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Crackpot: The Obsessions of John Waters
This hilarious collection of essays by the offbeat writer and director is a treat for fans of the "Pope of Trash" and the perfect introduction for those who have not yet discovered his eccentric charms.
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
131 people are currently reading
4375 people want to read
About the author
John Waters
99 books1,453 followersJohn Samuel Waters, Jr. is an American filmmaker, actor, writer, personality, visual artist and art collector, who rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films: Pink Flamingos and Hairspray. He is recognizable by his pencil-thin moustache.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 205 reviews
July 7, 2010
I just wanted to say that I bought my copy at a used bookstore for about $4, and then I flipped to the title page and it was ****ing autographed by John Waters himself!
August 15, 2011
I'll forever love John Waters for the following reasons
1. He has subscriptions to Jet and Women's Wear Weekly magazines.
2. He hates MCI (remember them?)
3. He attended a matinee of the Carebears movie, it was for research.
4. I now know that Baltimore once had an angry lesbian stripper who went by the name Zorro, and he tells a delightful story about a stripper vomiting off the side of the stage.
4. He's a fan of Gloria Spencer a 625lb gospel singer! How come I wasn't informed of this person's existence until now?!?
5. A wonderfully sweet piece about The Buddy Deane Show, the local dance show in Baltimore that inspired Hairspray.
6. It's always good to know that Ryan O'Neal is a violent asshole who knocked his son's two front teeth out. I live for this kind of useless information!
7. His love letter to the National Enquirer during its glory days, yes the mid 80's was a grand time for tabloid reading. Did I ever mention how much I miss the 80's?
8. I didn't know that Pia Zadora and Jermaine Jackson did a duet together!
9. I now have hours ahead of me Googling movies and criminals I just now read of.
10. He reads James M. Cain and reminded I need to read Peyton Place
11. His essays made me laugh, I haven't laughed like that in a while.
12. Did I mention the lesbian stripper named Zorro and the 625lb gospel singer Gloria Spencer? Yeah I know I did but I have to mention them again.
1. He has subscriptions to Jet and Women's Wear Weekly magazines.
2. He hates MCI (remember them?)
3. He attended a matinee of the Carebears movie, it was for research.
4. I now know that Baltimore once had an angry lesbian stripper who went by the name Zorro, and he tells a delightful story about a stripper vomiting off the side of the stage.
4. He's a fan of Gloria Spencer a 625lb gospel singer! How come I wasn't informed of this person's existence until now?!?
5. A wonderfully sweet piece about The Buddy Deane Show, the local dance show in Baltimore that inspired Hairspray.
6. It's always good to know that Ryan O'Neal is a violent asshole who knocked his son's two front teeth out. I live for this kind of useless information!
7. His love letter to the National Enquirer during its glory days, yes the mid 80's was a grand time for tabloid reading. Did I ever mention how much I miss the 80's?
8. I didn't know that Pia Zadora and Jermaine Jackson did a duet together!
9. I now have hours ahead of me Googling movies and criminals I just now read of.
10. He reads James M. Cain and reminded I need to read Peyton Place
11. His essays made me laugh, I haven't laughed like that in a while.
12. Did I mention the lesbian stripper named Zorro and the 625lb gospel singer Gloria Spencer? Yeah I know I did but I have to mention them again.
June 10, 2014
It's John Waters — bitchy, irreverent, and just fabulous in general. I'm not convinced that readers who aren't already fans of his films will find much value in this, but as I read, it was almost as if I could hear his singularly smarmy voice floating up from each page. That, and The Trashmen's "Surfin' Bird" of course, which readers might remember from a fun little montage in Pink Flamingos.
3 1/2 stars
3 1/2 stars
November 21, 2007
John Waters is naturally funny. He is one of the few writers that makes me laugh out loud while reading his works. Also I really like him, via these essays. He's a man of incredible style, wit, charm, and of course a great dresser. If he called me out of the blue (and I don't know him) and asked me to send him $10 - I would do it without a second thought. Remarkable man!
