What is *Role Models* by John Waters about?

*Role Models* explores John Waters' admiration for unconventional figures who shaped his identity, from cult filmmakers to criminal outcasts. Through essays on Tennessee Williams, lesbian stripper Lady Zorro, and Manson family member Leslie Van Houten, Waters celebrates outsiders who defy societal norms. Themes include the power of nonconformity, the absurdity of fame, and redemption through embracing one’s flaws.

Who should read *Role Models*?

Fans of John Waters’ films like *Hairspray* or *Pink Flamingos* will appreciate his irreverent humor and insights into counterculture. It’s ideal for readers interested in outsider art, LGBTQ+ narratives, or provocative memoirs. Those exploring themes of identity, redemption, and anti-establishment creativity will find it particularly engaging.

Is *Role Models* worth reading?

Yes—Waters’ sharp wit and candid storytelling offer a unique lens on fame, art, and rebellion. The essays blend dark humor with heartfelt reflections on figures like Johnny Mathis and drag queen "Pencil," making it a compelling read for those who appreciate unconventional biographies. Its mix of scandalous anecdotes and cultural critique keeps readers hooked.

Who are the role models featured in the book?

Key figures include: - **Leslie Van Houten**: Manson family member advocating for parole. - **Bobby Garcia**: Underground pornographer redefining sexual taboos. - **Rei Kawakubo**: Fashion icon disrupting traditional design. - **Tennessee Williams**: Literary hero influencing Waters’ creative identity.

How does John Waters define a “role model”?

Waters celebrates flawed, provocative individuals who challenge mainstream values. His role models are cultural rebels—outsiders who transform their perceived weaknesses into strengths. He values those who “corrupt tastefully,” using art or activism to subvert societal expectations.

What is the significance of outsider art in *Role Models*?

Waters frames outsider art as a rejection of institutional validation, praising creators like Bobby Garcia and David Hurles for producing work that shocks and disrupts. He argues true innovation comes from marginalized voices who operate outside traditional systems.

How does *Role Models* reflect John Waters’ personal philosophy?

The book mirrors Waters’ belief in “celebrating bad taste” and finding beauty in the grotesque. His essays advocate for embracing one’s quirks, as seen in his admiration for Zorro’s defiant stripping style or Kawakubo’s “ill-fitting” fashion designs.

What critiques exist about *Role Models*?

Some readers find Waters’ glorification of controversial figures like Van Houten polarizing. Critics note the essays prioritize shock value over depth, though others praise his ability to humanize societal outcasts.

Role Models Summary

John Waters

4.07(8333 Reviews)

Role Models Summary Overview

John Waters' "Role Models" takes readers on a wild journey through his eclectic inspirations - from Johnny Mathis to Manson family member Leslie Van Houten. This provocative cultural manifesto asks: what shapes our identity more - mainstream heroes or society's fascinating outcasts?

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Chapter 1

Embracing the Outrageous: John Waters and His Peculiar Pantheon

In a world obsessed with mainstream acceptance, John Waters has built a career celebrating the exact opposite. His 2010 memoir "Role Models" offers a glimpse into the mind of a man who once proudly proclaimed himself "the filthiest person alive." Unlike typical celebrity memoirs filled with self-aggrandizing anecdotes, Waters' book reads like a love letter to the eccentric personalities who shaped his sensibilities-from mainstream crooner Johnny Mathis to convicted Manson Family member Leslie Van Houten. Waters has become a cultural touchstone himself, with his pencil-thin mustache and transgressive films like "Pink Flamingos" and "Hairspray" earning him the Vatican-approved nickname "The Pope of Trash" (courtesy of William Burroughs). The New York Times called this collection "a delirious descent into Waters World," while filmmaker Jim Jarmusch praised it as "a perfect guide to the headwaters of American creativity." For those brave enough to explore the fringes of culture with an open mind, Waters offers himself as your gleefully demented tour guide.

