John Waters
I heard most of this interview driving to church last week. The interview is with John Waters (dir. Pink Flamingos and Hairspray).
GROSS: In writing about pornography and pornographers in this chapter, you write: "I know that true love is supposed to be companionship, growing old together, blah, blah, blah. I thought that's what friends were for, not sexual partners. Some of us want hot, lunatic, porn sex and we want it forever."
Mr. WATERS: Yeah, that's true. I have great friends that I grow old with, that know everything about me, that I'm intimate with, intellectually and everything, but if I'm going to go to the trouble of living with somebody, sharing my life with them, I want great sex. I don't understand not doing that. I understand both things, but to me they're separate - that I have friends that supply all that, and if I'm going to have a partner I want to have great sex with them.
Still, not give that up. And that doesn't always happen, but a lot of times it does. I'm not criticizing that either. Every person is different. I'm a healthy neurotic. I know I'm neurotic. I don't want what everybody else has. I don't need another person to make me feel whole.
GROSS: But...
Mr. WATERS: I feel crowded.
GROSS: So you've stayed single.
Mr. WATERS: Yes. Oh yes. I've had - yeah, certainly I've had - I've lived with people but I'm not good with living with people - as roommates, boyfriends, anything; family, anybody. I'm better to live alone because I don't want somebody that would allow them to live in my house that is so decorated that it's obviously I live there.
There is something in this that I really identify with.
This part too:
Tennessee Williams wasn't a gay cliche. So I had the confidence to try to not be one myself. Gay was not enough. It was a good start, however.
(Soundbite of laughter)
GROSS: So he gave you confidence to be gay but not fit a stereotype of gay. What were some of the other...
Mr. WATERS: He gave me the confidence to be a beatnik, really, to be a gay beatnik or to be - not even to be a beatnik who is gay. That's very different. You know, you went into a field of all different kinds of rebels, and their sexuality was always - still, my friends are, it doesn't matter if they're gay or straight. If I'm friendly with somebody, that has literally no interest to me whether I like the person or not. And I'm always amazed by people that say, oh, you should go with this agent. He has all gay people. Well, why would I go with him? It's like saying he has all black people. But are they good? Are they bad? I mean, that's what counts.
So I always liked the gay people that had trouble even fitting in the gay stereotype, because I don't like rules of any kind, and I seek people that break them with happiness and not bringing pain to themselves.
GROSS: So what were some of the cliches you did not want to be, as a teenager?
Mr. WATERS: I wanted to be an outlaw. You know, that's why I have trouble now. You know, I understand wanting gay marriage. I would never vote for somebody that was against gay marriage. I purposely have no desire to imitate a rather corny tradition of heterosexuals, to me. I would owe three alimonies.
Emphasis mine
This entry originally posted at http://epporsimuove.dreamwidth.org/18951.html. Please comment there.
GROSS: In writing about pornography and pornographers in this chapter, you write: "I know that true love is supposed to be companionship, growing old together, blah, blah, blah. I thought that's what friends were for, not sexual partners. Some of us want hot, lunatic, porn sex and we want it forever."
Mr. WATERS: Yeah, that's true. I have great friends that I grow old with, that know everything about me, that I'm intimate with, intellectually and everything, but if I'm going to go to the trouble of living with somebody, sharing my life with them, I want great sex. I don't understand not doing that. I understand both things, but to me they're separate - that I have friends that supply all that, and if I'm going to have a partner I want to have great sex with them.
Still, not give that up. And that doesn't always happen, but a lot of times it does. I'm not criticizing that either. Every person is different. I'm a healthy neurotic. I know I'm neurotic. I don't want what everybody else has. I don't need another person to make me feel whole.
GROSS: But...
Mr. WATERS: I feel crowded.
GROSS: So you've stayed single.
Mr. WATERS: Yes. Oh yes. I've had - yeah, certainly I've had - I've lived with people but I'm not good with living with people - as roommates, boyfriends, anything; family, anybody. I'm better to live alone because I don't want somebody that would allow them to live in my house that is so decorated that it's obviously I live there.
There is something in this that I really identify with.
This part too:
Tennessee Williams wasn't a gay cliche. So I had the confidence to try to not be one myself. Gay was not enough. It was a good start, however.
(Soundbite of laughter)
GROSS: So he gave you confidence to be gay but not fit a stereotype of gay. What were some of the other...
Mr. WATERS: He gave me the confidence to be a beatnik, really, to be a gay beatnik or to be - not even to be a beatnik who is gay. That's very different. You know, you went into a field of all different kinds of rebels, and their sexuality was always - still, my friends are, it doesn't matter if they're gay or straight. If I'm friendly with somebody, that has literally no interest to me whether I like the person or not. And I'm always amazed by people that say, oh, you should go with this agent. He has all gay people. Well, why would I go with him? It's like saying he has all black people. But are they good? Are they bad? I mean, that's what counts.
So I always liked the gay people that had trouble even fitting in the gay stereotype, because I don't like rules of any kind, and I seek people that break them with happiness and not bringing pain to themselves.
GROSS: So what were some of the cliches you did not want to be, as a teenager?
Mr. WATERS: I wanted to be an outlaw. You know, that's why I have trouble now. You know, I understand wanting gay marriage. I would never vote for somebody that was against gay marriage. I purposely have no desire to imitate a rather corny tradition of heterosexuals, to me. I would owe three alimonies.
Emphasis mine
This entry originally posted at http://epporsimuove.dreamwidth.org/18951.html. Please comment there.