September 1, 2021
The best manifesto on obsession ever written. And a terrific guidebook for those of us who have always stood on the fringe, unable and uninterested to partake in what was considered "normal" behavior. To those of us who would get so completely infected by a manic excitement at the arrival of Christmas that most of the night before was spent puking our guts out. To those of us who would get uncontrollably giddy any time we'd indulge in a new obsession. And to those of us who preferred an imaginary world to the one we'd been forced into. I was 17 when I first discovered the book, and I cut class to read it. I made some Earl Gray tea and devoured the book in a bubble bath while listening to my favorite Yogi Bear soundtrack record and chainsmoking Harley Davidson cigarettes (my preferred brand at the time and the only ones I could sneak out of the vending machine at the motel down the street from our home). As soon as I finished, I knew I had found my north star. A month later, I tried and failed to grow a pencil-thin mustache, I watched "Boom!" countless times, I switched to Kools, and when I got kicked out of high school, I wore the punishment like a badge of honor. Thank you, John Waters. And thank you for this bible.
This book is hilarious and wild and informative and demands multiple revisits. John Waters deserves a spot with the great American essayists. And why this isn't required reading in junior high schools across the country is beyond me.
This book is hilarious and wild and informative and demands multiple revisits. John Waters deserves a spot with the great American essayists. And why this isn't required reading in junior high schools across the country is beyond me.
August 3, 2007
Got a signed edition at Atomic Books in Baltimore. This is a collection of pieces by Walters, and it it he emerges as less the infant terrible and more as an endearingly sensitive soul. But then there's that irrepressible love of the bizarre that veers off in wild tangents. Hilarious!
January 7, 2017
I LOVE JOHN WATERS SO MUCH. It helps that I saw him live, so I can really hear him saying the lines he wrote. I'm going to watch everything and read everything because HE IS MY SOUL. And, man, can he recall movies. My to-watch list has grown exponentially.
To watch first: The Tingler (1959), because Vincent Price.
Some favourite bits:
pg 28 Filthy iceberg lettuce, the polyester of greens.
slam down eight pennies, which have no earthly use in today's economy except for insulting waiters.
pg 58 Every week, John, I hope there will be an image in the films that I can masturbate to later, but I never seem to find one...(once some of the reviews from inmates were sent to producers, they replied: 'Only convicts should be allowed to write reviews.')
pg 72 ...thanking God I was raised Catholic since sex will be better because it will always be dirty.
pg 172 (things that get on his nerves) 8) Overly fashion-enthused sales people in fancy clothing stores who won't leave you alone to shop for yourself even after you've politely said "just looking" five times. "Here's something I really like," they continue to gush. A stern "I wasn't thinking of buying you a present" usually does the trick.
To watch first: The Tingler (1959), because Vincent Price.
Some favourite bits:
pg 28 Filthy iceberg lettuce, the polyester of greens.
slam down eight pennies, which have no earthly use in today's economy except for insulting waiters.
pg 58 Every week, John, I hope there will be an image in the films that I can masturbate to later, but I never seem to find one...(once some of the reviews from inmates were sent to producers, they replied: 'Only convicts should be allowed to write reviews.')
pg 72 ...thanking God I was raised Catholic since sex will be better because it will always be dirty.
pg 172 (things that get on his nerves) 8) Overly fashion-enthused sales people in fancy clothing stores who won't leave you alone to shop for yourself even after you've politely said "just looking" five times. "Here's something I really like," they continue to gush. A stern "I wasn't thinking of buying you a present" usually does the trick.
July 10, 2009
Holy Crap Batman! John Waters is fantastically funny. As great as many of his movies are, I think his essays are where he gets it spot on. Side note: While talking on the phone a few years back, my friend mentioned he sat next to JW at some breakfast place in Brooklyn. I asked what he ordered and my friend was quick to reproach me. "Honey, you think he eats!?! He drank like, 6 black coffees and smoked a cigarette with each one!"