Chapter 2

The Unlikely Bromance: Johnny Mathis and John Waters

The fantasy of being Johnny Mathis-so mainstream, so popular, so effortlessly boyish even in his seventies-consumes John Waters. This unlikely pairing-the sultan of sleaze and the king of romantic ballads-reveals Waters' complex relationship with celebrity and normalcy. Waters' fascination with Mathis runs deep. He admires how the singer knew all the eccentric performers Waters himself loved, like Johnnie Ray, the "first great white soul singer" who cried through performances and had affairs with men despite morals charges. Mathis even visited Ray as he was dying of liver failure-a connection to Waters' world of outsiders that most fans would never suspect. What truly draws Waters to Mathis is the singer's masterful approach to privacy. When asked about his sexuality in 1982, Mathis gracefully called it "a way of life one's grown accustomed to." Unlike today's celebrities who bare their souls to journalists, Mathis maintains dignity while still connecting with fans who sometimes believe "they are Mrs. Johnny Mathis." This balance of public performance and personal boundaries resonates deeply with Waters. Waters attended Mathis' Christmas concert in Baltimore-2,564 seats sold without publicity. Though the snow-scene backdrops couldn't be more middle-of-the-road, Mathis' voice remains as beautiful as when Waters first heard him 53 years earlier. When Mathis performs "Chances Are," Waters must restrain himself from joining the sighing middle-aged ladies in the audience. The most shocking revelation about Mathis? He's a proud Republican with photos of himself with President Bush and Nancy Reagan. As Waters puts it, "As a bleeding-heart liberal, I'm always shocked when anyone says they're Republican, but I've learned not to run screaming from the room." This political difference highlights Waters' evolved perspective-he can admire someone whose art moves him while accepting fundamental differences in worldview. Both men share similarities as single men who've had great lives. But Waters wonders who will surround them on their deathbeds. Waters has accepted he'll die alone-hopefully with his mustache drawn on straight. He's already bought his burial plot near Divine's grave, with friends Pat Moran, Chuck Yeaton, and Mink Stole nearby. But how does Johnny want to go? Courageously private and elegantly unaccompanied, as Waters imagines? Some questions remain too intimate even for this boundary-pushing filmmaker.

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Chapter 3

Childhood Villains as Heroic Inspirations

Meeting your idols is always a thrill, especially when they're famous for playing murderous children. Patty McCormack, who portrayed the sociopathic Rhoda Penmark in "The Bad Seed" (first on Broadway in 1954 and then in the film), was Waters' childhood obsession. He wanted to be feared like Rhoda, thrilled by the movie's tagline "The Bad Seed is the Big Shocker!" When they finally met for lunch at the Beverly Hills Hotel, Waters found a trim, beautiful, un-face-lifted 68-year-old with a twinkle in her eye about her villainous childhood creation. She admitted going through "a sad time" when she got sick of discussing "The Bad Seed" with cult followers like Waters. "If you don't have as good a dish on the shelf," she remembered thinking, "it makes you feel bad about yourself." But eventually she "embraced Rhoda way late in my career." Their meeting revealed stark differences in their relationship to the film. Unlike Waters, who's obsessed with "The Bad Seed" as a lifestyle, Patty sees it as just a role. She doesn't mind campy drag queen versions that Waters finds offensive. She saved no props or costumes, while Waters has collected handwritten notes from the original author and kept a poster on his wall for decades. Waters did learn one fascinating tidbit-Patty once took a college ethics class with Susan Atkins of the Manson Family! The Bad Seed and a Manson murderer in one classroom-crime showbiz history at its most bizarre. This pattern of childhood fascination extends to Waters' other early role models, like Margaret Hamilton (the Wicked Witch who inspired his striped socks obsession) and Cyril Ritchard (Captain Hook in Peter Pan, whose elegant foppishness captivated him as a child). Despite Noel Coward labeling Ritchard "queer as a coot," he was reportedly happily married to Madge Elliott for 35 years-another example of the complex figures who shaped Waters' sensibilities. These childhood villains provided Waters with models of how to be memorably transgressive-a lesson he would apply throughout his filmmaking career, creating characters who disturbed and delighted audiences in equal measure.

