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John Waters: Filmmaker, Screenwriter, Actor, Stand-up Comedian, & Author

Posted by Elman + Skye + Hester + Osorio

Introduction to John Waters. 0:35 sec. Interview: Raymond Elman. Camera: Lee Skye. Videography: Christina Hester. Production: Fabian Osorio. Recorded: 11/19/2019, Miami Book Fair.

JOHN WATERS (b. 1946) is a filmmaker, writer, actor, and artist, born and raised in Baltimore. Waters rose to prominence in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films, including Multiple Maniacs (1970), Pink Flamingos (1972), and Female Trouble (1974). He wrote and directed the 1988 film Hairspray, which became an international success and turned into a hit Broadway musical, and has remained in almost continuous production. Waters has written and directed other successful films, including Polyester (1981), Cry-Baby (1990), Serial Mom (1994), Pecker (1998), and Cecil B. Demented (2000).

In 2015, the British Film Institute celebrated Waters’ films with a retrospective in honor of his 50-year filmmaking career. Later that year, he was nominated for a Grammy Award for the spoken word version of his book Carsick. As an actor, Waters has appeared in films such as Sweet and Lowdown (1999), Seed of Chucky (2004), Excision (2012), and Suburban Gothic (2014). More recently, he performs in his touring one-man show This Filthy World. Waters has often worked with actor Divine, and his regular cast the Dreamlanders.

In addition to filmmaking and acting, Waters works as a visual artist across different mediums such as installations, photography, and sculpture. He has published multiple collections of his journalistic exploits, screenplays, ruminations and artwork. Waters’ visual art is exhibited regularly in galleries and museums around the world.

The videos below are organized by topic and run between 30 seconds and 5 minutes. Click on any video. You must be connected to the Internet to view the videos.

CREATES A UNIQUE PERSONAL BRAND: 0:20 sec.

Would you describe your recent book, Mr. Know It All, as an autobiography disguised as an advice column?.

BREAKS THE RULES: 1:08 min.

Where did you grow up and what is your first memory of art of any discipline?

INSIGHT & INSPIRATION: 0:50 sec.

Who are some of your most important role models and influencers?

EXPOSURE TO BROAD INFLUENCES: 2:15 min.

When did you first visit the unique cultural oasis of Provincetown on the northern tip of Cape Cod, and what brought you back year after year?

CRITICAL THINKING: 0:45 sec.

Have you ever discussed filmmaking with Norman Mailer, a longtime Provincetown resident?

BREAKS THE RULES: 0:56 sec.

I attended the world premiere of Pink Flamingos in Provincetown in the spring of 1972. Who had the idea of the cast arriving in stretch limos, with Klieg lights on the sidewalk, in a tiny Portuguese fishing village?

UNDERSTANDS THE BUSINESS OF ART: 0:45 sec.