Maybe JW doesn't need to eat. Maybe he's an inediate who sustains himself on outrageous hilarity instead of the passion of Christ? Who knows? Anyhoo, I recommend this book for anyone who wants to laugh. JW makes me think of a cross between David Sedaris and Andy Warhol. Clearly his wit makes him a scathing commentator on fame, small town America, the Hollywood machine and Catholicism, but there's also a lot of love for these things too. He can't contain the some kind of delight he finds in all these worlds, which makes his writing pretty charming.
I wish John Waters could live and write forever.
Maybe JW doesn't need to eat. Maybe he's an inediate who sustains himself on outrageous hilarity instead of the passion of Christ? Who knows? Anyhoo, I recommend this book for anyone who wants to laugh. JW makes me think of a cross between David Sedaris and Andy Warhol. Clearly his wit makes him a scathing commentator on fame, small town America, the Hollywood machine and Catholicism, but there's also a lot of love for these things too. He can't contain the some kind of delight he finds in all these worlds, which makes his writing pretty charming.
I wish John Waters could live and write forever.
June 25, 2024
A true hero of our time. Loved the odes to William Castle and The National Enquirer and the chapter where he ashamedly admits to enjoying arthouse cinema. Lay off Katharine Hepburn though, will ya?
May 18, 2011
I love John Waters and I'm rating this a very high three stars. Some of the pieces in Crackpot were really fun, but having just read Role Models I really missed his more tender, lengthy expositions. Crackpot has more jabs, a little less heart, and while I can certainly relate to that at times (felt so much like writing a "101 Things I Hate" as I stood on a crowded subway platform waiting for delayed trains and imagining myself flailing my arms while telling everyone they're horrible) it's not as fulfilling as the disgusting-yet-love-fueled stuff.
"Whatever Happened to Showmanship" was great, made me want to hang out in arthouse theatres pranking people, and "How To Become Famous" toes that line between being serious and admonishing and being ridiculous really successfully. In part I think I would have enjoyed this collection more if the cultural icons were more notable today (sorry, Pia Zadora). Oh, I also really loved the chapter about the Buddy Deane Show, really fun to read "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Nicest Kids in Town," having already seen Hairspray.
"Whatever Happened to Showmanship" was great, made me want to hang out in arthouse theatres pranking people, and "How To Become Famous" toes that line between being serious and admonishing and being ridiculous really successfully. In part I think I would have enjoyed this collection more if the cultural icons were more notable today (sorry, Pia Zadora). Oh, I also really loved the chapter about the Buddy Deane Show, really fun to read "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Nicest Kids in Town," having already seen Hairspray.
August 2, 2022
Als ik later groot ben, word ik John Waters.
June 30, 2025
4/5 - a hilarious, witty, and trashy collection tales only John Waters could tell.
February 7, 2009
When first reading this book, I truly got the concept of "write what you know." John Waters certainly did! I love this book. I'll reread it occasionaly for a pick-me-up. I wasn't really what you'd call a fan of his early films, but I really grew to appreciate his twisted sense of humor and viewpoint from reading these essays. He writes about the real dance show that was his inspiration for the movie "Hairspray", details his favorite guilty-pleasure films, and has an in-depth interview with Pia Zadora.
Among my favorites are Why I Love Christmas (his favorite banned toy: Gobbles the Garbage Eating Goat), Going to Jail (where he describes his stint as a film teacher to hardcore criminals in prison), John Waters Tour of LA (from which I picked up the term "female female impersonator"), and Hatchet Piece, or 101 Things I Hate (an inspiration of my own 101 Things I Hate list).
Among my favorites are Why I Love Christmas (his favorite banned toy: Gobbles the Garbage Eating Goat), Going to Jail (where he describes his stint as a film teacher to hardcore criminals in prison), John Waters Tour of LA (from which I picked up the term "female female impersonator"), and Hatchet Piece, or 101 Things I Hate (an inspiration of my own 101 Things I Hate list).