Chapter 4

The Manson Girl Next Door: Leslie Van Houten

"I have a good friend convicted of killing two innocent people during a night of cult madness in 1969." With this jarring opening, Waters introduces perhaps his most controversial friendship-with Leslie Van Houten, one of the notorious "Manson girls" who participated in the LaBianca murders. Now in her sixties, she looks back at her involvement with horror and takes full responsibility. Waters believes it's time to parole her. Waters admits his own guilt-of using the Manson murders jokingly in his early films without considering the victims' families or the brainwashed killers. He became obsessed with the case in 1969, shocked that the Manson Family looked just like his friends-Charles "Tex" Watson resembled his high school pot dealer, Susan Atkins reminded him of his housemate's sister, Patricia Krenwinkel was like their commune's earth mother, and Leslie was "the pretty one" like his ex-girlfriend. The Manson Family embodied parents' fears about hippies gone wrong-real anarchists beyond radical politics. Before they were caught, Waters' "Dreamlanders" gang even took credit for the murders in their $5,000 film "Multiple Maniacs." Waters attended the media-circus Manson trial, fascinated by how kids from backgrounds similar to his committed such terrible crimes. Waters was initially drawn to the Manson Family's notoriety, even visiting Charles "Tex" Watson in prison. He dedicated his film "Female Trouble" to Watson and used his prison-made toy helicopter in the credits. Critics rightly questioned his flippant attitude toward these horrific crimes. Later, Waters shifted his interest from Manson himself to Leslie Van Houten, who seemed like someone who could have ended up in his films instead of with the Manson Family. In 1985, he arranged to interview her for Rolling Stone. By then, Leslie had undergone significant transformation-her death sentence had been commuted, she'd had multiple trials, and even experienced six months of freedom while on bail. Waters has now visited her for twenty-four years, watching her patiently work through her shame and responsibility. Leslie stabbed Rosemary LaBianca sixteen times, feeling "like a shark" or "a primitive animal." Decades later, despite eleven favorable psychiatric reports concluding she was no longer dangerous, parole boards remain unforgiving. How could they understand her LSD-addled mindset-believing she was "an elf three inches high" who would "grow fairy wings" during Helter Skelter? Waters understands because he took LSD many times in the 1960s. It gave him confidence in his lunacy and cemented relationships with his own "family" of filmmakers. But would they have committed real crimes without their creative outlet? They never met a manipulator like Manson, and Waters was no spiritual leader. His "family" knew how to say no when he went too far. Despite imprisonment, Leslie has rebuilt her life. She's taught illiterate women to read, stitched portions of the AIDS quilt, made bedding for the homeless, recorded books for the blind, and worked numerous prison jobs. She's consoled Waters through Divine's death and his relationship troubles, while he's advised her on crushes with men in the outside world. The question remains: when is enough punishment enough? The parole board sends mixed signals, praising her progress while denying release, always citing "the enormity of the crime"-the one thing she can never change. Waters argues that Steve "Clem" Grogan, another brainwashed Manson Family member convicted of murder, was released after fourteen years and has lived quietly and lawfully since. This friendship reveals Waters' capacity for seeing humanity in those society has written off-a quality that makes his transgressive art more complex than simple shock value.

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Chapter 5

Fashion Having a Nervous Breakdown: Rei Kawakubo

Fashion is vitally important to Waters, and his signature look for decades has been "disaster at the dry cleaners." When he can afford new clothes, they must be purposely wrong. His fashion god is Rei Kawakubo, genius designer of Comme des Garcons, who specializes in torn, crooked, permanently wrinkled, expensive clothing. Critics have called her work "unwearable," "post-atomic," and "fashion having a nervous breakdown"-descriptions that make Waters prouder to wear her designs. Waters discovered Comme des Garcons in 1983 when visiting their first American boutique in SoHo-a morgue-like space with black rumpled garments displayed like wounded bodies on slabs. Though he couldn't afford anything then, he felt instantly addicted. His fashion rebellion began early against his parents' preferred preppy style, embracing Baltimore thrift shops where Divine and David Lochary would even bring their own pricing equipment to "adjust" costs. At forty-six, Waters was surprisingly invited to model for Rei Kawakubo in Paris. Among scrawny European street urchins, he was the fattest model, initially relieved to wear a relatively conservative black suit with flood-length trousers, until he saw the accompanying hat. When Kawakubo entered, dressed all in black with her Louise Brooks bob, Waters trembled but managed to beg her to reconsider the hat. She frowned deeper, then wordlessly switched it for one slightly less ridiculous. Backstage at the show, surrounded by models who looked like "drug-addled janitors or concentration camp victims," Waters realized these were exactly his type of boys. Terror struck when he learned he'd walk first. Right before going on, Rei yanked his collar sideways for a final disheveled touch, then shoved him through the curtain. The audience applauded quietly and severely-he'd made it from Lutherville, Maryland to the Paris runway. Waters' Comme des Garcons fashion choices face daily challenges in blue-collar Baltimore. At the Holiday House biker bar, a bruiser commented on his meatball-brown, permanently wrinkled polyester sports jacket: "That's a shame about that coat." He had no idea this Value Village look-alike cost a thousand dollars, with dry cleaning instructions more complicated than assembling an atomic bomb. In New York, Waters can model his "I, a Notebook" jacket made from composition book material without raising eyebrows. Strangers sometimes recognize "Is that Comme des Garcons?" He can confidently wear his hideous gold-and-copper fake-snakeskin Beatle boots or his crooked, unflattering fall jacket without sneers. New Yorkers understand sometimes everyone needs to dress crookedly. Waters' fashion obsession reveals his lifelong commitment to disrupting expectations and finding beauty in what others consider ugly or wrong-the same aesthetic that drives his filmmaking and artistic sensibilities.

