John Waters is a man of many monikers: The Prince of Puke, The Duke of Dirt, The Sultan of Sleaze. Any way you put it, John Waters is famed the world over for his trash epics including Pink Flamingos (which celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2012), Female Trouble, Desperate Living, Polyester, Serial Mom, Pecker, Cecil B. Demented, and A Dirty Shame.
This Filthy World is Waters’ rapid-fire one-man spoken word “vaudeville” act that celebrates the film career and joyously appalling taste of the man William Burroughs once called “The Pope of Trash.” Updated and expanded from the original film version that enjoyed critical success at the Edinburgh, Toronto and Berlin Film Festivals, the live performance of “This Filthy World” focuses on Waters’ early negative artistic influences, his fascination with true crime, exploitation films, fashion lunacy, the extremes of the art world, Catholicism, sexual deviancy and a love of reading.
JOHN WATERS’ SUGGESTED READINGS
The suggested reading list includes various reading and media recommendations provided by the lecturer. This list of materials can include projects authored by the lecturer or others, and provides further insight into the guest’s sources of inspiration and additional context surrounding the artist/scholar/designer’s work and practice. This list is shared with RMCAD students and faculty and is archived on the website for academic integration and research opportunities. The physical materials are archived in the RMCAD campus library and the VASD Program archive.
Serial Mom by John Waters
Film – 1994
Hairspray by John Waters
Film – 1988
Art: A Sex Book by John Waters and Bruce Hainley
Book – 2003
Role Models by John Waters
Book – 2011
