Waters opens his fearless mouth about Poppers, free speech and the LGBT community: “Fighting with one another is weakening our pervert brand.”
To celebrate his upcoming book, “Liarmouth: A Feel-Bad Romance,” director, author and gay icon John Waters sat down with the New York Times for a long, explicit, chat. In case it was too long for you, here are the 5 take away quotes from the interview:
1. The mainstream accepts me now
“The mainstream has in the last 10 years begun to accept me. For reasons I’m not sure I understand. Maybe because they can’t get rid of me.”
2. I use humor as a weapon
“Humor is how you fight. It’s how you make people change their mind. Everything I’ve ever done is about using humor as a weapon. I don’t think I’m mean, but everything’s touchy now. When things are touchy, isn’t that when comedy gets more exciting?”
3. You should try Poppers
“I used to love drugs. I did every drug there was, too. Even heroin. But I’m not a jazz musician: They have to take heroin — it’s not bad for everybody. Poppers: Before acid that’s the last one I did. you should [try Poppers]. Well, see if you like them. They give you nasty little burns on your nose, and they smell like dirty feet, but sexually they do work. The head of the popper company sent me a supply, and I’m out because I gave them away for presents to everybody, but he killed himself. Can you OD on poppers? I hope not. I would try it if I were you.”
4. The LGBT community should stay united
“Well, growing up, gay, trans, lesbian, we were all on the same team. It was one big happy world. Fighting with one another is weakening our pervert brand. I feel sorry for some of the old-school lesbians I know. They don’t want a beard, but they’re made to feel square if they don’t have one. That kind of debate — that’s why I loved Andrea Dworkin. I didn’t agree with her a lot, but I remember when she said — people deny she said it, but she kind of did — that all heterosexual sex is rape.”
5. Free speech
“I believe in the extremes of free speech. There is horrible pornography; we have to put up with it. The most right-wing — I don’t get why they aren’t allowed to come to colleges. Where does it stop? People don’t like what I say? So what. I’m allowed to say it and I live in the greatest country. I’m a down-low patriotic person. In my old spoken-word show I did an entire thing of what it would be like to have sex with Trump that was rude and graphic, and I didn’t get the firing squad. In some countries I would have.”
John Waters new book is coming out May 1. The New York Times says we should be “expecting a rainbow of outré sexual and criminal high jinks.” OMG.