Trivia: In order to fund the movie, Kevin Smith had to move in with his parents, rent out his apartment, max out all of his credit cards and pawn his comic collection.
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.
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