John Waters interview with Michelle E. Moore, celebrating ReFocus: The Films of John Waters

To celebrate the highly anticipated softcover release of ReFocus: The Films of John Waters (The American Directors Series), co-editor Dr. Michelle E. Moore sits down for an exclusive interview with the legendary filmmaker himself. Get the Book: https://amzn.to/4fi63vv Recorded live via Zoom on July 8, 2026, in partnership with the Provincetown Library, this special event brings together the scholars and writers who contributed to the volume. Watch as they dive deep into the "Pope of Trash's" iconic filmography, exploring his enduring influence on American cinema, underground culture, and the boundaries of taste. Following Dr. Moore's opening discussion, several of the book's contributing authors join the conversation to ask Mr. Waters their own questions about his life, his directorial choices, and his unique cinematic vision. Whether you are a lifelong fan of Pink Flamingos and Hairspray, or a student of American film history, this lively and insightful Q&A offers a rare, academic yet wildly entertaining look at one of cinema's most transgressive auteurs. 📚 Get the Book: Pick up the newly released softcover of ReFocus: The Films of John Waters through Amazon or Edinburgh University Press: 🔗 https://amzn.to/4fi63vv 🔗 https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/... 🎬 In This Video: Good news — the auto-generated captions are now available, and the transcript is complete with YouTube's own auto-detected chapter breaks. I read through the full 61-minute conversation and built out clickworthy, content-accurate timestamps (paraphrased in my own words, not quoted from the transcript): 0:00 – Michelle Moore opens: three years in the making, from a Baltimore visit to a Provincetown library that used to be an art museum 2:20 – Why does a library hardback cost $160? The strange economics of academic publishing 4:03 – 63 summers in Provincetown: hitchhiking in, working in bookshops, and getting away with being rude to customers 5:33 – Why he's never set a film in Provincetown (and where he'd go instead) 8:02 – What makes a scene unmistakably "a John Waters film" 9:18 – The real drag of directing: locusts, sunburn continuity, and being a control freak 11:41 – His pick for his own best-directed film, and why 12:25 – Hair in the gate, 4K restorations, and details fans are only now noticing 13:21 – Using bad reviews as a badge of honor 16:01 – What his films would lose if Criterion "cleaned them up" 18:35 – The one shot that still feels "off" to him 19:02 – Divine's legendary stunt work, and today's new shock king 19:42 – Hitchcock's sound tricks, and why music narrates his movies 23:43 – Ranking his own obituary: Pink Flamingos vs. Hairspray 24:24 – The kindest thing anyone in Hollywood ever did for him 25:42 – The floor opens: ReFocus contributors take over the Q&A 26:01 – "And can I just say it's really a good book." Get the book! Link below 28:01 – Grammar lessons from a mother who corrected everyone's speech 30:15 – Why Pecker is his secret favorite of his own films 32:45 – Remembering an old friend from Baltimore's underground film scene 34:47 – On reincarnation, agnosticism, and hoping AI finds proof of an afterlife 36:16 – Confessions of a lifelong carnival showman and gimmick lover 36:43 – There are so many amazing things in this book that I'd never seen anywhere else 40:21 – The lost thrill of cult cinema, and his advice to "make it better where you live" 44:58 – How his audience has changed across generations 45:09 – Talking dark comedy and gender politics with a more earnest generation 47:23 – A tribute to Fassbinder and Douglas Sirk 51:29 – Handling the book's hardest chapter with care 52:41 – Polanski, Woody Allen, and separating the art from the artist 54:22 – Should we still study Leni Riefenstahl? On watching bad and troubling films 55:09 – Why he loves French cinema 57:20 – His screenwriting rules: three acts, killer titles, never over 90 minutes 59:09 – Closing thanks and the paperback release date Connect with Dr. Michelle E. Moore: 🌐 Website: http://michelle-moore.com/ 📘 Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/... 📗 Bloomsbury: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/author/... Special Thanks: A huge thank you to the Provincetown Library for hosting this virtual event, and to all the contributing authors of ReFocus who joined us to make this conversation so memorable.