Waters: “That’s the electric chair from Female Trouble that Divine gets in at the very end. The Auditions sign—we don’t really do auditions here—is a Mike Kelley sculpture piece that’s supposed to look like, you know, at the Chateau Marmont where one day they’d put it up. But yeah, that’s actually an art piece.”
“This is from Guys and Dolls, a prop that Johnny Depp gave me when we finished making Cry Baby.”
A collage piece called Chorus 1 by Vincent Fecteau sits on the wall of the staircase.
“I have a lot of fake food around the house.” Why do you have so much fake food? “I dunno, I guess so I won’t eat it all?”
Fake food sitting in the kitchen next to a Magritte print of Young Girl Eating a Bird.
Some CDs from his collection, including a compilation of covers of “I’ll Be Your Mirror,” Benjamin Grosven’s Chopin, Liszt, Ravel, Keren Ann’s 101, Lykke Li’s Wounded Rhymes, Gang Gang Dance’s Eye Contact, PJ Harvey’s Let England Shake, Wye Oak’s The Knot, Yelawolf’s Radiaoctive, and Zola Jesus’s Conatus.
“This is my favorite book title of all time.” What’s it about? Have you read it? “No! I just love the title!”
“This is my bulletin board where I put things that inspire me. I think it’s just such a good idea and everybody should have one in their house, just a place where you can put images.”
Bulletin board
Bulletin board
“These are two tabloid moments captured by, I don’t know—we ordered them online—but this is Michael Jackson dangling his baby, the moment that caused the scandal, and this is Britney getting out of the limousine showing her private area!”
Waters pulling out some of his favorites from his book collection. This one is Dad’s in Prison by Margaret Speed.
Single and Pregnant
“This is a piece of artwork done by the artist Susan Lowe. She has been in many of my movies.”
“Here’s a fake cat. Just make sure people know it’s fake, because I would never have a white cat!”
Waters’s bookshelf
Why do you love Justin Bieber so much? “Just ’cause he makes me laugh so much.”
“This is my desk where I sit down every single day to write my book.”
“Now I have to take your picture, because I take a picture of everybody that comes into the house. So you can take a picture of me taking a picture of you!”
The Polaroid of me.
On a side table in the living room there’s a picture of Liberace, a Jeff Koons plate, a Yoshitomo Nara ashtray, and a photo of Anita Ekberg.
Waters’s living room
The living room. Bye, John Waters! Thank you for having me over. Love, Hazel.
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81 Comments
Hmm I’m not actually sure who he is (I should google that…) but he looks kind of evil. I really like his fake food. I would do that. And his fake cat which I hoped was real. Anaheed, are you the webmaster/computer whiz of Rookie?
I am not, but I can fix/change some stuff. Is something not working?
Oh no, just wondering. Someone fixed my HTML once, and I like computer science and stuff and not a lot of females do.
That very well could have been me. We can fix stuff in comments when we’re approving them.
You should watch Cry Baby and read Role Models if you need a place to start!!
this is SO amazing.
hazel you are so lucky!
The Blobfather made me giggle. haha.
Great photos – love his cat collage!
AHHH JOHN! I loooovvvvee John Waters!
I also looovvvee his house! Such camp and splender! Can’t wait for the interview!
May watch Serial Mom later for kicks y’all!
…..Maybe i’ll also draw on a pencil moustache…..I’M OBSESSED!
<3
Ahem, POPE OF TRASH! Also, FU HAZEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
God, DUH, Anaheed. Thanks, Marie.
I mean that in the most affectionate way of course. ::eyes ablaze with jealousy:::
I am equally jealous.
<3 <3 <3
Ohmygod. I love this man! some of the stuff he says!
“Here’s a fake cat. Just makes sure people know it’s fake, because I would never have a white cat!”
then why would you have a fake one?
He is soooo hilarious and cool, like WHO THE HELL IS LIKE HIM ASWELL?!?! everything is so characteristic and HIS taste, he is plain awesome, i love him !!!
and THANKYOU John Waters for making johnny depp look the hottest he has ever looked … ever in Cry Baby – fave boys <33
I thought the fake food was the most awesome thing i’d ever seen. but then i saw the fake cat!
i just watched cry baby yesterday for the first time!!! gah so wonderful, my house looks ver similar. oh god i love it!!
whenever i see a picture of him, i feel like growing a moustache.
Haha this is so great! My dad is friends with him and he and my mom go to his Christmas party every year. I’m actually really close to his house right now. XD awesome pictures!
Love the fake cat but who exactly is John Waters? Sorry, I’m just to lazy to wikipedia it:)
He is a GREAT movie director and a wonderful writer and a glorious man and the favorite uncle of the Rookie staff.
Holy shit! What do I have to do to go hang out with John Waters/work for rookiemag in the hopes of hanging out with him?!
I am extremely jealous. John Waters is my absolute most favorite person in the entire world. I grew up with his movies, he is the biggest inspiration in my life. So much love for him, and everyone he works with. Alright, I will stop now.
He seems to like subtly making fun of people. I bet he would totes make fun of me.
THIS is spectacular. A+A+A+A+A+A+ happy. When I first opened this page, the Lion King Circle of Life song filled my mind. Heavenly.
Props to the Mike Kelley piece in John’s home. Awesome artist who died last week. Rest in peace dude.
Oh I hope I live in a house this full of weird, wonderful things one day. I love the piles of fake cocaine and heroin (labelled of course) amongst the fake food. Hahaha.
Jealousy is oozing out of every pore in my body. SO JELLY. But seriously, John Waters is so cool and I bet he had a blast showing you around! What a neat dude.
