Transgressive art is art that aims to outrage or cause a reaction from the observer. The term transgressive was first used in this sense by American filmmaker Nick Zedd and his Cinema of Transgression in 1985. Zedd used it to describe his legacy with underground film-makers like Paul Morrissey , John Waters , and Kenneth Anger , and the relationship they shared with Zedd and his New York City peers in the early 1980s.
51-715: John Samuel Waters Jr. (born April 22, 1946) is an American filmmaker, writer, actor, and artist. He rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films , including Multiple Maniacs (1970), Pink Flamingos (1972) and Female Trouble (1974). Waters wrote and directed the comedy film Hairspray (1988), which was later adapted into a hit Broadway musical and a 2007 musical film . Other films he has written and directed include Desperate Living (1977), Polyester (1981), Cry-Baby (1990), Serial Mom (1994), Pecker (1998), and Cecil B. Demented (2000). His films contain elements of post-modern comedy and surrealism . As an actor, Waters has appeared in
102-579: A hot rod . Waters was privately educated at the Calvert School in Baltimore. After attending Towson Jr. High School in nearby Towson , and Calvert Hall College High School , he graduated from Boys' Latin School of Maryland . While still a teen, he made frequent trips into downtown Baltimore to visit Martick's , a beatnik bar, where he and Milstead met many of their later film collaborators. He
153-781: A beaker of urine, and Chris Ofili 's The Holy Virgin Mary , a multi-media painting which is partially made of elephant dung. Jeffrey Weiss of Artforum considers some of the work of Cy Twombly to be transgressive, citing "drawing as a form of scrawl". The term can also be applied to transgressive literature as well. Examples include Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh , Blood and Guts in High School by Kathy Acker , American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis , Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk , Behead All Satans by MNM-DR, and J. G. Ballard 's short story "The Enormous Space". These works deal with issues that were considered to be outside
204-643: A cultural award from the French government. In 2023, Waters received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame . His friends and collaborators Mink Stole , Greg Gorman , and Ricki Lake spoke at the induction. Waters brought a photo of his parents to the unveiling, dedicating the honor to them. Waters' star was placed in front of Larry Edmunds Bookshop on Hollywood Boulevard , a store Waters frequents. Transgressive art From an academic perspective, many traces of transgression can be found in any art which
255-601: A director for almost two decades. In 2007, Waters became the host ("The Groom Reaper") of 'Til Death Do Us Part , a program on America's Court TV network. In 2008, he planned to make a children's Christmas film, Fruitcake starring Johnny Knoxville and Parker Posey . Filming was set for November 2008, but the project was shelved in January 2009. In 2010, Waters told the Chicago Tribune that " Independent films that cost $ 5 million are very hard to get made. I sold
306-440: A fictional character. Waters has had his fan mail delivered to Atomic Books, an independent bookstore in Baltimore, for over 20 years. Puffing constantly on a cigarette, Waters appeared in a short film, shown in film art houses, announcing that "no smoking is permitted" in the theaters. The spot was directed by Douglas Brian Martin and produced by Douglas Brian Martin and Steven M. Martin. They also created two other short films, for
357-671: A greater emphasis on life itself (or death) as art, rather than simply depicting a certain mindset in film or music. They were instrumental in creating a new type of visionary art and music, and influenced artists including Alec Empire , Cock E.S.P. , Crash Worship , Usama Alshaibi , Liz Armstrong , Lennie Lee , Weasel Walter , Andy Ortmann , and the later work featured in Peter Bagge 's comic Hate . Rock and roll music has inspired controversy and been transgressive from its inception. As certain other musical genres grew in popularity, some transgressive artists used controversy to make
408-403: A local drive-in , which the young Waters watched from a distance through binoculars, had a greater effect). Cry-Baby was also a product of Waters's boyhood, because of his fascination as a seven-year-old with the " drapes " then receiving intense news coverage because of the murder of Carolyn Wasilewski , a young "drapette", and his admiration for a young man living across the street who had