Chapter 6

Baltimore's Beautiful Monsters

Every Friday night of Waters' life, he drinks. "An alcoholic one night of the week, a workaholic the other six," he explains. His shrink even agreed this seemed like a good plan. When people ask if making movies was fun, Waters responds emphatically: "No! 'Fun' is being home in Baltimore and going out to scary bars." Bars have always been central to Baltimore life-not "faux" anything, but real and alarming. Even as Baltimore changes, what Waters makes movies about still lurks on backstreets and in unheralded neighborhoods. As a teenager, his mother would drive him to Martick's, a bohemian bar downtown where he'd hang in the "alley-a-go-go" since he couldn't legally enter. What a brave chance his mother took! Though horrified by his aspirations, she encouraged his opportunities to meet kindred spirits. With fake ID, Waters got into Pepper Hill, a semi-legal gay club beside the police station. There he saw "Pencil," his first drag freak-Baltimore's male Tralala. Rail-thin in skintight black girl's jeans, angel blouse and bleached beehive, he'd screech and sashay, having nell-fits at horrified truck drivers. Though they never spoke, Pencil influenced Waters profoundly-defiantly courageous against hatred, enticing despite repellent packaging, and ecstatically living against the laws of the time. Before Pencil was "Lady Zorro"-the butch lesbian stripper from Baltimore's red-light district who'd come out nude and snarl, "What the fuck are you looking at?" When Waters saw her 2001 obituary, he was shocked to learn she had a daughter in Oregon. He immediately contacted Eileen Murche, who revealed Zorro had followed his career and "loved how outrageous" he was. Born out of wedlock in 1936 and raised in hellish foster homes until her grandparents adopted her at nine, Sheila (later Zorro) was always a hellion. After a brief attempt at being a stewardess ended when she threw a drink at a handsy passenger, she became a stripper in Baltimore. Her rage-filled performances gave her a demented, hostile sex appeal-an angry stripper with a great body and a man's face. In 1966, this lesbian stripper shocked everyone by having a baby girl, Eileen. Despite her chaotic home life with "two mommies" (Zorro and her girlfriend), Eileen was a straight-A Catholic school student. By eleven, she was rolling joints and driving her mother's Lincoln Continental to pick her up from bars. When Zorro's girlfriend left, she had a breakdown, went on welfare, and cycled through mental institutions while Eileen essentially raised herself. Despite everything, Eileen excelled in school, becoming class president. The Catholic Church proved her salvation-a priest offering work at the rectory, nuns providing support, and elderly neighbors helping with clothes. Through it all, Eileen maintained an almost amused perspective on her unconventional upbringing, acknowledging that lesbian mothers "have the same right to be bad parents as straight ones do." Only after Zorro died could Eileen appreciate her mother's influence. "I spent my whole life trying to not be like her, only to find out at thirty-five, I am like her," she realized, recognizing her mother's social magnetism in herself. These Baltimore characters-Pencil, Zorro, and others-formed Waters' cultural education and inspired the outrageous personalities that would populate his films. They were authentic outsiders living by their own rules, qualities Waters would celebrate throughout his career.

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Chapter 7

Five Books for the Happily Disturbed

Despite Waters' brushes with celebrity-jitterbugging with Richard Serra, Thanksgiving with Lana Turner, tea with Princess Yasmin Aga Khan-what he enjoys most is reading at home. True wealth, he believes, isn't about money or property; it's having the freedom to buy any book without checking the price. Of course, the books must be read-nothing is more impotent than an unread library. Waters has cataloged 8,425 books and reads Publishers Weekly religiously to track upcoming releases. He mourns the death of bookshops but secretly loves Amazon's convenience. Unlike friends who fall asleep reading, he stays up late hooked on good writing. "Never read just for enjoyment," he advises, "read to become smarter and less judgmental!" Choose hard books that require concentration. And fiction IS truth, you fools! For outcasts who embrace insanity rather than escape it, Waters has narrowed down thousands of twisted volumes to five essential books: Perhaps no better novel exists than Denton Welch's "In Youth Is Pleasure" (1945). This thinly disguised autobiographical tale follows Orville Pym, a creative child who lost his mother and feels unsafe with others. Vacationing with his father and brothers, Orville explores his burgeoning sexuality and perversity with exquisite eloquence. He collects broken china, experiments with fashion, whips himself with musical instrument straps while imagining himself as historical martyrs, chains himself in meadows, makes out with brass statues in churches, and develops erotic tension with a schoolmaster who ties him up. Welch brilliantly captures childhood's undiscovered innocence and ingrained perversity. "We Need to Talk About Kevin" by Lionel Shriver tells the story of fifteen-year-old Kevin who murders seven classmates, a cafeteria worker, and a teacher. Through letters between Kevin's estranged parents, his mother Eva explores her complicated relationship with a son she never really wanted. Their breakthrough comes when they admit their mutual hatred, allowing Kevin to explain his twisted reasoning: "When you're putting on a show, you don't shoot the audience." This cult book resonated with women who chose not to have children, validating their decisions against societal pressure. No novel in literature is more depressing than Christina Stead's "The Man Who Loved Children" (1940) about a hateful, spiteful marriage. Initially overlooked despite some good reviews, it was rediscovered in 1965 as "a big black diamond of a book." Henny Pollit, trapped in marriage to a sanctimonious bore who keeps her pregnant and lectures on "love and goodness," unleashes venomous tirades that leave readers gasping. Jane Bowles's absurd masterpiece "Two Serious Ladies," Tennessee Williams's "favorite book," transformed Waters into a real reader. This 1943 novel follows two ferociously eccentric women seeking crackpot adventures and cockeyed inner peace. Both women make baffling romantic choices and their unfathomable logic reaches peak lunacy when they reunite at the end, abandoned by their lovers yet declaring complete satisfaction. As Mrs. Copperfield explains her collapse: "True enough, I HAVE gone to pieces, which is the thing I've wanted to do for years." For snobbish literary wit, try any novel by Ivy Compton-Burnett-that English spinster who wrote twenty dark, hilarious, evil little novels between 1911 and 1969. "Once you pick up a Compton-Burnett," Ivy commented about her own books, "it's hard NOT to put them down again." Her 1951 novel "Darkness and Day," an insanely inventive revision of Oedipus Rex, features endless pages of hermetically sealed, stylized Edwardian dialogue with minimal description. Waters owns all twenty novels and has read nineteen-saving the last one because when he finishes it, there will be no more Ivy Compton-Burnett for him, and he will probably have to die himself. These literary recommendations reveal Waters' intellectual depth beyond his shock-value reputation-he's a serious reader with sophisticated tastes who finds beauty and truth in literature that explores human complexity and perversity.

