N O RT H F I E L D
Interview
DESIGNER GOLDSMITHS
with your family, whether they’re the most loving family in the world or the worst. There is such a thing as a verbal-abuse whistle that I say you should bring to Christmas. You have to make a deal: you can get on my nerves, I can get on yours, so think before you speak. As soon as someone doesn’t, you blow that whistle.
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Do you actually enjoy the holidays on a personal level?
I do! Yes, to be honest, now I can really pay for my party — I’m doing 16 shows! I’m like a drag queen on Halloween at Christmas time. If it’s the holidays, I’m working. What kind of an audience did you have in mind when you were writing this show? Who do you think will most appreciate John Waters’ take on Christmas?
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This weekend indie filmmaking legend John Waters — the man behind “Pink Flamingos” and “Hairspray” — will perform his one-man show about the holidays. “I guess I like Christmas because it can be such an emotional rollercoaster,” he says. PHOTO PROVIDED
Desperate holiday living A John Waters Christmas Sunday, December 16 Hochstein Performance Hall, 50 N. Plymouth Ave. 7:30 p.m. | $35-$45 | imageout.org [ INTERVIEW ] BY ERIC REZSNYAK
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The two may seem incongruous, but John Waters and Christmas are actually a perfect match. It’s the time of year where children are encouraged to sit on the laps of portly, oddly dressed strangers. Anyone who has seen “Pink Flamingos” can guess that Edith Massey’s character would likely be a big fan of eggnog. And that old seasonal chestnut was obviously written about Waters’ late, luminous star. “O night Divine”? A fitting tribute to Glenn Milstead. The man who brought you a drag queen eating actual dog feces, Kathleen Turner bludgeoning a woman to death with a leg of lamb, and other warm-and-fuzzy cinematic moments is coming to town this week to offer his unique take on how adults can survive the stressful holiday season. Pro tip: before heading off to grandma’s house, make sure to pack your
verbal-abuse whistle along with your hip flask. And also your back-up hip flask. ImageOut, Rochester’s LGBT Film & Video Festival, is bringing in the one-man show starring the cult-film icon, best-selling author, and overall provocateur. Waters recently did a phone interviewed with City and shared some of his thoughts on Christmas, the state of the independent film industry, and whether we’re now living in a John Waters world. An edited transcript of the conversation follows. CITY: You are an unabashed fan of Christmas. What about the holiday appeals to a man who has previously been referred to as “the Pope of trash”?
John Waters: Well, I’m the pope, aren’t I? That implies some sort of tradition. That implies some sort of religious fervor. I guess I like Christmas because it can be such an emotional rollercoaster. I try to talk about in my show about how you can’t avoid it — it is impossible to avoid it. No matter what religion you are, what sexual preference, rich, poor, Democrat, Republican, you can’t avoid it. So I’m trying to tell you how to get through it, how to deal with it. How to deal
My audience has always been the same for 40 years. It’s people who are smart, who are funny, who have a healthy skepticism about authority, and at the same time maybe don’t fit in their own minority. But they’ve always felt like being outsiders. I’m trying to tell them to be outlaws and insiders. Who wants to be an outsider anymore? Everybody wants to be. You’ve been reportedly working on a children’s Christmas film, called “Fruitcake,” for years…
Well, I haven’t been working on it, that’s the issue. I’ve been trying to get it made. So instead what I’ve been working on is a book, since I’ve had a lot more success in that world. “Role Models,” my last book, was a best seller. So I’m writing a book now about how I hitchhiked across America by myself in May. But yes, the children’s Christmas movie I’m still trying to get made. Who knows if I ever will? I mean, I’ve made 16 movies. It’s not like I haven’t spoken. On that note, you’ve spoken about how American independent cinema is in a really difficult position right now. Do you think that will change or improve any time soon?
It’s not in a bad state if you’re a young person starting out in cinema. It’s in a much better state for you, because they’re looking now for the next kid who will make a movie for $50,000. They weren’t when I was doing it, but now they are. The problem with me is I have routinely made independent movies that cost $5 million, which used to be thought of as a moderate price for an independent movie, a union movie with movie stars. I don’t want to go backward, I did that. I’m not going to be a faux revolutionary. continues on page 32