459-432: A statement, gain attention, or make a profit (or a combination of these). Among certain musical genres and movements, offending modern sensibilities was an integral part of the music. Musical genres that utilize transgressive themes or music include genres such as shock rock , punk rock , trap , grindcore , black metal and death metal , and various bands within the avant-garde rock or experimental rock genre. Since
510-485: A summer home in Provincetown , Waters mainly resides in Baltimore. All his films are set and shot there. He is recognizable by his trademark pencil moustache . As a gay man, Waters is an avid supporter of gay rights and gay pride . In a 2019 interview, he said that he dislikes publicly discussing his personal life, adding that he had a partner but that they both preferred to keep the relationship private. Waters
561-500: A taped line on the floor. Waters has characterized his art as conceptual: "The craft is not the issue here. The idea is. And the presentation." In November 2020, Waters promised to donate 372 artworks from his personal collection, including some of his own work as well as pieces by 125 artists, including Andy Warhol , Roy Lichtenstein , Cy Twombly , Cindy Sherman and more, to the Baltimore Museum of Art. In recognition of
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#1732773378862612-489: A teenager, "tak[ing] LSD and see[ing]...movies all the time". Waters was often on LSD while making his early films, claiming in a 2016 interview "I was on LSD [during Multiple Maniacs ], I don't remember [how long it took to shoot the film]!" He tried LSD again in his 70s, and documented the experience in his 2019 book Mr. Know-It-All . Waters was a smoker before quitting around 2004, saying "the only thing I've ever regretted in my whole life [was] smoking cigarettes. Because it
663-1059: Is also on the advisory board of the Provincetown International Film Festival , and has hosted events and presented awards there every year since it was founded in 1999. He is a contributor to Artforum magazine and author of its year-end Top Ten Films list. Waters hosts an annual performance, "A John Waters Christmas", which was launched in 1996 at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco, and in 2018 toured 17 cities over 23 days. In 2017, Waters began hosting an annual "Camp John Waters" event in Kent, Connecticut . Adult fans from as far away as Australia and Chile "relive their sleepaway camping days" with an "extra- campy theme weekend". Notable guests have included Debbie Harry , Patricia Hearst , Kathleen Turner , Mink Stole and Randy Harrison . In 2019,
714-472: Is considered offensive because of its shock value ; from the French Salon des Refusés artists to Dada and Surrealism . Philosophers Mikhail Bakhtin and Georges Bataille have published works on the nature of transgression. Transgressional works share some themes with art that deals with psychological dislocation and mental illness . Examples of this relationship, between social transgression and
765-405: Is the replica electric chair in the hall. They range from Taschen art tomes such as The Big Butt Book to Jean Genet paperbacks and a Hungarian translation of Tennessee Williams with a pulp fiction cover. In one corner sits a doll from the horror spoof Seed of Chucky , in which Waters appeared. It feels like an eccentric professor's study, or a carefully curated exhibition based on the life of
816-549: The 2003 Tony Awards ; and a film adaptation of the Broadway musical was released in theaters on July 20, 2007, to positive reviews and commercial success. Cry-Baby , itself a musical, also became a Broadway musical . In 2004, the NC-17 -rated A Dirty Shame marked a return to Waters' earlier, more controversial work of the 1970s. Having received mixed reviews and bombing at the box-office, it would prove to be his last film as
867-523: The Dreamlanders . More recently, he performs in his touring one-man show This Filthy World . Waters also works as a visual artist and across different media, such as installations , photography, and sculpture. The audiobooks he narrated for his books Carsick and Mr. Know-It-All were nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album in 2015 and 2020, respectively. In 2018, Waters
918-602: The Film Society of Lincoln Center celebrated its 50th anniversary at a gala where John Waters spoke in tribute to the Center along with Martin Scorsese , Dee Rees , Pedro Almodóvar , Tilda Swinton , Jake Gyllenhaal , Michael Moore , Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan . Since the early 1990s, Waters has been making photo-based artwork and installations that have been internationally exhibited in galleries and museums. In 2004,
969-582: The Gagosian Gallery in Los Angeles. Waters has been represented by C. Grimaldis Gallery in Baltimore, Maryland, since 2002 and by Marianne Boesky Gallery in New York since 2006. Waters's pieces are often comical, such as Rush (2009), a super-sized, tipped-over bottle of poppers (nitrite inhalants), and Hardy Har (2006), a photograph of flowers that squirts water at anyone who traverses
