✯✯✯✯ by Astrid Galactic
Another book and, for me, another
must read. Having followed John and his works for many more years than I
sometimes want to admit up to without fessing up to my years on this planet,
he's become a habit. John's latest book Mr Know-It-All: The Tarnished Wisdom of a Filth Elder is his latest collection of memoirs,
Baltimore and Hollywood movie gossip, tales of John's daily life, and a collection
of rants and what might be called artistic ideas.
Being a long time Water's fan, I pretty much knew what to
expect and how seriously I should take his work without getting bent out of
shape over a few instances or circumstances that were beyond my personal
sensibilities. That's John. Though he would swear he's serious about everything
he writes, I know him well enough to know that behind that filthy exterior,
he's actually a fairly down-to-earth somewhat decent guy; albeit, on the
twisted side. All of that is what makes John so accepted and loved by people
the world over including some of those in, eh hem, polite society. A man who
knows how to shock yet also knows when to be gracious, and he's damned funny
when he's not being oh so gracious. Well, usually, and here's where my dilemma
lies.
While reading the book, I found that I either loved and
enjoyed what I was reading or became frustrated and bored with parts of the
book. Ultimately, I ended up perceiving it as being two different works all
rolled up into one. Let me start with what I didn't like. There were a couple
parts where John extrapolated on various artistic ideas he had for future
films, living spaces or other endeavors. I'll be harsh in saying that I found
those to be like scat smeared over the walls which John would probably approve
of as a piece of Waters' art. After a few lines of that, I found it all
tedious, juvenile, boring and just downright stupid. He's been there, done that
before and, after awhile, it's not even shocking anymore which is his ultimate
goal. Shock value for the sake of shock value. After so many years, we've
become desensitized to that and crave something more with some depth and
substance. It's now all just repetitive and, quite frankly, not very interesting.
Sorry, John, I've got to be honest and I know you are capable of so much more.
One example is his concept of a restaurant
he'd like to own. Not one anyone in their right mind would ever want to go
anywhere near. (Of course, that's his point.) Horrid food, bad service,
deplorable conditions and sure to be a big failure from opening night. Clearly,
this is conceptual and not a real idea for a personal business venture.
Regarding the food, that concept was already done by the Italian Futurist Filippo Tommaso Marinetti with his publication of the Futurist Cookbook. Never meant to be a serious cookbook but part
of the Art movement a hundred years ago, meant to break ground with new ideas.
I actually own a copy but something only found on the shelves of those with a
love of Modern Art.
If John would have condensed his shocking artistic ideas to
one chapter, it probably would have made for a much better publication. Better
yet, start adding some depth and substance to some of these ideas. We want more
than a shocking glimpse. Work up to an exciting story as we've seen in some of
his works from the past.
Then there is the other side of the book - the memoirs,
tales of his adventures, insider quips and general details on how he lives his
life. Those where the fascinating parts of the book, and thankfully, there were
plenty of those. He starts out with little stories of some of the dealings he's
had to go through with funding and creating a few of his films. For we movie
buffs, it's always interesting to learn about what goes on behind the silver screen
even if we are already fairly clued in. With John's rich sense of humor, not
only do you get some insider baseball, it's presented with an array of laughs.
As the book progresses, he treats us with stories of how he
spends his summers in Provincetown, Massachusetts as well as a particular trip he
took for old time's sake. He pursues and finds a long time idol of his. There
are tales of his childhood and how music is a big influence for him. Of course,
there's also a few stories about things that happened while making a few of his
movies which always capture the interest of many of us. He eventually recounts
Divine's death and how it encouraged him to make arrangements for his future
demise. Then there's Bill, his son. Uh, you'll have to read the book to believe
it.
John's niece Lucy was quoted as saying, "You're sick
Uncle John! Just plain sick!" The girl knows her uncle! But if you know
even a little bit about John Waters, you'd know that he can only regard that as
the highest of compliments, and that is why so many of us love John Waters so
much.
___________
*Of special interest to Tea With A Bookworm, John discusses how he starts his day everyday with a cup of Harney & Sons Earl Grey Supreme tea. One of several teas that I too very much enjoy.
For a special discount of $5 off for new members at Harney & Sons, use the following link. (Must use this link for your discount.)
Harney & Sons $5 Discount
Harney & Sons $5 Discount
Nonfiction
Autobiography
Hardcover, 384 pages
0374214964 (ISBN13: 9780374214968)
Published May 21st, 2019 Farrar, Straus And Giroux
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