Chapter 8

Outsider Porn: The Accidental Artists

Bobby Garcia is a great artist who doesn't know it. For thirty years, he's been obsessed with filming and having sex with supposedly straight Marines in his apartment. His amateur porn tapes follow a simple formula-Marines strip, jerk off watching straight porn, and sometimes allow Bobby to pleasure them. Bobby's golden rule: "Never tell a Marine you are gay; tell them you are a cocksucker." His advice works remarkably well. After years searching, Waters finally tracked Bobby down in Twentynine Palms, California. His home was surrounded by chain-link fencing, and as Waters arrived in his embarrassingly fancy rental car, snarling dogs leapt at the fence. Inside, Waters was shocked to discover Bobby lived in what amounted to Noah's ark-eleven dogs, two pigs (750 pounds total) living INSIDE the house, two roosters, and hundreds, possibly thousands of rats that Bobby fed and even named. Bobby's obsession began in childhood. Growing up in Acapulco "where I became a queer," his family later moved near Fort Hood, Texas. His mother ran a motel housing army men, and young Bobby's job was "to wake them up." By the mid-1970s, he was shooting 8mm loops in L.A., but his true calling revealed itself when he drove to San Diego for his employer (whom he claims was Raquel Welch), ran out of gas near Camp Pendleton, and saw "the beautiful boys" in Oceanside. He never left. In the early eighties, someone helped Bobby distribute his tapes commercially. He began paying Marines ($20 for "a good-looking boy for a good blow job"), and his films became sensations as some of the first "amateur porn" featuring "all straight guys." Titles like "Shoot to Kill" and "Basic Training" built Bobby's brand. Then in 1993, scandal erupted. After a stolen property arrest, authorities discovered Bobby's tapes. Despite military investigation reaching the Marine Commandant, Bobby only served seven months in jail on the property charge-"the most wonderful time," he sighs dreamily. Bobby lives in squalor with his beloved animals, seemingly unaware of his cult status. "I never knew people liked the tapes. You see where I'm living. I don't own nothing." Despite his porn career, Bobby reveals surprising depth-opposing the Iraq war ("I don't like nobody to get hurt, not even a butterfly"), watching "The Hours" twenty-five times, and maintaining correspondence with actual royalty through fan letters. Waters also profiles David Hurles, who pioneered "verbal-abuse porn," locking his subjects alone in rooms with microphones to capture raw sexual pathologies. Like Andy Warhol with an erection, he gave minimal direction beyond "Talk about yourself," distributing over 400 verbal-abuse tapes. His most notorious recording, "Ty Meltdown," featured a criminal's chilling monologue about brutalizing young men in jail-audio sadism beyond typical sexual role-playing. These outsider pornographers fascinate Waters because they create without artistic pretension-they document their obsessions purely for their own satisfaction, accidentally creating works that reveal profound truths about human sexuality and desire. Their lack of self-consciousness produces an authenticity that Waters, as a deliberate provocateur, can only admire.

