On Sept. 22, John Waters visited the Johns Hopkins Barnes & Noble to sign Carsick, his newest novel. In a line stretching to the back of the store, patrons of all ages waited with copies of the book in hand to meet the award-winning author, director, screenwriter, actor and Baltimore native.
Carsick chronicles Waters’s hitchhiking journey across America. He traveled from Baltimore to San Francisco, carrying with him a cardboard sign that read “I’m Not Psycho.” Waters’s book describes his expectations of what the journey would entail, as well as descriptions of the actual journey itself. He also told the stories of the unsung heroes who pick up strangers with their thumbs out.
Attendees of the book signing expressed excitement when the speakers announced the arrival of John Waters, who walked down the stairs grinning.
“He’s been here before... we had a really big crowd because he’s a local legend,” Barnes & Noble employee Neil Ferguson said.
Waters, a native of the Baltimore area, attended the Calvert School, Towson Jr. High School and Calvert College High School before graduating from the Boys’ Latin School of Maryland. He then went on to New York University but quickly moved back to Baltimore and began his career in filmmaking.
Waters began his career by writing and directing a couple of successful short films before moving into feature films. After directing many fringe and cult classic films, Waters transitioned into mainstream filmmaking with the movie Hairspray.
A man of many hats, along with one signature pencil mustache, Waters’s artistic range extends into many fields. He has written screenplays, books and publications. He has made his mark on Hollywood directing and acting. He has created, crafted and collected art.
Waters is known in the world of film as “King of Bad Taste” or “Pope of Trash,” nicknames that reflect his outlandish and shocking filmmaking style in some of his most famous works, including Pink Flamingos, Female Trouble, Mondo Trasho and Serial Mom. Waters’s works tend to reflect his fondness of ideas that others might find disturbing.
Due to his celebrity status among the people of Baltimore, however, local residents often refer to Waters as “Baltimore’s favorite son.” Even with all of the accolades he has received, Waters keeps returning to his birthplace in Baltimore.
“Well, I think I like it here because everybody’s used to me. They see me all the time, so they leave me alone. So it’s the city where people are least impressed by celebrity,” Waters said.
Many Baltimoreans regard him with reverie, respect and pride.
“He’s an icon, and he is Baltimore’s favorite son. And he’s done so many fabulous things and hysterically funny things that we did not want to miss this opportunity to get his book and have him sign it for us,” Kathy Ziolkowski, local resident and Johns Hopkins alumna, said.
Effie Dolan, another Baltimore local and alumna of Johns Hopkins, agreed.
“[We’re here] supporting Baltimore, supporting John Waters and all his tremendous... work he’s done, from film, television [and] writing [to] acting. [He’s] such a tremendous heart of Baltimore and spirit, and we are so thankful to have this opportunity at Hopkins,” she said.
Practically all of Waters’s works were set in Baltimore, which is perhaps one of the reasons Baltimore residents feel such a strong connection with him. While he holds residencies in New York, San Francisco and Provincetown, Waters spends most of his time at his home in Baltimore.
While Baltimore residents regard Waters with affection, the scope of Waters’s influence extends far beyond the city.
“I’m actually from Wyoming originally, so it wasn’t easy to get Waters’s stuff out there,” junior Edmund Nowicki said. “I haven’t seen enough of this man’s work, but I... found out about his movies, and I’ve watched a couple of them, and I’ve seen some of his public appearances, and I just think he’s a great guy... [this is] something I can really be giddy about.”
Nowicki was not the only Hopkins student waiting in line to get his copy of Carsick signed by the famous author.
“I really like his movies and everything; my mom would show them to me when I was younger,” freshman Emeline Armiteage said.
Waters’s cult classic films and unconventional style reflect his eccentric personality. During the event he even joked about foot fetishes with a woman who was getting her book signed — in particular, the foot fetish of Quentin Tarantino.
“He makes deviancy fun. So I will continue to expand my fandom of why I should appreciate this man because I already do,” Nowicki said.