1020-917: The New Museum in New York City presented a retrospective of his artwork curated by Marvin Heiferman and Lisa Phillips. His most recent exhibition John Waters: Indecent Exposure was exhibited at the Baltimore Museum of Art from October 2018 to January 2019 and later traveled to the Wexner Center for the Arts . Prior to that, Waters exhibited Rear Projection in April 2009, at the Marianne Boesky Gallery in New York and
1071-594: The Nuart Theatre (a Landmark Theater ) in West Los Angeles, California , in appreciation for their showing Pink Flamingos for many years. It is shown immediately before any of Waters' films, and before the midnight showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show . Waters played a minister in Blood Feast 2: All U Can Eat , directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis . In the 1980s, Waters taught inmates at
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#17327733788621122-567: The Patuxent Institution , a Maryland prison. He was hired to teach literature, but his classes also encompassed discussions of film. In 1985, he made a film with his students called Reckless Eyeballs , but it was not intended for release and was never publicly screened. Waters is a board member of the Maryland Film Festival , and has selected and hosted a favorite film there each year since its launch in 1999. He
1173-575: The University of Baltimore in 2023. In 2017, Waters received Timeless Star honors from the Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association (now GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics). The group's career achievement award goes to an entertainment figure "whose exemplary career is marked by character, wisdom and wit." In 2018, Waters was named an Officier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres ,
1224-527: The British Film Institute ran a programme to celebrate 50 years of Waters films which included all of his early films, some previously unscreened in the UK. In 2014, Waters was nominated for a Grammy for the spoken word version of his book, Carsick . His follow-up record, Make Trouble , was produced by Grammy-winning producer, Ian Brennan , and released on Jack White 's Third Man Records in
1275-598: The Director of the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati to be put on trial for obscenity in 1990. Both cases were ruled in favor of the artists. Among the most notorious works of transgressive art among the general public have been sculpture, collages, and installation art which offended Christian religious sensibilities. These include Andres Serrano 's Piss Christ , featuring a crucifix in
1326-738: The United States from Victoria, British Columbia , Canada, as a child, he is the great-great-great-grandson of George P. Whitaker of the Whitaker iron family . Waters grew up in Lutherville, Maryland , a suburb of Baltimore. His boyhood friend and muse, Glenn Milstead, later known as Divine , also lived in Lutherville. Waters lived at 313 Morris Avenue in Lutherville from his early teenage years until he moved out in his early twenties. Waters and Milstead shot many of their early films at
1377-406: The donation, the museum named its rotunda after Waters, but Waters also insisted the museum name an all-gender bathroom after him. Both the rotunda and the bathroom were renamed for Waters in time for the opening of the first exhibition of his bequeathed collection, Coming Attractions: The John Waters Collection on November 20, 2022. Waters, who serves on the museum's board of directors, has stated
1428-653: The early 1980s. Some were videos for musical artists, including the Butthole Surfers and Sonic Youth . During the 1980s, artists such as Dread Scott created art that was so controversial that it ended up in the supreme court. In the case of Scott, United States v. Eichman , the Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional for the government to prohibit an artwork that desecrates the American Flag. Another artist, Robert Mapplethorpe , caused
1479-515: The early 2010s. Some musical artists use the controversy that surrounds transgressive art as a form of publicity. Since the late 1990s, a new group of transgressive artists has emerged, such as the Canadian artist Rick Gibson who made a pair of earrings out of human fetuses and ate a piece of human testicle. In China, several artists have produced transgressive art; these include Zhu Yu (who published images of himself eating what appeared to be
1530-510: The exploration of mental states relating to illness, include many of the activities and works of the Dadaists , Surrealists , and Fluxus -related artists, such as Carolee Schneemann – and, in literature, Albert Camus 's L'Etranger or J.D. Salinger 's The Catcher in the Rye . Transgressive artist Richard Kern began making films in New York City with actors Nick Zedd and Lung Leg in
