The one and only John Waters is coming to Guild Hall in East Hampton this month to perform his hilarious one-man show, Going to Extremes, for the first time on the East End. The director, writer, and living legend tells THE DAILY SUMMER what you should expect, why he loves performing at the ripe age of 80, and whether he has any plans to direct again.
Hi John, what’s the premise of the show? I rewrite the show once a year, completely. It’s a 70-minute sermon basically. It’s a rant about fashion, politics, my movies, everything. It’s called Going to Extremes, and this year we’re obviously in extreme times, and it’s about how to get through it, how to win, and go through life not whining all the time.
What topics do you address with fashion? Fashion is protection, fashion is humor, fashion is warfare, fashion is how you make your first impression and change people’s minds. Fashion is very important. At the same time, I find it humorous. When I was young, I used to spend the cheapest amount of money to look good, and now I spend the most amount of money to look poor!
That’s brilliant! What brands do you wear? I loved it when they used to say to Jackie Kennedy, “Who’s outfit are you wearing?” and she’d say, “Mine!” I hate anything that shows labels. I do wear Comme des Garçons, The Gap, Paul Smith. I buy all my clothes at MAC Modern Appeal Clothing in San Francisco. It’s a great boutique. Mostly though, they’re for stage wear. I don’t go walking around in this. Actually…that’s a lie. I have Comme des Garçons T-shirts!
We’ve spotted you in Provincetown over the years, but never the Hamptons! It’s my 63rd summer in Provincetown. I don’t vacation in the Hamptons. I’m doing shows in Provincetown, the Hamptons, and Fire Island. I’m spreading it deep, baby. Nobody really goes to more than one of those places. You can’t mix. I have great friends in the Hamptons and get invited to many nice houses when they invite me out. It’s wonderful to be invited. I’ve had great times there, but you have to pick one.
You’re touring around the country. What’s your take on America right now as you travel around? You have to come see the show to hear that! That’s what it’s about. I did 59 shows on the road this year. I live in airports. It’s a writing exercise. I do a 10-second biography of each person on the plane. I imagine their sex life, or I imagine them nude. A lot of people do that. They just don’t tell you. I’m never bored. As for Americans, they like to laugh. They’re sick of everyone preaching at them from either side. The left, the right, I’m in the radical middle right now. Somewhere I’ve never been in my life.
What do you like about touring? I stay in touch with my fans. I have many people in the audience who weren’t even born when I made my last movie. I think that’s important. Being in show business is like being a politician. I get to see my fans. I see what they’re talking about. Come to see my show, and you’ve got homework. Nobody can get every joke, but you look it up when you leave. My audiences are smart. They get dressed up for me. They read the papers and know what’s going on. Basically, they have a sense of humor about themselves, which is the most important thing about getting through life.
What’s in your rider? A box of Kleenex. Food and some drinks for my guests. I don’t have an insane rider with green M&M’s. People say, “What did you have to eat tonight?” And I say, “What I have every night! Charcuterie trays.” That’s all I eat.…