Controversial film director dubbed 'Pope of Filth' admits he finds drags shows for kids funny
Waters also weighed in on conservatives allegedly banning books, claiming it's the 'best thing that can happen' for an author
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Controversial film director John Waters doesn’t find Drag Queen Story Hour offensive, rather he finds it funny.
The director behind gross out cult classics like the X-rated "Pink Flamingo" and 1988’s "Hairspray," weighed on conservatives’ objections to the recent cultural phenomenon of adults performing drag shows for children, some who are only toddlers.
In a recent interview with "The News & Observer," Waters conveyed his amusement with the idea.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}DRAG QUEEN STORY HOUR FOR 1ST GRADERS AT PHILADELPHIA SCHOOL OUTRAGES PARENTS
The multi-talented actor-director John Waters weighed on drag shows made for child audiences. (Reuters)
Waters told the Raleigh, North Carolina outlet, "I just picture little Billy coming home from school and Dad saying, ‘How was school today?’ And he says ‘Oh, Little Miss Hot Mess taught me how to put on bottom lashes!’ Get it girl!"
Waters, whose own famous X-rated film features a drag performer eating dog feces on camera, also spoke about conservatives banning books, and his own run-ins with conservative outrage culture as someone who embraces the taboo side of things.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He told the outlet, "I built a career on being banned. Nowadays if they ban a book, it’s the best thing that can happen, because there are sections in bookshops — right up front, near the cash register — that say ‘banned books.’"
The director, who was given the nickname the "Pope of Filth" by The Baltimore Sun back in the earlier days of his career, was candid about his fascination with "extremes." He stated, "I’m not saying I believe in all the extremes, but I’m fascinated by them."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Drag queen "Pickle" reads from a book during the Drag Queen Story Hour program at the West Valley Regional Branch Library on July 26, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. Drag Queen Story Hour is a program featuring drag queens reading stories to children at libraries, schools, and bookstores in cities across the nation. MassResistance, which has targeted Drag Queen Story Hour program is several cities, uses aggressive techniques to disrupt and generate conflict at city counsel meetings, pro-Trump demonstrations and anti-LGBTQ protests. Some far-right Christian groups support the organization while the Southern Poverty Law Center considers them a hate group. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images) (David McNew/Getty Images)
Mentioning his new spoken word show "End of the World" – which is currently on tour – Waters added, "That’s what my new show’s about, the extremes of things going wrong, and ‘Can anything ever go back to the way it was?’"
Explaining how he has avoided getting canceled even with his shocking filmography, the director claimed it’s all about not taking yourself too seriously. He stated, "If you stick around long enough and you make fun of yourself and you’re not mean-spirited – which I don’t think I’ve ever been, I make fun of things I love, and I think that’s why I don’t get canceled really."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He also told the paper that his movies are more than just being filthy or embracing taboos, that there is a discernable morality to them. He said, "There’s all sorts of universes, and there’s different rules in each one, but there is a right and wrong in each one."
Rich Kuntz, also known as Gidget, reads to children during Drag Queen Story Hour on March 21, 2019. The LGBT+ Center Orlando canceled a weekend drag queen story hour for children after receiving online threats. ((Sarah Espedido/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images))