John Waters names his five favourite songs of all time
John Waters, lovingly dubbed the ‘Pope of Trash’ by his fans, is a true champion of transgressive art. Known for his highly subversive comedies such as Multiple Maniacs and Pink Flamingos, Waters has developed an indestructible reputation within the landscape of American independent cinema.
Although Waters’ last directorial feature – A Dirty Shame – was released almost two decades ago, he recently delighted fans by announcing that he was going to work on a new project. Titled Liarmouth, Waters’ next film is going to be an adaptation of his eponymous new book, which features the same demented themes fans have come to cherish.
Waters has spoken at length about his favourite films on multiple occasions, but his taste in music is lesser known. During a conversation with KCRW, the filmmaker opened up about his five favourite songs of all time. His first pick was ‘Ain’t Got No Home’ by Clarence ‘Frogman’ Henry, which he cited as a sexually revelatory experience.
The director revealed: “The first one that confused me was ‘Ain’t Got No Home’ by Clarence ‘Frogman’ Henry. I was in the ’50s, and I was really young, and I heard him. I loved that he sang like a frog in part of it. And then he said he could sing like a girl, so I thought, ‘Oh, it’s my first bisexual experience.’ I thought maybe I realised I was gay then. But then he started singing like a frog which confused me cause I thought, ‘are you sexually attracted to frogs? Am I trisexual? Is there such a thing as a frog queen?’ I don’t know.”
He also included The Ikettes’ ‘I’m Blue’: “It was kind of the first dirty dancing song, and I remember everyone screaming ‘Gong Gu-gu-gong gong.’ Which are really peculiar lyrics when you think about it. And now there are so many different versions of this song. When I hosted that punk rock festival, this Asian women’s group, the one that was in Quentin Tarantino’s movie, they sang it. It’s a perfect song for everybody. It’s one of the sexiest songs to dirty dance to, ever.”
Check out the full list below.
John Waters’ favourite songs:
- ‘Ain’t Got No Home’ – Clarence ‘Frogman’ Henry
- ‘Jet Boy Jet Girl’ – Elton Motello
- ‘I’m Blue’ – The Ikettes
- ‘The Joker (That’s What They Call Me)’ – Billy Myles
- ‘Fat Daddy’ – Paul ‘Fat Daddy’ Johnson
Billy Myles’ ‘The Joker’ also makes it onto Waters’ list since it is deeply connected with his formative years. According to the director, he heard it in a bowling alley where juvenile delinquents hung out, and he desperately wanted to be a part of the club.
Waters recalled: “This one juvenile delinquent played this song over and over. And it started to get on my parents’ nerves, and I loved him more and more every time he played it. I loved the song so much; I used it as the theme song when I had a television show that I hosted called ‘John Waters Presents Movies That Will Corrupt You.'”
