MUST-READ BOOK OF THE MONTH (AND MAYBE THE YEAR)!!!

The one and only John Waters: to me, a more heroic figure than George Washington by a long shot.

There is a short list of people whom I consider to be my heroes while growing up and even today, people whose unique contributions to the world have directly influenced my interests and ways of thinking and perceiving the world, and at the top of the list stands filmmaker, writer, artist, actor, spoken word performer and all-around completely awesome human being, the one and only John Waters.

Self-evidently quite intelligent, classy, a self-proclaimed "sports bigot, and the utterly subversive purveyor of some of the most vile and simultaneously hilarious films ever made, John Waters entered my life when I, at the age of sixteen, went to see a midnight show of his bad taste classic
PINK FLAMINGOS (1972). I went to see that flick with only the germ of a clue as to what it was, thanks to an installment of Siskel and Ebert's SNEAK PREVIEWS show on PBS that focused on cult films, and the two of them described it as being so foul that virtually none of it could used as a representative clip on TV, not even on the uncensored airwaves of Public Broadcasting, so of course I had to see it. That experience changed my life and I have been devoted to the guy's work ever since, making sure to see each new Waters film on opening day in the theater.

His writing is every bit as funny and entertaining as his movies, and I have yet to read any of his books or essays that have not been well-written and well worth my time, so when I saw his latest work, ROLE MODELS, sitting unheralded on a bookstore display table, I stopped dead in my tracks and brought it to the cashier without a moment's hesitation.

I still have to finish reading FOXY, Pam Grier's recently-released autobiography (which is compelling read, mind you), but I can't wait to get through it so I can read some fresh words from my favorite uncle, or "filth elder," if you will.

If you, like me, are John Waters' bitch for life, be aware that the books is out and that I will report back to you with a full review as soon as my odd schedule allows. I'm more than a little backlogged on material for this blog, but this has been bumped to just near the top of the list of "to do" reviews, so stay tuned, dear Vaulties!