The influence of Kenneth Anger’s ‘Scorpio Rising’ on John Waters: “It stuck with me forever”
John Waters’ films have many components that make them great. They’ve got to be so sickeningly gross that you need a barf bag (they were provided at Pink Flamingos screenings, no less), they need a great soundtrack of oldies, and then there’s the unforgettable dialogue and ridiculous outfits.
The filmmaker’s world is pure camp, a fierce act of political rebellion against a conservative world that saw minorities as freaks and outcasts even more so than now. Aiming to “scare hippies” and satirise the way people viewed these outsiders – filling his movies with the strangest people under the sun – Waters crafted a cinematic landscape where people could revel in the most ridiculous of behaviour. Sometimes violent, sometimes hilarious, his movies know no bounds.
But Waters wouldn’t have become the transgressive filmmaker behind titles like Female Trouble and Hairspray if not for the influence of certain directors before him, like Kenneth Anger. A queer icon, Anger’s films shamelessly dug into a world that would’ve horrified many – but one that certainly existed. He explored homoeroticism in his experimental films way before it was the norm, paving the way for people like Waters to become leading figures of the queer cinematic canon.
Anger is like a patron saint of it, though, worshipped by practically every queer or experimental filmmaker who has emerged in his wake. Blending an interest in the occult and biker subculture into much of his work, he brought images to the screen that, quite frankly, had never been seen before.
Waters was hugely inspired by Anger’s Scorpio Rising, released in 1963, not just for its exploration of homoeroticism and bikers (of which Waters is a huge fan), but also for the use of music. Anger used plenty of ‘60s pop hits as the soundtrack for his film, which contrasted with the images of leather, studs and revving engines, and Waters was captivated by this dichotomy.
Talking to Vice, Waters explained, “I think the biggest influence of that movie was the music. The ironic use of pop music, which Kenneth Anger seemed to do first. I think that was a huge influence on me. And yes, the fact that it was … Was it gay? Was it weird? What was it?”
Tracks like ‘Blue Velvet’ by Bobby Vinton, ‘My Boyfriend’s Back’ by The Angels, ‘Hit The Road Jack’ by Ray Charles, and ‘Love Is Like A (Heat Wave)’ by Martha and the Vandellas can be heard in the short film, and this was revolutionary for a young Waters.
During his time as a filmmaker, Waters has chosen many iconic songs, often old cuts from the ‘50s and ‘60s, to soundtrack his movies. ‘Mr Sandman’ is performed by some of the characters in his ‘50s subculture film Cry-Baby, while Lesley Gore’s ‘You Don’t Own Me’, alongside many other ‘60s hits, can be heard in Hairspray.
Waters’ love of Scorpio Rising extends past just the music, though. He concluded, “You know, and the beautiful colours. It was just a completely signature look of an underground movie, which was one of the first ones I ever saw. So it stuck with me forever.”
