Published in: September-October 2019 issue.
Mr. Know-It-All: The Tarnished Wisdom of a Filth Elder
by John Waters
Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 370 pages, $27.
JOHN WATERS’ latest book, Mr. Know-It-All, is purportedly an advice book, but really it’s simply more of what Waters fans have come to expect: lively, gossip-fueled, name-dropping storytelling, rolled out by one of America’s greatest living raconteurs.
The book can be broken down into two main parts, the first being a chapter for each of his most recent films, the second his reflections on a variety of themes and ideas. For fans of his filmmaking, part one offers some fascinating insights.
Matthew Hays teaches film studies and journalism at Concordia U., Montréal.