August 15, 2016
Goddam, John Waters is great. I've never been disappointed by him once. Ever. He is a god! A filth god. Haha. Films, writing, art, etc. What more can you ask from this magnificent, ex-con loving, pencil stash wearing, crime buff? I would love to hang out with him any day of the week, every day of the week!! He is an inspiration.
June 10, 2008
All I have to say is Waters is an even better essayist than he is a filmmaker. Also, if a cross between Miss Manners and Luis Bunuel appeals to you, what are you waiting for? For the obsessive, seek out the books on tape for both this one and SHOCK VALUE--they're abridged, but delicious.
October 8, 2017
El ensayo ‘¿Dónde está el talento creativo?’ es imprescindible para una historia de la interacción de la proyección cinematográfica con el público.
January 9, 2018
3.5 stars. A really fun read from the Pope of Trash. Reminds me of David Sedaris, but more absurd and trashy and with way more film references. Now I really want to find Dirty Laundry candy and a toy goat called Gobbles that eats fake plastic pieces of garbage. John Waters is a delight.
December 28, 2024
It's oddly prescient. Waters was firing kook randomly into the air but somehow predicted the rise of social media fame and hate- following 35 years in advance. I very much prefer his writing over his films.
The later essays contain a bit less gold but are still worth taking in. He must be a fun friend.
The later essays contain a bit less gold but are still worth taking in. He must be a fun friend.
Read
December 1, 2024Beter dan ilja leonard pfeiffer
December 8, 2024
Love a gay guy who speak in cultural references and snide judgments
September 21, 2025
What a nut. I love this freak.
September 6, 2024
father
August 16, 2025
I like and respect John Waters. His perspectives on life are extremely observant and very witty. This book is a collection of essays ranging from serious to silly. My edition had bonus updated content at the end, which was the weakest part of the book. I think the original edition might be perfect.
September 3, 2021
Absolutely hilarious! As per usual with Waters texts, they are a snapshot of who is who of the (obscure) tabloid press from the time of the writing. I was not around at that time, so it makes my search history colorful, and I love it!
My two favourite texts are the ones about the Buddy Dean show, and Christmas. The first because it gave me so much more understanding of the phenomenon Hairspray, and the latter was like reading about my awfully shredded; perversely entertaining.
Read it, laugh, and make your own list of what you would do if you ruled the world.
My two favourite texts are the ones about the Buddy Dean show, and Christmas. The first because it gave me so much more understanding of the phenomenon Hairspray, and the latter was like reading about my awfully shredded; perversely entertaining.
Read it, laugh, and make your own list of what you would do if you ruled the world.
December 3, 2021
Another book great for interspersing between chapters of more heady literature. I know Ozu’s interspersed landscape shots are ‘pillow shots’ but ‘pillow book’?Maybe ‘cigarette books’?
I was listening to a couple recent John Waters interviews and noticed he offhandedly made references most of things covered by the book. It was nice to get know he hasn’t changed and nicer to feel ‘in’ by getting his references.
I was disappointed the book ends with a slight piece and no send off but looking back at the chapters, I remembered I avoided the Director’s Commentary so I could wrap up with it. Great ending, too bad they put it at the start of the book.
I was listening to a couple recent John Waters interviews and noticed he offhandedly made references most of things covered by the book. It was nice to get know he hasn’t changed and nicer to feel ‘in’ by getting his references.
I was disappointed the book ends with a slight piece and no send off but looking back at the chapters, I remembered I avoided the Director’s Commentary so I could wrap up with it. Great ending, too bad they put it at the start of the book.
January 2, 2025
i found this really endearing, artistically inspiring and genuinely hilarious. i relate to waters’ taste for spectacle and absurdity. i can’t tell how seriously to take him and i find it amusing.
some essays were a flop or too niche for me to resonate w (abt movies i’d never seen, etc) but most essay collections are such…
best essays, in no particular order:
- Hatchet Piece (101 Things I hate)
- Whatever Happened to Showmanship?
