John Waters gives the commencement speech at Rhode Island School of Design (!!!!)

[ehrnst]

"Today may be the end of your juvenile delinquency, but it should also be the first day of your new adult disobedience. These days, everybody wants to be an outsider, politically correct to a fault. That’s good. I hope you are working to end racism, sexism, ageism, fatism. But is that enough? Isn’t being an outsider so 2014? I mean, maybe it’s time to throw caution to the wind, really shake things up, and reinvent yourself as a new version of your most dreaded enemy — the insider. Like I am. Ha! The final irony: A creatively crazy person who finally gets power. Think about it. I didn’t change, society did. Who would have ever thought a top college like RISD would invite a filth elder like myself to set an example to its students‽ See? There’s hope for everybody.

You need to prepare sneak attacks on society. Hairspray is the only really devious movie I ever made. The musical based on it is now being performed in practically every high school in America, and nobody seems to notice it’s a show with two men singing a love song to each other that also encourages white teen girls to date black guys. Pink Flamingos was preaching to the converted. But Hairspray is a Trojan horse. It snuck into middle America and never got caught. You can do the same thing."

Rest of the text and video here:

http://www.hintmag.com/post/john-waters-risd-commencement-speech--june-08-2015-1227

[djean111]

1. Fantastic!

Hairspray is the only really devious movie I ever made. The musical based on it is now being performed in practically every high school in America, and nobody seems to notice it’s a show with two men singing a love song to each other that also encourages white teen girls to date black guys. Pink Flamingos was preaching to the converted. But Hairspray is a Trojan horse. It snuck into middle America and never got caught. You can do the same thing."

[valerief]

2. Ha! Love it! Love John Waters. nt

[blm]

3. I'd say Cry Baby was also a good sneak on society, too.

And Serial Mom.

And Pecker.

[Mnemosyne]

4. He is magnificent! Met him after he gave a talk at a college a couple years ago. nt

[central scrutinizer]

5. they have the greatest mascot of all colleges

Scrotie!!!

[link:http://|



http://www.campusexplorer.com/Top-10-Weirdest-College-Mascots/

[mopinko]

6. thanks for this. a great 12 minutes.

[Coventina]

7. Waters' Hairspray is one of the greatest movies ever made.

Just my humble opinion, of course.

My sister and I reference it all the time.

[blm]

9. Hear, hear.

Will also include Heathers and Freeway on the list of movie gems that sneak far more into the flick than most realize.

[KG]

8. hero of mine

if for nothing else that the quote: 'If you go home with somebody, and they don't have books, don't fuck 'em!',

[blm]

10. LOL - a classic.

.

[bigwillq]

11. Great line.

[SidDithers]

12. DU rec...

He's also doing a presentation at Toronto Pride in a couple weeks.



Sid

[frylock]

13. GO NADS!