How John Waters’ polar opposite became his hero: “The type of mainstream I’ll never be”
In John Waters’ 1994 movie Serial Mom, Kathleen Turner’s Beverly – the picture of a perfect suburban housewife – can be seen secretly calling her neighbour and shouting obscenities down the phone. “This is the cocksucker residence!” she exclaims before hanging up. Sure, it’s silly, but Waters’ movie, laced in stupidity and shock, actually makes a profound statement on American suburbia, femininity, and the crazy true crime phenomenon.
Waters’ ability to provide audiences with meaningful commentaries on society while championing outsider characters and revelling in campiness has made him one of the most beloved filmmakers of his generation. He might not make movies with the epic scope of Ridley Scott or the grittiness of Ken Loach, but his films certainly leave an impact – for better or for worse.
When the director started making movies, he wanted to shock hippies, he claims, showing all kinds of ridiculous and obscene images. He wanted people to recognise the outcasts and taboo subjects, bringing attention to the kinds of people who exist on the margins of society and are rarely seen in mainstream media. With the drag queen Divine as his muse, Waters started out by making films that were inherently DIY.
As he began working with bigger budgets and, in turn, bigger stars, he still gave his original cast members, known as his Dreamlanders, prominent roles in his films. Waters’ tenure as a filmmaker has been rather unique. He has gone from making weird low-budget movies such as Multiple Maniacs and Pink Flamingos to more mainstream and popular films like Cry-Baby and Hairspray – yet he has always maintained a strong sense of identity, no matter what.
However, Waters admires those who have experienced their success a little more easily. Talking to NPR, he revealed some of his heroes in conjunction with the release of his book, Role Models. He shared that the musician Johnny Mathis is a deep inspiration to him, even though they’re nothing alike.
“Johnny Mathis is the opposite of me,” Waters recalled. “He doesn’t do any promotion, ever. Have you ever seen a picture of Johnny Mathis at a world premiere? At a party? He does no promotion whenever he has a big tour — which he does constantly still. I went to them. They’re sold out. He doesn’t try too hard at all. He tries not at all. I always have to think up new projects, go out on the road: I’m like a carnie, basically. Go sell the work.”
Certainly, Waters has attended his fair share of events and has even written multiple books about his work. Due to the controversial nature of his movies, success doesn’t come as easy to Waters compared to some of his contemporaries – or Mathis. While the singer has earned countless awards, Waters has sadly not been recognised by many institutions for his filmmaking.
Discussing Mathis, Waters continued, “[He] is to me the type of mainstream that I’ll never, ever be able to achieve. And everyone wants to have hits like that. And Johnny Mathis said to me, ‘I always wanted to be a jazz singer.’ So in a way, your opposite isn’t what you believed him to be, too.”
