From The Tonight Show

April 2, 1997

Hosted by Jay Leno

Leno- John, it's good to see you again.

Waters- Thank you very much.

Leno- I took your advice . I went to see a truly awful movie that you recommended... it was ... Showgirls. It was on TV the other night, y'know I had some of the people on. I heard this movie was bad. I watched it, it is truly vile, but brilliantly vile.

Waters- But they weren't in on the joke, that's what made it so great.

Leno- I mean they tried to make a good movie, but it's so bad.

Waters- Exactly. You should try Mahogany. That's a good one too.

Leno-Oh that's a bad one. (Laughs)

Waters-...Other side of Midnight. Mandingo.

Leno- Mandingo is very bad. Now when they call you the baron of bad taste, the sultan of ... sleaze, you're not insulted by that are you?

Waters- No. I've had other ones. The duke of dirt. The anal ambassador.

Audience-Laughs

Leno- I don't know if I'd be thrilled by that one, but yeah I guess so. Now they're re- releasing pink flamingos. It never really left, it seems to always show up at odd...

Waters- No, we restored it. Don't worry, it still looks bad. But yeah, we had thirteen minutes of new footage at the end too.

Leno- Oh, I'm sorry. (sarcasm)

Waters-Yes. Yes.

Leno- This is truly a revolting movie.

Waters-Well. It's about two groups of people competing for the title of the filthiest person alive. It was really the ultimate vehicle for Divine's beauty and my mental illness.

Leno- Now Divine is like a 300 LB transvestite who is the leading lady.

Waters- Well, I would prefer to call Divine a very gifted character actor who specialized in playing insane women.

Leno Oh all right. Fine

Waters-Same thing maybe.

Leno-They are funny. Bad taste as it is, you do laugh 'cause it's so bizarre.

Waters-Yeah. What filth really was, was a code word for a humor that was part hillbilly, part hippie, and part gay... which was really punk ten years before it happened.

Audience- Laughs

Leno- Are there alot of punk hillbillies really?

Waters- In Baltimore, yes and many of them are my dear friends.

Leno- Have your parents ever seen any of your films?

Waters-My parents when I told them Pink Flamingos was coming out again, they said " No, we went through this once. Not again, oh God"! But yet, my father paid for Pink Flamingos and I paid him back with interest. But they have never seen it. ( Now addressing guest Kim Delaney) Would you want your parents to see Pink Flamingos? (Delaney does not answer, seems to be unfamiliar with Waters). Really, that would be abuse. My parents paid for it, but they've never seen it. They're forbidden to see it to this day.

Leno- And they know not to go see it?

Waters-Yes. I told Divines mother...unfortunately Divine passed away...even though he's dead, remember you're not allowed to see it this time again.

Leno-When that film came out there was a more innocent time I suppose. Is it harder to shock audiences now.

Waters-Pink Flamingos still works, but I know what you mean. I mean...well...we have a scene in Pink Flamingos, a notorious scene that is a man...well, he has a singing anus.

Leno-So, he sings through his rear end.

Waters- Well, lip sings I guess, and he does it to that song...the Trashmans song Surfin'Bird. You know, (repeats lyrics) papa ooh mau mau. But on the Oscars, the most watched TV show, Jim Carey the highest paid actor in America did also an anus joke. So maybe the two worlds are coming very very close.

Leno- Yes.

Waters- So is it harder to shock? Maybe not. I think it's the same kind of humor. It's trying to make people laugh, and then be shocked. Which is very different than to just be shocked.

Leno. Right, right. Well that's what I like about your stuff 'cause you do laugh... and then it's terrible.

Waters- Well, that's the point.

Leno- Well how about your childhood? Your parents seem like very normal nice people.

Waters- They are. My parents have been very loving and supportive even when I made these films that were against everything they believe.

Leno- And your not adopted?

Waters-No, I'm not adopted. No. When I was a child while other kids were playing baseball, I pretended I owned a dirty movie theater, and I would redesign ad campaigns and imagine the horror I caused in the local community.

Audience-Laughs

Leno-How does a child even know about a dirty movie theater?

Waters-I knew about dirty movie theaters because the nuns told us the movies we'd go to hell to see, and I thought "what's that called"? (mimics taking notes)

Leno-Well anyway. Congratulations on it's rerelease. Did you ever think you'd see the day when they'd rerelease it?

Waters- No

Leno- 'Cause you didn't think it would come out the first time?

Waters- No, I hoped for two weeks it would play. And here I am twenty-five years later on the Tonight Show. Anything can happen in the world.

Leno- Thank you.

Last updated on April 8 1997 by Tina.