The filthiest of the filthy showed up at Grand Center’s Sheldon Concert Hall Monday night for John Waters’ solo performance of This Filthy World.
Sans props or audio aides, the minimalist monologue featured Waters onstage for just short of two hours, discussing everything from child contortionists to the best form of capital punishment: the gas chamber. Why? An audience can watch you bang your head against the glass as you scream, "I want to live!" Waters said to giddy audience laughter.
Throughout the night, Waters discussed the process of making several of his movies, including Mondo Trasho, starring the late actress Divine in a Maryland pig pen for nine hours.
Waters also shared his childhood fascination with car crashes, and joked that after showing his films to prison inmates, murderers and rapists told him: "You are fucked up!"
The 62-year-old filmmaker quipped on a range of pop culture happenings, including John Waters' look-a-like contests (lesbians always win!) and favorite headlines from the New York Post; The death of Ike Turner prompted the headline: Ike beats Tina to death.
This being an election year, politics did not escape Waters’ mention. The election button he designed says "Vote Twice."
Sarah Palin’s future son-in-law Levi Johnson, 18, is a favorite, Waters told the audience.
"Who I really like is Levi," Waters said. "His gun is loaded. He’s the impregnator."
"One day little Levi is going to be in one of my movies."
Following the show, Waters' took questions from the audience before going to a table to sign autographs. The line snaked around the room as people presented Waters with books and movies to sign as he posed for photographs.
John Waters' name has come up in St. Louis media often over the last few weeks, with his films being shown at Laumeier Sculpture Park in September. And on Saturday, Artistically Incorrect: The Photographs and Sculpture of John Waters, opened at Laumeier Sculpture Park.
Lastly, this very paper published a piece about both appearances in "Waters, Waters Everywhere: Filmmaker John Waters is all over St. Louis — but not where you might expect to find him."
