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bendy_'s review against another edition
dark
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
kevinjloder's review against another edition
3.0
I'm a fan of *listening* to John Waters. I've enjoyed his stand-up comedies & any guest appearance. As for this book, getting into the weeds of his films, half of which I've never seen, and some creative writing, I personally wasn't quite interested enough. I switched to the audiobook since I'm fond of his voice, to avoid this becoming a DNF book. So, although this book may be a bit of a long stretch for an average fan, it's likely an absolute delight for his number one fans.
beththebookdragon's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not a Waters fan but I enjoy many of his ideas and commentary, and his profound odd-yet-oddly-solid beliefs. Good reading if really gross in places.
eleellis's review against another edition
4.0
Well, here's the thing to keep in mind when it comes to Mr. Know-It-All by John Waters - the information in the book is profane and can be descriptively graphic, but what tempers that is Waters' writing does not appear to be of the style to demean or to humiliate with venom. It is more of a style of telling things like they are and not being shy about it.
Mr. Know-It-All is a humorous memoir by John Waters that covers almost any topic imaginable: From his growing up, movie making, his unapologetic lifestyle, to his openness about all matters related to his sexuality, to current popular culture.
An overall, humourous and entertaining book, especially for those familiar with John Waters.
Mr. Know-It-All is a humorous memoir by John Waters that covers almost any topic imaginable: From his growing up, movie making, his unapologetic lifestyle, to his openness about all matters related to his sexuality, to current popular culture.
An overall, humourous and entertaining book, especially for those familiar with John Waters.
rlinz123's review against another edition
funny
medium-paced
3.0
I loved the chapters about his movies. But there is a lot of name-dropping and unnecessary complaints (about air travel, dog-friendly beaches, fat people). I did enjoy reading about John Waters and Mink Stole taking LSD as seniors!
p0tat0's review against another edition
3.0
John Waters is one of my favorite people and this book is worth reading to hear about his LSD trip with Mink Stole alone. Some of the essays got kind of unwieldy, but in general I enjoyed this book.
arnzen's review against another edition
4.0
After seeing John Waters deliver a really good graduation speech on youtube, I wanted to hear more of this "filth elder's" advice to outsiders: he's quirky, hilarious and yet keeps it real. The book is strangely motivating and always charming, for a book that is essentially a memoir about surviving the alternative lifestyle until age 70 (and living it large...there are a lot of surprising revelations in here, I think) and making (mostly underground/cult) movies. The audiobook is a fabulous treat. His insider/backstage looks at actors and his reflections on doing crazy things with celebrities was mildly interesting, but Waters' probing of his own motives, psychology and attitude was far more engaging, and I laughed and even identified a lot. His motivation for artists to just be as weird as they want to be is a winner. A tribute to libertines who have survived the late 20th century, and a mostly good discussion of the generation-gap today and how times have changed, without being obnoxiously older or holier-than-thou. Indeed, John Waters is hipper than any hipster and kingly cool. Waters deserves his success and he earned the right to tell these stories with authority. Definitely opt for hearing him tell these stories on audio; his personality comes beaming through, as if you were sitting on a velvet couch right next to him, sipping cocktails.
muffmacguff's review against another edition
3.0
There’s a good deal to enjoy in this book and also quite a bit of rambling that’s kind of a chore to get through. My favorite parts were all at the beginning, where he discusses the productions of all his movies from Polyester through the present. I also liked his lengthy essay on art by primates toward the end.