More than a month after the box-office immolation of Zack and Miri Make a Porno, the shellshock is finally wearing off for Kevin Smith. The self-pity, though? Not so much.

In an epic podcast recently undertaken with his longtime producer Scott Mosier, the filmmaker describes the initial instant he realized the scope of Zack and Miri's opening-day underperformance — that morning after Halloween, in a slo-mo fog that he acknowledges sent him retreating into the succor of his "weed cocoon," wondering why his comely, supportive wife hasn't yet left him for a more profitable auteur. Are you kidding, Kev? And miss out on the good times? Like, "Wes whatever" may have respect and success, but you won't hear about his toilet-pulverizing escapades on The Tonight Show. Buck up!