BeatBoxBetty interviews Cecil B. Demented director John Waters!

Written By: BeatBoxBetty
- August 2000

He's been called the King of Perversion and the Master of Disgust, but John Waters isn't just a poster child for shock cinema - he's one of Hollywood's most respected and worshipped directors.

If you love him or loathe him, you have to admit one thing; he's always willing to push the envelope. He convinced Divine to eat dog poop in "Pink Flamingos" and made the 70's kidnapped icon, Patricia Hearst, his muse.

But his biggest accomplishment has to be that with little to no money, he's gone on to create a cult fan base unlike anything we've seen. And now he's ready to fling more bad taste into the cosmos with his latest "Cecil B. DeMented" starring Melanie Griffith and Steven Dorff.

Betty sat down with the director to find out what makes him tick. And you know what? She still doesn't know!

Photo Credit: Christina Radish

" I think terrorists are so cute. I know that sounds horrible, but they always have a good look. " - JW

BETTY: "Cecil B. Demented" sure takes shots at the big studio system, in a terrorist sort of way. Do you just hate mainstream Hollywood?
JOHN: No. I don't even hate mainstream. You know me. I only make movies about things I like to make fun of. I like the art world, so I made "Pecker." No. I'm staying in a lovely hotel here. It's not like I'm living in my car and shooting 8 mm movies. But I think Cecil would hate Sundance. He'd blow that up. I think he hates all movies but his own. He's insane. He's a criminal.

BETTY: Is this twisted director, Cecil, a lot like you?
JOHN: There are certain things, certainly, that are -- Well, we used to run from the police and I did ask Mink [Stole]to set her hair on fire once. But she, thank God, said no. So there are some things that have a little bit of truth in them, but I think I always had a sense of humor. My parents loved me, so I didn't have to be quite as extreme as Cecil. My parents lent my the money to make my first movie, and Cecil's parents said, "Whatever made you think you could direct?"

Photo courtesy of Artisan Entertainment

BETTY: How did you come to choose -- or did you write this movie with Melanie Griffith in mind?
JOHN: I didn't write it with her in mind because it's -- I don't do that anymore because suppose she's not available. But certainly when we got the deal to make this movie, I went to Melanie first. And I had just seen two movies that made me think she would do it. I'd seen "Celebrity" and I had seen "Another Day in Paradise."

BETTY: Why do you think she wanted to do it?
JOHN: Well, I think that like all woman in their 40s that are Hollywood stars, they have to keep reinventing themselves because they don't have movies that star 40-year-old women. So they don't have a choice but to kind of reinvent themselves. And I think I was making fun of myself with this movie. And I asked her to make fun of herself too. I mean, I'm making fun of myself. How edgy do you have to be? Do you have to die? Is that the only thing left to get people's respect?

BETTY: Yeah.
JOHN: Yeah. Well, that's the movie. He does die. It was a good career move.

BETTY: Recently there was a re-released issue "Pink Flamingos." What do you see when you look at that film?
JOHN: I see a surreal, happy moment of our youth. I look back, and I don't think it's my best of my older movies. I think "Female Trouble" is a much better movie. But "Pink Flamingos" certainly works, and it still works. And I retired quite confident in my mantel of silk. I'm not competing who can do the grossest thing. I don't think it was gross in a way. I think it was magical.

BETTY: Have you mellowed?
JOHN: No. I mean, who knows? I'm not an angry 54-year-old big jerk. I'm just trying to make the next funny movie, whatever that is. And they say, "Write what you know." I had two shelves of books about terrorism.

BETTY: Really?
JOHN: Oh, I think terrorists are so cute. I know that sounds horrible, but they always have a good look. And I don't like it that right wing terrorists just wear that dreary camouflage - and separatists, you never get to see their new outfits. So I really want to make a movie about left wing terrorists, bring them back a little. Because we don't have them so much. Well, we might be having them next week in Philadelphia [with the Republican convention] - we'll see.

BETTY: Speaking of terrorists, there's a lot of similarities between what happens to Melanie's character and what really happened to Patricia Hearst.
JOHN: Uh-huh.

BETTY: Well?
JOHN: Well, there's a lot of dissimilar things, too. But certainly I cannot deny that Patty's my muse, you know? But the film also has Manson, it has Otto Preminger, it has Jim Jones, it has the flying saucer people in San Diego, the cult in Japan in the subways, the moonies, everything. Jokes on me when I was young. So it's all of that put into one movie. I can't deny that Patricia [liked] playing the part of a terrorist's mother - snubbing her nose at both sides of the defense and the prosecution of the legal system of Los Angeles.

BETTY: She must have such a good sense of humor about this.
JOHN: She doesn't think it's funny what happened to her. But she does have a sense of humor.

Photo Credit: Christina Radish

Steven Dorff and John Waters out promoting "Cecil B. Demented" at the Independent Spirit Awards

Order Pink Flamingos today!
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BETTY: Your movies probably freak out the Christian Conservatives. Ever get flack from them?
JOHN: They don't even come to see my movies. I'm a lost cause. You know what I mean? And they're not big enough. And every time that "Pink Flamingos" was accused of obscenity we pled guilty, because it is. But it's joyously obscene. You can't tell a judge that. And in a courtroom, it is very different to watch the movie than it is at the Nuart at midnight, believe me. I don't think I've ever even been a target of the Christian way. I think I'm beyond the pail for them anyway.

BETTY: Do you have any idea what you're planning on mocking next?
JOHN: Yeah. It's a movie about sex addicts. And it's called "A Dirty Shame." It's about sex addicts -- blue collar sex addicts in Baltimore and their search for dignity.

BETTY: Is it easier for you to get money overseas to finance your films? JOHN: For this movie it was, because I mean, how could I come here and pitch it saying, "And then they punish the studio executives who just green lit yet another video game!" It would be a little awkward. So yeah, I thought I'd have better luck overseas.

BETTY: What do you love the most about making movies?
JOHN: Thinking it up, because it's just myself in a room. And I don't have to make it real.

BETTY: And I get it's about pleasing you.
JOHN: Me. I'm the first audience. I have tapes that no one will ever hear where I play every single character in the movie and read the script.

BETTY: What's your greatest achievement?
JOHN: Well, I try to be humble. You know? Maybe I've made bad taste one percent more respectable. I guess that's why I was put on this earth.

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