1581-643: The fall of 2017. Waters received his second Grammy-nomination in 2020 for Mr. Know-It-All: The Tarnished Wisdom of a Filth Elder . In 2015, he received the Ted M. Larson Award at the Fargo Film Festival for his contribution to filmmaking. In 2016, Waters received an honorary degree from the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore during the college's undergraduate commencement ceremony. He received an honorary doctorate from
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1632-464: The film was "no longer happening". Waters has often created characters with alliterated names for his films, such as Corny Collins, Cuddles Kovinsky, Donald and Donna Dasher, Dawn Davenport, Fat Fuck Frank, Francine Fishpaw, Link Larkin, Motormouth Maybelle, Mole McHenry, Penny and Prudy Pingleton, Ramona Ricketts, Sandy Sandstone, Sylvia Stickles, Todd Tomorrow, Tracy Turnblad, Ursula Udders, Wade Walker and Wanda Woodward. On September 18, 2023, Waters
1683-526: The films Sweet and Lowdown (1999), Mangus! (2011), Excision (2012), and Suburban Gothic (2014), as well as the Child's Play franchise with the film Seed of Chucky (2004) and the third season of the television series Chucky (2024). He hosted and produced the television series John Waters Presents Movies That Will Corrupt You (2006). Throughout his career, Waters often collaborated with actor and drag queen Divine and his regular cast of
1734-407: The first Republican I'd ever vote for." Bidle later said: "We are polar opposites when it comes to our politics, religious beliefs. But that's what I loved about the whole trip. It was two people able to agree to disagree and still move on and have a great time. I think that's what America's all about." Although he has maintained apartments in New York City and San Francisco's Nob Hill , as well as
1785-457: The house, dubbing the front lawn the "Dreamland Lot". The film Lili inspired an interest in puppets in the seven-year-old Waters, who proceeded to stage violent versions of Punch and Judy for children's birthday parties. Biographer Robrt L. Pela says that Waters's mother believes the puppets in Lili had the greatest influence on Waters's subsequent career (though Pela believes tacky films at
1836-463: The idea, got a development deal, got paid a great salary to write it—and now the company is no longer around, which is the case with many independent film companies these days." In October 2022, it was announced that Waters will adapt his novel, Liarmouth , into a film. Village Roadshow Pictures was set to produce, with Waters writing and directing. However, in November 2024, it was reported that
1887-603: The interview did not go well, with Waters later remarking: "It turned into kind of a disaster." Waters advocated for the parole of former Manson family member Leslie Van Houten , writing in his 2010 book Role Models , "Her crime was a long, long time ago and she has paid her dues to society". After Van Houten was paroled in 2023, Waters said he would not speak further about her, in deference to her privacy. Throughout his life, Waters has been open about his recreational drug use, including marijuana and LSD , particularly with regard to his creative process. Waters began using LSD as
1938-406: The late twentieth century, the term has been most frequently applied to artists of musical genres such as hardcore hip hop , gangsta rap , and horrorcore . Eminem was a major subject of such controversy; his early works, most notably The Slim Shady LP (1999) and The Marshall Mathers LP (2000), were subjects of backlash surrounding their violent lyricism. Another major figure of criticism
1989-449: The museum will acquire all of his art after his death. With the motif "My life is so over-scheduled, what will happen if I give up control?", Waters completed a hitchhiking journey across the United States from Baltimore to San Francisco, turning his adventures into a book titled Carsick . On May 15, 2012, while on the hitchhiking trip, Waters was picked up by 20-year-old Myersville, Maryland , councilman Brett Bidle, who thought Waters
2040-428: The social norms. Their characters abuse drugs, engage in violent behaviour, and could be considered sexual deviants. Trangressive writing can also be reflected in non-fiction, such as in the writing style of Jim Goad . Subsequent transgressive artists of the 1990s overlapped the boundaries of literature, art, and music, including GG Allin , Lisa Crystal Carver , Shane Bugbee , and Costes . With these artists came
2091-472: Was a bartender at Pete's Hotel. Waters's early campy movies present exaggerated characters in outrageous situations with hyperbolic dialogue. Pink Flamingos , Female Trouble and Desperate Living , which he labeled the Trash Trilogy , pushed hard at the boundaries of conventional propriety and censorship. Waters's 1981 film Polyester starred Divine opposite former teen idol Tab Hunter . It
