JOHN WATERS by Matthew Rothery

John Waters

by Matthew Rothery

My Dad was a big Johnny Mathis fan. So there’s a bit of a link there. But I’m not writing this blurb about Johnny Mathis, though I easily could. No, I’m here to tell you about the utter bloody shock value of John Waters, the filthiest film director alive. Of course John Waters is a huge Johnny Mathis fan. He’s one of John’s obsessions, one of many obsessions. There’s a whole chapter about Johnny Mathis in his book ‘Role Models’.

So I developed my own little obsession. I had a great introduction to John Waters courtesy of some good friends who lent me a pile of videos. ‘Pink Flamingos’, ‘Female Trouble’ ‘Polyester’ and ‘Desperate Living’. I’d seen ‘Hairspray’ and ‘Serial Mom’ when I was much younger but I was about 21 by this time and just beginning to discover underground film and I was attracted to this ‘trashy’ midnight movie era of cinema that celebrated queer identity and smeared it all over the screen. John’s films taught me that being an outsider was the best way to be. It was desirable to be gay, to be queer and I should be damn proud of it. I felt part of something that was important. Divine played a huge part in this, being fat, being fabulous and playing with gender in a way that I was discovering for the first time.

It was later when I read John’s books, watched his ‘stand-up’ and actually went to listen to him speak in person that I felt he reached out to me as a gay man. He helped me to understand how I fit into society. Actually, I don’t fit in. But that’s better, that’s what I want. I want to be on the outside. John helped me understand the absurdity of real people and appreciate the ordinary but yet quite extraordinary lives of others.

He brought me to other queer artists like Kenneth Anger, he taught me about Russ Meyer, William Castle and forgotten Hollywood films like ‘The Bad Seed’.

For all of this and more, I am eternally grateful to John Waters and I am longing for him to make a new film. Or at least let the world see ‘The Diane Linkletter Story’.

Matthew Rothery is a DJ, film maker and civil servant.