Ontario once censored him, but he’ll be back
Filmmaker returns to Toronto May 18 with retrospective at Paradise Theatre
Prince of Puke, Duke of Dirt, Sultan of Sleaze, Baron of Bad Taste and Pope of Trash are just some of the delicious sobriquets assigned to John Waters, the iconoclastic filmmaker behind works such as “Pink Flamingos” (1972),“Hairspray” (1988) and “Serial Mom” (1994).
Known for his pencil moustache, collaborations with drag queen Divine and onscreen affinity for his hometown of Baltimore, Waters has cultivated a lowbrow imaginary world where queer transgressions can run amok.
Waters will return to Toronto on May 18 to take part in the “Flurry of Filth: A John Waters Retrospective” at the Paradise Theatre, where he will provide live commentary during a special screening of his 1998 film “Pecker.” The retrospective comes courtesy of Drag Me to the Movies, a Toronto screening series that weds drag performance with filmgoing, hosted by awardwinning queer artist Weird Alice.
“Pecker,” a tamer iteration of the usual Waters fare of heresy and excrement, follows Pecker (Edward Furlong), an 18-year-old amateur photographer working in a sub shop, and his “culturally challenged” family.
Pecker’s black-and-white portraiture captures the underbelly of the Hampden neighbourhood of Baltimore.
After pasting his work around the sub shop, he catches the attention of a visiting New York gallerist with a fetish for the working class who propels him to international acclaim.
In anticipation of the retrospective, the Star spoke to Waters about “Pecker,” art world elitism and fighting censor boards.
Tell me a bit about the last time you were in Toronto.
I’ve been to Toronto many times with my films and my books. It’s a great movie town — I once showed (the 1975 Pier Paolo Pasolini film “Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom”) there for a screening. The last time I was in Toronto, I filmed the finale of the new season of “Chucky.” I am pro-Canada, even though I sent “Multiple Maniacs” to the distributor (in 1970), which had to go through the Ontario censor board, and they sent me a receipt that just said “destroyed.” They burned the print! Tell them I spit on their grave.
How did you land on ‘Pecker’ as the film to be accompanied by live commentary?
I picked it because people call it my “nice” film, even though it does have talking Virgin Marys and teabagging. It is a nice movie in a way, though some people call it autobiographical, which it’s not. I wasn’t an outsider artist or naive like Pecker, but some of the same things happened. I was inspired by Diane Arbus’s (“Child with Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park”) and wondered what the kid in the photograph felt like when he saw it sold for $300,000 or something. Also, every single location that we shot “Pecker” in is gone. Even the house burned down; there’s no place left in the film that remains the same.
I imagine less censor board fears on this one?
I actually fought the MPA (Motion Picture Association) so that I could call the movie “Pecker.” They said I couldn’t!
‘Pecker’ spoofs the art world and its critics, curators and dealers. Though you’ve previously said you like the art world’s elitism and that you avoid art made for the everyman.
I always make fun of things I like! The art world is a magic trick where you have to learn how to see in a new way, which is a talent. Once you can see it, you see that all the great art makes people furious at first. The least sophisticated response ever (to art) is “I could have made that.” Well you should have, stupid!
Is there a film from the retrospective you would especially recommend seeing on the big screen?
I’ll say “Cecil B. Demented” because it didn’t do as well at the box office. A lot of people come up to me on the street and yell “Demented forever!” though, which makes me laugh.
If you could be paired with another director for a retrospective, who would it be?
Maybe Todd Solondz or Gaspar Noé. I don’t think our films are at all alike, but we certainly are the same kind of troublemakers. Or maybe the complete opposite, you could have me and Marguerite Duras … but I’ve met her and she’s a troublemaker, too.
The art world is a magic trick where you have to learn how to see in a new way, which is a talent. Once you can see it, you see that all the great art makes people furious at first.
JOHN WATERS FILMMAKER
Similarly, what would you recommend as the back half of a double bill with ‘Pecker?’
It wasn’t a successful movie but the film where Nicole Kidman played Diane Arbus (“Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus”). It’s maybe a failure but a very noble one. “FLURRY OF FILTH” BEGINS MAY 10 WITH A SCREENING OF “PINK FLAMINGOS” AND WILL FEATURE PRE-SHOW DRAG PERFORMANCES AND PRIZES FROM LOCAL ARTISTS.
SEE PARADISEONBLOOR.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TICKETS. THE INTERVIEW HAS BEEN EDITED FOR LENGTH AND CLARITY.