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Chapter 9

Living with Art: My Invisible Roommates

Waters lives alone but has many roommates-not human beings but artists whose work surrounds him. He couldn't stand sharing space with actual people, having their belongings around or hanging art he didn't like. Instead, he cohabitates with the creative spirits whose works adorn his walls. Mike Kelley is his most prominent roommate, his provocative art filling Waters' spaces. His "Dirty Mirror" with painted cocaine lines hangs in Waters' New York apartment, while his "Wedged Lump"-resembling a giant turd with comic-strip stink marks-confronts dinner guests in Baltimore. Waters has Kelley's "Garbage Drawings" above his writing desk and his vandalized history textbooks in his library. His art infuriates some visitors, which Waters loves-isn't contemporary art supposed to provoke? Cy Twombly, the cutting-edge octogenarian artist, is another reluctant roommate. Waters fantasizes about owning his "Untitled" sculpture from 1992-not a sports car or yacht, but this shockingly ugly yet elegant piece that resembles "Godzilla's semen discharge." Critics dismiss Twombly's work as "bad handwriting," but devotees like Waters see the poetic Palmer Method of a true insider. Waters obsessively reads his catalogue raisonne like a mystery novel, fascinated by details like the footnote about an unauthorized "looping line" added to his "Blue Room" painting-a vandalism that makes Waters consider supporting the death penalty. Fischli/Weiss's work continues to delight Waters in his home. Their "Airport-Federal Express" photograph dominates one wall of his New York apartment, making him appreciate air travel rather than resent it. Waters treasures their gift of tiny polyurethane trompe l'oeil wood scraps that he carefully places outside his kitchen door with white art-handler gloves, fearing someone might mistakenly throw them away. Waters is attracted to serious roommates too-artists whose work he initially can't understand. Richard Tuttle perfectly fits this bill with his minimalist troublemaking that makes Waters see something amazing from almost nothing. His barely visible pencil line installations at Mary Boone Gallery in 1992 stunned Waters-art seemingly made for mice, by someone "outside the human condition." Young blood keeps a home fresh. Richard Baker's schizophrenic career makes him perfect for Waters' collection-he bypasses Baker's uptown gallery paintings for his deadpan little sculptures of household objects shown in Provincetown. Waters owns his handcrafted "pencil," wooden "kitchen knife," clay "donuts," fake pills displayed on a mirror (hidden when ex-junkies visit), and a made-to-order box of spilled Jujyfruits. Sometimes messy roommates are welcome if they bring charm, like Moyra Davey. Her work lives everywhere in Waters' homes but keeps a low profile, never shouting for attention. She photographs formal, lovely still lifes of neglect-the kind everyone has in their home but never notices. Her "Greatest Hits" photo of out-of-date record albums encourages Waters that nothing is ever truly "used up." These artistic roommates reveal Waters' sophisticated aesthetic sensibility-he's drawn to work that challenges conventions, finds beauty in the overlooked or discarded, and maintains a sense of humor about human foibles. His collection reflects his own artistic values: purposely homely, haughtily failed, and passively confrontational.

Chapter 10

The Pope of Trash: Confessions of a Would-Be Cult Leader

Waters is tired of writing "Cult Filmmaker" on his tax forms. If only he could write "Cult Leader," he'd finally be happy. He imagines a spiritual pilgrimage to Baltimore where followers would concentrate on what really matters-their infallibility. Filth would be just the first battle in the war on taste. Together they'd become saints of sordidness, fanatics devoted to a new dogma of dirt, ready to take over the world. Though not devout, Waters believes in basic human goodness. Brainwashed by angry nuns and impotent Christian Brothers, he rejects concepts like original sin-the mean-spirited idea that babies are born soiled. And the Virgin Birth? "A real feminist concept-Mary getting pregnant without even enjoying sex!" The Resurrection he can almost understand-Divine and Edith returning would be great, though housing will be scarce. His cult would have specific requirements. You'd need a new name-forget who you used to be. "Mr. Hatt" was Waters' code name; followers could pick an obscure character from his movies like Sandy Sandstone or Vera Venninger. You'd need a uniform-have all tattoos removed surgically, be too thin and poor. Study Karl Lagerfeld's diet book. Fat isn't enough anymore unless you gained it purposely to confuse authority. Your hair must be restyled by his unlicensed team-longer for boys (unless balding, then drawn on) and shorter for girls (perhaps a one-sided Sassoon with a W in back). Boys should never wear pleated pants, and turn their belt buckle 45 degrees off-center like Joe Dallesandro in "Trash"-the secret sign your gun is loaded. Girls, the bigger your breasts, the higher your necklines; if flat-chested, go topless. William Burroughs once called Waters "the Pope of Trash"-now it's time to live up to it. When visiting the Vatican, Waters hid in the gift shop buying hideously pious postcards. When he asked for a receipt for his business expense (Warhol's diaries taught us well), the nun snapped, "The Vatican doesn't give receipts!" Waters fumed silently, thinking his cash would fund anti-abortion and homophobic lobbyists worldwide. Waters' cult would pray to "The Most Hated Woman in America," Madalyn Murray O'Hair. She removed prayer from Baltimore public schools, put out bumper stickers reading "Praying Is Begging" and "Jesus Is Lard," and called Jesus "the most despicable man in history, including Hitler." She was eventually murdered by a former employee who kidnapped her, her son John, and granddaughter Robin, strangled them, and buried their dismembered bodies. "They gave their lives for us-true martyrs to the cause." Like any good cult, Waters' would require ritual hazing. He suggests infiltrating living nativity scenes-those "Diane-Arbus-photographs-from-hell" where adults dress as Mary and Joseph with real farm animals. Get yourself cast as Mary or Joseph, then at the height of the event, start speaking in tongues. Try "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" in Pig Latin or yell "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" to create panic, joy, sexual relief, and cinematic anarchy. There's only one way Waters wants to die-spontaneous combustion. Being so guilty and happy, so obsessed and fanatical that you burst into flames for no apparent reason. On the street. At work. For Waters, hopefully in an airport. It's a beautiful death, dramatic, internally cleansing, and all you leave behind is a really good pair of shoes. The religious lesson? Always wear stylish shoes. They won't be comfortable. They shouldn't be. It hurts to be this pure. This satirical cult fantasy reveals Waters' lifelong mission-to celebrate the outcasts, elevate the lowbrow, and find transcendent joy in what society rejects. His career has been a kind of religious calling, preaching the gospel of filth to a world desperately in need of liberation from conventional taste and morality. As his imaginary cult chant might go: "We're Porn Again with no regrets! NO REMORSE! NO SHAME! ALL LAUGHING ALL THE TIME!"

