A review by arnzen
Mr. Know-It-All: The Tarnished Wisdom of a Filth Elder by John Waters

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.