John Waters interviewed in Independent Weekly

Just before John Waters gave a recent talk at Duke University, the Independent Weekly ran an article featuring the filmmaker's hysterical and brilliant take on such topics as gay culture and Britney Spears. In my opinion, Waters is at his best when he's commenting on the absurdity in everyday life, like in his amazing 1995 autobiography Shock Value. From the Independent Weekly:

While the over-the-top camp of Waters' films still holds up, the writer-director admits that the "mainstreaming" of gay culture in recent years has made it harder to be shocking. "I had more fun when it was illegal to be gay," says Waters, who adds that he's also "anti-separatist." "I don't want to get married and I don't want to go into the army and all that stuff, though I understand people's right to want that. I am for gay trouble. I like gay troublemakers. I am most gay when I am in a voting booth...."

Link to Independent Weekly (Thanks, COOP!)

[#1 posted by Rob O. , October 2, 2007 7:01 PM]

Actually, isn't Shock Value much older than that? I have his second book, Crackpot, which was published in the mid-1980's, and lists Shock Value as a previous work.

Speaking of Crackpot, it's a book definitely worth reading--a collection of essays and previously published articles that reads like the better humor prose of Woody Allen. Though I love Waters's films, he definitely has a gift for prose humor as well.