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Key Themes in the Role Models Summary

outsider subcultures
transgressive aesthetics
cult celebrity obsession
eccentricity as identity
redefining villainy

Best Quotes from the Role Models Summary

Waters proudly proclaimed himself 'the filthiest person alive.'
Mathis gracefully called it 'a way of life one's grown accustomed to.'
'The Bad Seed is the Big Shocker!'
Waters has accepted he'll die alone-hopefully with his mustache drawn on straight.
Waters believes it's time to parole her.

Characters in the Role Models Summary

John WatersAuthor, filmmaker, and self-proclaimed cult icon
Johnny MathisMainstream crooner and Waters' unlikely idol
Patty McCormackActress who played Rhoda in The Bad Seed
Leslie Van HoutenConvicted Manson Family member and Waters' friend
Cyril RitchardActor whose portrayal of Captain Hook inspired him

About the Author

John Samuel Waters Jr., acclaimed cult filmmaker and author, delivers a provocative exploration of outsider iconography in his 2010 memoir/essay collection Role Models. Known as the "Pope of Trash" for his transgressive cinema classics like Pink Flamingos and Hairspray, Waters channels five decades of renegade artistry into this darkly humorous examination of societal rebels and cultural outcasts.

The book synthesizes themes from his filmography – camp aesthetics, taboo-breaking humor, and celebrations of misfit culture – through personal essays on figures ranging from obscure Baltimore eccentrics to Johnny Mathis. Waters expanded his literary voice through bestselling works like Carsick (2014) and Mr. Know-It-All (2019), both Grammy-nominated for Best Spoken Word Album.

His 1981 manifesto Shock Value remains a foundational text on underground art. The Academy Museum cemented his legacy with 2023's John Waters: Pope of Trash retrospective. Translated into 15 languages, Role Models has become a counterculture touchstone, praised by The New York Times for "redefining bad taste as high art." Waters received a 2023 Hollywood Walk of Fame star months before the book's 15th anniversary edition.

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LEARNING PLAN

Counterculture Roots: From Renaissance to Punk

This plan bridges centuries of history to show how rebellion and alternative identities evolve over time. It is ideal for history buffs, subculture enthusiasts, and artists seeking to understand the deep roots of non-conformity.

1 h 12 m•3 Sections

LEARNING PLAN

Bruce Lee: A Practical Guide to Being Water

This guide bridges ancient philosophy and practical self-mastery for anyone seeking to reduce rigidity in their life. It is ideal for professionals and individuals looking to develop the mental agility and flow state necessary to thrive in an unpredictable world.

5 h 40 m•4 Sections

LEARNING PLAN

The Rogue's Progress to Modern Satire

This plan is essential for literature students and writers who want to master the art of social critique through the lens of the anti-hero. It provides a historical roadmap from Spanish picaresque origins to contemporary satire, making it ideal for those interested in character-driven cultural commentary.

1 h 30 m•3 Sections

LEARNING PLAN

The Existentialist Roadmap to Freedom

This plan is essential for individuals feeling trapped by societal expectations or existential dread, offering a path to radical self-ownership. It is designed for deep thinkers and aspiring leaders who want to build a life of authenticity and purpose beyond conventional norms.

2 h•4 Sections

LEARNING PLAN

The Maverick's Guide to High-Stakes Influence

In modern organizations, merit alone isn't enough to move the needle on bold ideas. This guide is designed for ambitious leaders and intrapreneurs who need to navigate political minefields and master the art of psychological persuasion to achieve results.

1 h 12 m•3 Sections

LEARNING PLAN

The Art of Systemic Rebellion

This plan is designed for individuals feeling stifled by societal expectations and seeking a more authentic existence. It provides a philosophical and creative framework for those ready to trade hollow success for a life of deep, personal significance.

