Ode to John Waters

I could just love him for writing "Davenport. Dawn Davenport! I'm a thief and a shitkicker, and, uh, I'd like to be famous." as one of Divine's lines in "Female Trouble". Or when in "Desperate Living" he had Mink Stole walk in on her two young children playing doctor yelling "SODOMITES!!!!". And then there's the whole "I'll get you Pussyface!" ransome style note that Kathleen Turner sends to Mink in "Serial Mom"- that shit changed my life. For the better part of a year I anonymously harassed a bartender at the Pub by writing that on a napkin and slipping into his stack every week.
A little over two years ago I had the pleasure of bartending a private party thrown in his honor. Like the little boy in the Rosy Grier commercial meeting his idol and tossing him a cold one after a hard game- I was able to share the Pussyface note story with THE John Waters! He laughed and told me that over the past 15 or so years- at the most random times, there would be a message on his phone "Are those PUSSSSSSYwillows in your garden?" in that deep marlboro red and draino voice of Kathleen Turners hehehe. Hell- I could love him for that story alone too!
Hot shit? Where is this going? Where is this coming from? I was just browsing through the local newspaper, looking for movie times, and came across an interview with none other than - John Waters! Apparently he is involved in the upcoming Tennesee Williams festival next week in New Orleans and got the chance to plug his new TV show as well. (He's hosting a show on- get this- COURT TV!!!! It's called "'Til Death Do Us Part" and profiles marriages that ended in murder hehehe). Anyway- here's what I love in this interview, and about John Waters- at the end of the piece, the reporter tries to persuade John to abandon his hometown and perpetual movie setting- Baltimore, for New Orleans. John's response:

"I really come to New Orleans just to see the dancers at the Corner Pocket."

The end hehehehe- I can just imagine that reporter upon hearing that line hehe! For those of you not in New Orleans- a little frame of reference here- the Corner Pocket is a bar in the Quarter where hustlers, runaways, and other down on their luck young men can earn a buck or two by dancing on the bar in their underwear and allowing someone's grandpa to touch their pee pees. In short- it's a honey of club- come on down, I'll take you there!

I love that he said this- not only because it's totally true, when he left that party he told everyone it was time to walk to the Pocket. But also because he just fucking said it hehe- can you imagine 50, 30, or even 15 years ago- a famous movie director telling a newspaper reporter that the only reason he came to that particular city was to fondle young boys at a gay bar?! I bet John Waters would have if someone had asked him back then hehehe!!

Enjoy some of my favorite clips of his!!!