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2142-465: Was a great fan of the music of Little Richard when growing up. He has said that, ever since he shoplifted a copy of the Little Richard song " Lucille " in 1957, at the age of 11, "I've wished I could somehow climb into Little Richard's body, hook up his heart and vocal cords to my own, and switch identities." In 1987, Playboy magazine employed Waters, then aged 41, to interview his idol, but
2193-730: Was a homeless hitchhiker standing in the pouring rain. Feeling bad for Waters, he agreed to drive him four hours to Ohio . The next day, indie rock band Here We Go Magic tweeted that they had picked John Waters up hitchhiking in Ohio. He was wearing a hat with the text "Scum of the Earth". In Denver , Colorado, Waters reconnected with Bidle (who had made an effort to catch up with him); Bidle then drove him another 1,000 miles (1,600 km) to Reno , Nevada. Before parting ways, Waters arranged for Bidle to stay at his San Francisco apartment: "I thought, you know what, he wanted an adventure, too ... He's
2244-527: Was a nightmare giving up. It's the only thing the government ever told me that was true: It does kill you!" In 2022, Waters said that if he were to write his younger self a letter, he would say "quit smoking [cigarettes] and do everything else". Documentary appearances In 1999, Waters was honored with the Filmmaker on the Edge Award at the Provincetown International Film Festival . In September 2015,
2295-464: Was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame . Dreamlanders Ricki Lake and Mink Stole were among the guest speakers. Waters is a bibliophile , with a collection of over 8,000 books. In 2011, during a visit to the Waters house in Baltimore, Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson observed: Bookshelves line the walls but they are not enough. The coffee table, desk and side tables are heaped with books, as
2346-589: Was named an officer of the Order of Arts and Letters in France. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2023. Waters was born on April 22, 1946, in Baltimore , Maryland, one of four children born to Patricia Ann (née Whitaker) and John Samuel Waters, a manufacturer of fire-protection equipment. He was raised Catholic by his mother, though his father was not Catholic. Through his mother, who immigrated to
2397-411: Was one of the first movies I ever saw. It opened me up to villainy, to screenwriting, to costumes. And great dialogue. I think the witch has great, great dialogue. Waters has stated that he takes an equal amount of joy and influence from high-brow "art" films and sleazy exploitation films. In January 1966, Waters and some friends were caught smoking marijuana on the grounds of New York University , and he
2448-572: Was rapper Tyler, the Creator , whose horrorcore-influenced debut studio album, Goblin (album) , described graphic violence, which subsequently got his concerts banned from countries such as New Zealand [1] and the United Kingdom [2] . Though his former negative reputation softened to the masses [3] , Tyler, the Creator and his former hip-hop group, Odd Future 's music still faced major criticism for graphic lyrics present in their songs in
2499-599: Was soon kicked out of his dormitory. He returned to Baltimore, where he completed his next two short films, Roman Candles and Eat Your Makeup . They were followed by the feature-length films Mondo Trasho and Multiple Maniacs . Waters's films became Divine's primary star vehicles. All of Waters's early films were shot in the Baltimore area with his company of local actors, the Dreamlanders —which, in addition to Divine, included Mink Stole , Cookie Mueller , Edith Massey , David Lochary , Mary Vivian Pearce , Susan Walsh , and others. Waters met Edith Massey while she
2550-430: Was the first time that Waters was not the primary camera operator for his own work, as he had started collaborating with local film student David Insley. Since then, his films have become less controversial and more mainstream, although works such as Hairspray , Cry-Baby , Serial Mom , Pecker and Cecil B. Demented still retain his trademark inventiveness. Hairspray became a hit Broadway musical that swept
2601-425: Was underage and could not enter the bar proper, but loitered in the adjacent alley, where he relied on older patrons to slip him drinks. Waters's first short film was Hag in a Black Leather Jacket . MGM's The Wizard of Oz (1939) had a profound effect on Waters' creative mind. He said about it: I was always drawn to forbidden subject matter in the very, very beginning. The Wizard of Oz opened me up because it
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