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shane_tiernan's review against another edition
4.0
I wasn't really a John Waters fan, but after reading this I definitely am. I remember seeing Pink Flamingos 30+ years ago and thinking, as most people probably do, "eww gross" and also "WTF?". I didn't really get into Hairspray, but my son liked it when he was younger so he used to watch it all the time. I had no idea he had made as many movies as he has.
The book was hilarious and probably more so because I did it on audio and he was the narrator. He talks fast so he packs in lots of details and his inflection just adds to it. You can almost picture the eyerolls sometimes. Being an eccentric myself, I felt an immediate bond with Mr. Waters, even though I don't feel like I would enjoy his movies, I do enjoy his creativity and I'm looking forward to reading/listening to some/all of his other books.
The book was hilarious and probably more so because I did it on audio and he was the narrator. He talks fast so he packs in lots of details and his inflection just adds to it. You can almost picture the eyerolls sometimes. Being an eccentric myself, I felt an immediate bond with Mr. Waters, even though I don't feel like I would enjoy his movies, I do enjoy his creativity and I'm looking forward to reading/listening to some/all of his other books.
rabidkermit's review against another edition
funny
informative
medium-paced
4.0
not every chapter in this was a winner but the ones i liked i really loved. hearing about production on John Waters' later films was quite interesting and anecdotes about his life were definitely my favorite parts, and im intrigued to read the rest of his books in a sort of mara-john.
definitely listen to this as an audiobook if possible as I feel much of the humor will be lost otherwise
mara-john: 1/7
definitely listen to this as an audiobook if possible as I feel much of the humor will be lost otherwise
mara-john: 1/7
jonwesleyhuff's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this one. Some of the material works better than others, but I enjoy his twisted world view. Now, that being said, there's plenty in here to offend. I think most people reading this would go in expecting that. But it's worth throwing out there. You might have a few feathers ruffled. I enjoyed the chapters dedicated to his films the most. I haven't read his other books, but it made me want to seek out those sections of his other books. The other material was a little less consistent, but I found myself laughing out loud a few times while driving down the road listening to the audiobook.
delicatewatkins's review against another edition
2.0
Look, I like John Waters a lot. I just don't think he's very good at books. At the end, he says he's working on a novel about a woman who steals suitcases at airports (sounds boring). I've only read two John Waters books so far but here is what I've gleaned: 1) he can't fill a non-fiction book so he has to add fictional parts to fill the pages and 2) the fictional parts are terrible. This book starts out strong with Waters talking about all of his movies Hairspray and later. I learned a lot of cool stuff about how they got made, funding, actors who auditioned, etc. He also has a chapter about his favorite music and I found that interesting. But there's a chapter about buying paintings done by monkeys, a chapter in which he writes a letter to his fictional 14 year old son (I really don't even know), and a chapter about a fictional restaurant that serves gross food such as oyster shells full of jizz (wt heck, John?). Sadly, it's all filler and no killer. Don't get me wrong, I'll probably listen to some of his other books because I enjoy listening to him talk but his books aren't good. At least I know what I'm in for next time.
marmoset737's review
3.0
Alternated between fascination and boredom - relatively standard response from me to reading a memoir. If you're a fan of them and/or John Waters - this is probably a good choice for you. His account of taking LSD for the first time in decades with Mink Stole is one particularly noteworthy moment.
thebookofdanny's review
5.0
With the help of the Pope of Trash, you'll be a chimp-art collecting radical feminist with good bad taste. You'll aspire to never fly coach and take LSD in your later years. John Waters is my hero, and he should be yours too.