:48Z")
Agreed. That clerks series had to be one of the funniest cartoons I’ve ever watched, but ABC cancelled it after a couple of episodes and the shows they showed were out of order, causing the inside jokes/running gags to make not much sense. I’m gonna hopefully get the DVD of it soon. ---
**Author:** ![elf6c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c57346/32.png) [@elf6c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elf6c)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-slient-bob-silent/191578/13 "2003-07-29T12:51:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Aslan of Narnia \* > \*\*Agreed. > > That clerks series had to be one of the funniest cartoons I’ve ever watched, but ABC cancelled it after a couple of episodes and the shows they showed were out of order, causing the inside jokes/running gags to make not much sense. > > I’m gonna hopefully get the DVD of it soon. \*\* I have the DVD series- could find it anywhere to rent so I bought it. Great fun. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-slient-bob-silent/191578/14 "2003-07-29T13:21:44Z")
He has two words in _Dogma_, too, and they’re actually pretty funny in context.