- Why I Love the National Enquirer
- Why I Love Christmas
some essays were a flop or too niche for me to resonate w (abt movies i’d never seen, etc) but most essay collections are such…
best essays, in no particular order:
- Hatchet Piece (101 Things I hate)
- Whatever Happened to Showmanship?
- Why I Love the National Enquirer
- Why I Love Christmas
February 4, 2021
John Waters never ceases to amaze me. This is a collection of essays with a few extras for the new edition. Because this was originally published in the 'Eighties, and a lot of his views have changed since then. In his commentary he lists all the things he wouldn't say now. But I love hearing about his appreciation of William Castle movies. His bit on the things he hates (and the things he loves) is astonishing and deranged. His love for ghoulish behavior doesn't surprise me. Being a prison teacher sounds kind of like an interesting job, especially if your name happens to be John Waters and they let you screen your films for murders and rapists. But my absolute favorite of all of this is his piece on how to become famous and stay famous. It gets pretty dark the longer you read it. At one point he suggests killing someone famous. If you're famous and your star is waning, perhaps kill yourself in an outlandish way. It's crazy, and I love it.
It should also be mentioned that there are some of his IFS speeches here, and he suggests that Hollywood actors start shooting sex scenes depicting actual penetration. He pointed specifically to Chloe Sevigny to do something like this. He notes in his footnotes, just barely after I registered the irony of it, that she must have followed his advice considering what is in The Brown Bunny.
I also like his job application for President. But you've heard me ramble on enough. Just buy the book, willya?
It should also be mentioned that there are some of his IFS speeches here, and he suggests that Hollywood actors start shooting sex scenes depicting actual penetration. He pointed specifically to Chloe Sevigny to do something like this. He notes in his footnotes, just barely after I registered the irony of it, that she must have followed his advice considering what is in The Brown Bunny.
I also like his job application for President. But you've heard me ramble on enough. Just buy the book, willya?
July 19, 2009
There were many good quotes, but my favorite would have to be:
"Just because you go to the gym doesn't mean the world wants to see your nude body. Try going to the library...then I'd like to see you naked."
-Stalker, p. 195
The difference between 3 and 4 stars for this book would be me understanding all of his jokes. I just have no idea who he's talking about most of the time. I wonder how many people actually do. Other than that, I laughed out loud a few times. I have a few hairstyles to google.
"Just because you go to the gym doesn't mean the world wants to see your nude body. Try going to the library...then I'd like to see you naked."
-Stalker, p. 195
The difference between 3 and 4 stars for this book would be me understanding all of his jokes. I just have no idea who he's talking about most of the time. I wonder how many people actually do. Other than that, I laughed out loud a few times. I have a few hairstyles to google.
December 28, 2016
John Waters is a thoroughly entertaining writer, and his writing is like food for the soul...the sarcastic, acerbic soul which thrives on bad taste. But you know...in a good way.
My favorites from this book are Hatchet Piece (101 Things I Hate), Going to Jail, Puff Piece (101 Things I Love), and Why I Love Christmas. They're the kind of essays I can see myself re-reading, because they stick in your mind and you're sure to have a craving for them after you've read them once. If you're at all familiar with LA, John Waters' Tour of LA (1985) is also pretty great.
My favorites from this book are Hatchet Piece (101 Things I Hate), Going to Jail, Puff Piece (101 Things I Love), and Why I Love Christmas. They're the kind of essays I can see myself re-reading, because they stick in your mind and you're sure to have a craving for them after you've read them once. If you're at all familiar with LA, John Waters' Tour of LA (1985) is also pretty great.
October 5, 2008
Crackpot is a series of short articles by Waters, and is filled with his particularly twisted sensibilities. If you appreciate his sense of humor this is a delightful compendium. If you are someone who does not get Waters, it might not be your cup of tea. I find him a very entertaining, wild character, and much enjoy his observations.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 205 reviews