Trivia: The costs to obtain the rights to the soundtrack of Clerks was approximately $27,000, which is higher than the entire production cost of the film - $26,800.
Trivia: For some time after the film, there were rumors that director Kevin Smith and co-star Jeff Anderson (Randal) had a falling-out, as Anderson did not appear in another Smith film until "Dogma." Smith and Anderson later confirmed that while they did have a brief disagreement (Anderson wanted to hold out for more money or a contract from Miramax when the film was sold, causing some brief issues), it was blown out of proportion by the perception of others.
Answer: I think it's a combination of both of those. He's played by Walt Flanagan, who also plays three other characters in the movie. Flanagan was a friend of Kevin Smith who filled in for several roles. He's definitely playing the part a little hammy... but I also think some of his reactions are a little off because it was (obviously) his first film, and he was inexperienced. (Though to be fair, he appeared in similar small roles in several other Smith films, and his acting improved over time).
TedStixon