Thursday, April 22, 2021

THROWBACK THURSDAY: Happy Birthday John Waters!

 


Today is the 75th birthday of the Pope of Trash, the Prince of Puke, the most venerated Filth Elder alive, John Waters.

It's never easy to explain to those not familiar with this Baltimore filmmaker, just who the man is and why his work deserves the acclaim it's received. Just go over to Youtube and look for interviews with Waters. If you're not a fan within a couple of minutes, maybe just move on.

One thing I've always loved about Waters is his musical tastes. From sickly sweet '50s pop to crazed R&B to all sorts of sonic trash, Waters has a knack of using music that richly enhances the weirdest and most hilarious moments in his films.

So here's a musical tribute for Mr. Waters on his birthday.

In his first feature-length film, Mondo Trasho (1969) Waters used several Little Richard songs, including "Long Tall Sally."


Waters used this jolt of saccharine by Patti Page in a notorious scene involving the incomparable Divine and dog doo doo.



Here's the title track of Waters' 1974 classic Female Trouble, sung by Divine: 

The theme from 1981's  Polyester sung by Tab Hunter (background vocals by Debbie Harry, who co-wrote the song with husband Chris Stein):

Waters' Hairspray (1988) included not one but two songs by Dee Dee Sharp. Here's one of them:


Waters doesn't use a lot of country music in his soundtracks, but he admits he's become a hillbilly music fan in his old age. For a look at Waters-approved country CLICK HERE. He used this song, by Roger Miller soundalike Leroy Pullens in Pecker (1998). 




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