We recently had a chance to drop in on the incredible John Waters. He is the producer/director and all around cool guy responsible for innovative trash cult classics such as- Pink Flamingos, Pecker, Cry Baby, Cecil B. Demented, Serial Mom, A Dirty Shame and of course, Hairspray, with the remake becoming the #3 biggest grossing musical in movie history. He is also the long time childhood friend of the infamous, late great drag queen, Divine. Though the great Divine was always a star in his own right, he gained global fame through starring in most of Waters’ films.

As a gay male throughout his 62 years of life, John had some very interesting things to say about the quest for gay marriage rights in America. He was thrilled that people have been fighting for and enjoying the rights of legal gay marriages, but had some hilarious views that a few of us may have forgotten. John considers himself “nontraditional” and saying that to him, the privileges of being gay were that you did not have to get married, have children or enter the military. “Why would anyone fight for such things!” he joked. John supports gay families, but gave us his personal take on how gay communities might be more effective. “[These days] Gay people have more kids than Catholics. They’re so glad about getting a democratic president and to say ha-ha we win, but they’re using the wrong tactics. If they really want to get ‘em, they should fight to make heterosexual divorce illegal.” John went on to say how lately, he has been surprised at how cool it is for people to be gay. He takes issue with people wearing it for popularity and had plenty to say on the subject. “In rich kid’s schools, everyone’s gay and in poor kid’s schools, no one is. When did it become a class issue? Half the gay people these days are trend-sexual, they’re not really gay. Two women who perform together for a straight man are traitors! Make them do it for you! I tell all those women to come in [the closet]! They’re trend-sexual… Go back [in]! I’m for telling people to come in. It’s not a numbers game; we only want the good ones, not the bad ones.”

One of the main issues John is always willing to discuss, is the mind frame of kids today. He has some very unique views on how much things have changed, what motivates kids, and different ways in which he thinks would better inspire them. He encourages parents to support, as well as advocate for independent thinking in their children. His take on drugs: “If you think your kids are on drugs, pretend like your on drugs too!” He says that when kids see what jerks their parents are; how they look and behave under the influence; they’re more than likely to shy away from such pathetic behavior. We have to agree. He deeply expressed his feelings on repression and how it tends to induce erratic behavior. He believes that kids with guns are basically attention seekers who are a perfect example of what has gone wrong. He referenced his movie ‘Cry Baby’ on the subject of juvenile delinquents. “When a kid shoots his whole class at Columbine- that is not a juvenile delinquent. We don’t have those anymore, we have wild things. You should be happy if your kid stole hubcaps. I try to help kids be good juvenile delinquents. My advice is to make it cool to be poor. When I was a kid you didn’t want to be rich ‘til your 40’s.” We were hysterical when he talked about how much fun welfare fraud could be. “These kids don’t know from fun. What fun is it to pretend as though you have all the money? That’s just stupid. The government has all the money! We drove across state lines, applied for food stamps and came home to throw a party with the cash! Now that was good clean fun!”

He also had especially useful advice for aspiring filmmakers. He expressed the importance of indie films. He explained how many of the low budget films he created years ago, would never be able to be made and shown in these times. “The rights to use most of the music we chose back then would cost two to five times more than what it cost to remake the films!” He suggested that anyone making films and using their “crazy friends” as the actors should use their friend’s crazy music as well. The use of even one mainstream song could cost $20,000 or much, much more.

John has epitomized the meaning of art and class through “trash” by keeping a fresh, raw eye on Middle America. He has given a voice to the beauty of flaws and the insanity of the mundane. More importantly, he has proved beyond a doubt how possible it is to garner success through personal truths and independent thinking. Here at judgeMENTAL we raise our glasses to such an amazing American icon.

See our May calendar to catch John Waters in Miami Beach!

Last 3 posts by Carita Ellis-Espola

• Les Toil - December 31st, 2009
• The Latest Gossip! - December 29th, 2009
• Top 10 Reasons To Celebrate The New Year! - December 23rd, 2009