I want that compilation of I’ll be your mirror covers!
What I wouldn’t give to spend an afternoon hanging out with John Waters! That man is a character and a half!
goodness gracious, someone’s a lucky ducky ..
I have no words!!
WOW I AM SO INCREDIBLY JEALOUS. he seems like such an awesome person…
for some reason i am beyond amused that someone as crass and vulgar as john waters seems so well-behaved, and refers to britney spears’ vulva as her “private area!”
!!!
This post will go down in history.
Endlessly jealous that you got to visit John Waters. And at his house, no less! Thank you for all the great photos :] I quite like the one of him holding that polaroid of you. Lucky, lucky haha looking forward to the interview!
HAZELLLLLL SO JEALOUSDSSDFFFSF
This is literally the best thing I have ever seen.
i’ve always found john waters super interesting but man OH MAN. that fake cat freaked me the fuck out. idk why, but even the sight of it made me gag OD. i feel like if i saw it in person i’d FLIP OUT.
oh i forgot to add that i have milton as my phone background saying, “i’m a teenager. i want to live.” LOVE.
The first 2 pictures aren’t showing up. :(
…now they are…
Dear Rookie,
You are the best website ever.
Love,
Cassidy, aka huge John Waters fan
THIS RULES
I see a beautiful photo of a very young Pedro Almodóvar in the bulletin board…
When I was like 8 my dad tried to explain Polyester to me (not the plot. the “odorama” thing!)
John Waters! This is so great, I can’t even say. Super jealous of Hazel.
I want that living room!
I love John Waters too, too much.
I know this is kind of obvious, but I love how very ‘John Waters’ all of the photos are! :-) He just has such a strong kind of visual language, and language language! I mean on the visual side, the fake food and the tabloid moments. And with words, those book titles are really funny (especially when you are kind of reading them through John Water’s mind).
I would love to have a white cat! There’s a really nice one in Collette’s ‘Claudine’ series…her name is Fanchette. I’ve wanted a white cat ever since reading these, but have had to make do with a ceramic one (and even that has taken a long time to get!).
Wonderful! What a great insight into a very funny and creative person – thanks, Hazel.
LITERALLY *THE* BEST THING EVER.
I don’t know if you wrote this with Chris from Parks and Rec. in mind but that’s totally how I read it.
Love the sultan of sleeze, cannot wait to read the interview.
All hail John Waters! I’m actually reading Role Models right now… He needs to ease up on the rhetoric but otherwise, really charming and awesome prose-wise.
– I love fake food. And his book collection. And his decor! Everything!
– Also, I spy Matthew Gubler!
why would he never have a white cat?
his living room=twin peaks black lodge!
he. is. the. coolest. person. What can I say I love people with funky quirks and from what I can tell he’s got a million! I LOVE IT
i love his twisted sense of humor, esp #11 with the celebrity figures! best thing ever!
I love the BE EVIL on his bulletin board.
I’m going to put a sign that says that in my bedroom. NOW.
his living room is very twin peaks-esque…red room, anyone? this is one of my favorite things ever on rookie (and that’s saying a lot). john waters is a personal idol of mine.
Hahahah! This is awesome! I love the part where he took a pic of you lol. The Britney and Michael Jackson figurines are great!
I know someone who has that same fake cat…
(love this)
a very….uh… interesting taste in art. i don’t think i would ever put a fake electric chair/food/cat in my house. but hey, to each his own.
anisarose.blogspot.com
To everyone that doesn’t understand why he wouldn’t own a *white* cat, watch Serial Mom.
this is so, so moving. HIS HOME. HIS STUFF. that fake cat. faux food. his tunes. all poetry.
The greatest!!! Not going to lie….gone through the pictures a fair few times now
this is so good so good. everything is so satirical. omg i wish i lived there.
ahhh, bulletin board jealousy! I love how all the various bits come together to make an overall waters-y vibe. I spy a one matthew gray gubler, too.
There’s PATTY HEARST in a photo on the bulletin board! She’s sandwiched between John Waters and a muscly shirtless man because sometimes the universe is right and good.
Thanks, Rookie, this made my day.
i can’t stop looking at these.
I’d die. I’d be rotting. A corpse.
Thanks for this great look inside the haunt of one of the coolest people on the planet Earth.
I am BEYOND jealous – John Waters is one of my FAVE people! Met him once & shook his hand – wish I was YOU, though! His art has an insightful social and politcal commentary while remaining 110% hilarious and delightfully raunchy – BRAVO!
JESUS CHRIST THIS IS THE BEST THING EVER
Ahhh, it is a good day in my hometown of Baltimore when I see john waters walking down the avenue with a bag of groceries and bright red pants, slick moustache glittering in the morning winter light. It is also a good day when I find out john waters listens to wye oak. Two baltimore entities in harmony, i love this place.
Where does he get his polaroid film? Does he have a stash of it or something?
You can buy it online from the impossible project.
SO BEAUTIFUL AND PERFECT I MIGHT DIE
John Waters is a mythical being. O_O
John Waters <3
His home is so wicked!!! And omigod I have that book hahha
that’s amazing. i’m speechless.
This was AWESOME!!!
I’m in the middle of rehearsal for Crybaby (the musical!) and have been breathing John Waters for the past month. I almost threw up when I saw this! It’s absolutely Killer!
#20 was so weird because I realized I feel like I know all the writers so well, but I don’t even know what you all look like.
This is such a cool post.
wow, I’ve never actually seen any of his movies (though I know few titles), but this man seems to be like one of these creepy (in the best of possible ways), therefore fascinating characters from some creepy, therefore fascinating book or movie that I’ve always wanted to know, like, personally.