2 h•4 Sections

LEARNING PLAN

Oprah Lemorin: The Pop Princess

This plan offers a deep dive into the dual nature of modern stardom, focusing on the synthesis of performance art and social advocacy. It is essential for aspiring artists, cultural critics, and community organizers looking to leverage media influence for meaningful representation.

1 h 15 m•2 Sections

LEARNING PLAN

The Will to Power and Self-Mastery

This plan is essential for individuals seeking to break free from societal conditioning and reclaim their personal narrative. It is designed for those who want to master their internal impulses and transform their lives through the lens of existential philosophy and self-determination.

1 h 12 m•3 Sections

From Columbia University alumni | built in San Francisco

BeFreed Brings Together A Global Community Of Curious Minds

4.7

avg rating

7.84k+ App Rating

BeFreed Community

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Seriously I haven’t even explored this app fully yet but from using it the last few days I am so impressed... BeFreed is on a different level from any other learning app I have used. This makes it ultra engaging and can actually improve your concentration which is great for all the doom scrollers!

@ladyInfinity

I bought BeFreed exactly 23 days ago, and I have used it every single day since. It has completely embedded itself into my daily workflow and learning habit.

@jayallen

The truth is, the app has exceeded all my expectations. I can ask it to generate audio on any topic, whatever it may be, and the result is impressive. My professional field is a specialization in psychotherapy and it is multidisciplinary; however, the answers are very accurate.

@Raguipa

What I appreciate most is how much it's reduced my scrolling – I'm spending less time searching and more time absorbing information. The combination of full audiobooks, podcasts, the learning plans are brilliant.

@colonyofcreatorsNGO

I have been a PhotoReading Accelerated Learning Instructor for the past 24 years... books and reading and learning are my thing, and BeFreed has done a great job in providing an innovative approach to disseminating and delivering information in an easy to consume way.

@BeFreed user

It is not just a book summary app, I have used the 'fun reading' option and it's a much better summary and way to grasp ideas the traditional way, that alone is worth this deal.

@austinakon

I love this app. Used it for several days and I cannot stop listening. Such a great way to start.

@jcrules328

I really like the program; I have already tested it for around one month, and I feel that it's an amazing gem. It works so well because I can use BeFreed to create my own topics, and the voice is so good with unlimited choice of narrations.

@DanielCZ

I love the fact that I can get useful, condensed, information and ideas in a 8 - 15 minute podcast style audio. I'm not a general fan of podcasts because of all the fluff, but this cuts through all that.

@BeFreed user

I am finishing up my doctorate, and have to read a lot of unfamiliar material... With BeFreed, you simply enter a prompt, and the app finds source material for you and generates an audio podcast. I find the process in BeFreed to be more streamlined than NotebookLM.

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@BeFreed user

The absolute best part about this platform is its versatility. There is literally no subject that is off-topic. It handles whatever you throw at it... It is rare to find an learning tool with zero limitations that actually delivers on its promises.

@jayallen

BeFreed is fantastic. The user-friendly design means I spend less time navigating and more time learning. The mix of audiobooks, podcasts, and learning plans is a genius combo that has completely changed my daily routine.

@BeFreed user

At the start I needed a while to understand how to create podcasts in italian language and boom! It is so great! I can ask to explain every argument and it does so well and so smartly!

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BeFreed has become my daily app for audio books tools... What I like the most is the way you put your text and come with an audio that you can listen on the go.

@kotanzu1

I love the fact that I can get useful, condensed, information and ideas in a 8 - 15 minute podcast style audio. I'm not a general fan of podcasts because of all the fluff, but this cuts through all that.

@BeFreed user

I am finishing up my doctorate, and have to read a lot of unfamiliar material... With BeFreed, you simply enter a prompt, and the app finds source material for you and generates an audio podcast. I find the process in BeFreed to be more streamlined than NotebookLM.

@Brad

I often search YouTube for something to listen to whilst making breakfast, when I'm out walking, commuting, etc, and BeFreed has provided an even more targeted approach, without the adverts and the fluff!

@BeFreed user

The absolute best part about this platform is its versatility. There is literally no subject that is off-topic. It handles whatever you throw at it... It is rare to find an learning tool with zero limitations that actually delivers on its promises.

@jayallen

BeFreed is fantastic. The user-friendly design means I spend less time navigating and more time learning. The mix of audiobooks, podcasts, and learning plans is a genius combo that has completely changed my daily routine.

@BeFreed user

At the start I needed a while to understand how to create podcasts in italian language and boom! It is so great! I can ask to explain every argument and it does so well and so smartly!

@matteo77

BeFreed has become my daily app for audio books tools... What I like the most is the way you put your text and come with an audio that you can listen on the go.

@kotanzu1

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