John Waters: The king of kitsch spills all in 'Shock Value'

By Misha Berson
Seattle Times theater critic

	STAN GODLEWSKI / GETTY IMAGES John Waters will appear at the Paramount Theatre Sunday in "Shock Value," a topical solo show.
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Maybe you also know that Waters is a sculptor and photographer. (A new show of his artworks is on display through May 8 in Seattle, at the Greg Kucera Gallery.)

And have you heard Waters is also a Broadway baby? His 1988 film "Hairspray" recently morphed into a musical, which debuted in Seattle in 2002 and went on to mega-success in New York. And look out for another Broadway tuner soon based on "Cry-Baby," Waters' 1990 celluloid teen angst-fest with Johnny Depp.

Performance preview "Shock Value: An Afternoon with John Waters," 3 p.m. Sunday, Paramount Theatre, 911 Pine St., Seattle; $25-$35 (206-292-ARTS or www.ticketmaster.com; information: www.theparamount.com). "Last Call," sculptures and photographs by John Waters, through May 8, Greg Kucera Gallery, 212 Third Ave. S., Seattle; free (206-624-0770 or www.gregkucera.com).

You might also recognize Waters, a lanky, balding Baltimore native with a trademark pencil mustache, as a sometime actor on TV ("Frasier," "21 Jump Street") and cameo player in B-horror flicks. (Remember him in 1964's "Hag in a Black Leather Jacket"? Or as a pedophile priest in 2002's "Blood Feast 2: All U Can Eat"?)

There's one thing we bet you don't know about John Waters, though. He's also a stand-up performance artist. Well, sort of.

On Sunday, Waters appears at the Paramount Theatre in "Shock Value," a solo show he's performed sporadically in various cities. And if you've ever caught Waters being interviewed on the radio, or doing his shtick as emcee of the indie-movie world's Independent Spirit Awards, you know what an outrageous raconteur this so-called "Pope of Trash" can be.

We touched bases with the busy filmmaker by phone recently. He was about to fly from New York to Bucharest to act in another B-horror pic ("Seed of Chuckie"). And he was finishing up a new film of his own, "A Dirty Shame." Though his dance card is very full, Waters seemed pleased to wedge in a trip to Seattle.

Q: I take it you have a special fondness for our city.

A: I've always liked Seattle. My movies always played well there ... it's a great movie town, a great art town, a great theater town. And I had such a wonderful experience there with "Hairspray." No one could say it out loud, but everyone involved knew this show could actually be a hit. And then we made it to the Tony Awards! I never before in my life was the favorite to win anything. It was really frightening to be the favorite — a new kind of fear.

	KEVIN WINTER / GETTY IMAGES John Waters, shown at the 2003 Independent Spirit Awards.

Q: Did you enjoy the hoopla when "Hairspray" opened on Broadway?

A: It was one of the most joyous experiences of my entire life. Nothing went wrong. And it still hasn't gone wrong.

Q: What's "Shock Value" like?

A: It's not a lecture. It's a one-man show that's been evolving for, like, 20 years. I've played comedy clubs, nightclubs. One of the "Hairspray" producers wanted me to do an Off-Broadway run of it.

Q: Is it improvised?

A: Oh, no! It's completely written. And it's very topical. I keep upgrading it. It's about all my obsessions with fashion, the news, glamour, making movies — basically, every obsession I've had since I was 4-years-old. The last time I did it, I was talking a lot about the Michael Jackson case.

Q: What's your take on Jacko?

A: You know, I think it's time for him to get an apartment with Courtney Love. And he should make horror movies now, that's his next logical career move.

Q: What else can we expect to hear you obsess about?

A: I'm still obsessed with Patty McCormack, who was the murderous little girl in "The Bad Seed." When "The Bad Seed" was on Broadway I was so jealous she got to be an evil little brat, when I wanted to be one. How much fun she must have had! She later made a movie called "Mommy," and went from being a bratty kid to an evil mother. I met her once, and she's lovely in real life.

Q: Tell us about your next film.

A: It's called "A Dirty Shame," and it comes out in September. It stars Tracey Ullman, Chris Isaak, Jackie Hoffman. It's about these head-injury sufferers who, because of their accidents, have carnal lust they can't control. Basically they take over a neighborhood in Baltimore, and there are many repercussions — and concussions!

Q: You have a big cult following here. Are your movies popular outside the United States?

A: You have to do a movie that appeals to every country in the world now, or it won't get made. My movies are never giant blockbusters, but they get shown everywhere. I heard that in Sarajevo, during the war there, some people had an illegal print of "Cry-Baby" they kept showing in a bombed-out building. I thought that was very touching, but it was pirated so I didn't tell (Motion Picture Association of America president) Jack Valenti about it.

Q: Are you happy "Cry-Baby" is going to become a musical?

A: Oh yeah. The composer is Adam Schlesinger from Fountains of Wayne, and the lyricist is David Javerbaum, the head writer on "The Daily Show." And Tom Meehan and Mark O'Donnell, who wrote "Hairspray," are doing the book.

Q: Will "Cry-Baby" make as good a musical as "Hairspray"?

A: C'mon, it's a natural. Think of it: It's got a singing tough girl, a pregnant girl, a sexy juvenile delinquent, a Polly Bergen character, a war between hoods and squares. It's got great costumes, great hairstyles, great '50s pop music. What more do you want?

Q: Are there other films of yours that should be musicals?

A: People already tried to make "Pink Flamingos" into an opera. It lends itself to that — there are mad scenes, and the fat lady does sing. What I really want is for one my movies to become an ice show. Then I can retire.

Misha Berson: mberson@seattletimes.com

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