The Book, Cat, & Cat Book Lovers Almanac

of historical trivia regarding books, cats, and other animals. Actually this blog has evolved so that it is described better as a blog about cats in history and culture. And we take as a theme the advice of Aldous Huxley: If you want to be a writer, get some cats. Don't forget to see the archived articles linked at the bottom of the page.

April 22, 2016

April 22, 1946

If John Waters (April 22, 1946) doesn't push the limits it is because this American filmmaker is already outside them.

This is from a recent show of John Waters' art.







The show where this piece was on display, is written up here.

John Waters, the astute cultural commentator on all things we venerate in low culture, is back showing in NYC at Marianne Boesky Gallery with his latest exhibition entitled “Beverly Hills John.” Giving homage to Federico Fellini with an 8 ½ foot ruler, his friend Mike Kelly with an R.I.P. tribute that doubles as a dead kitty urn, exploitation and “uncollectable” books, crabs, being gay AND single, Botox, body hair, and tabloid treatment of intellectuals.
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Willing to send up himself as much as his loved subjects, Waters comments on glamour worlds obsession with eternal youth reinventing himself, Lassie and Justin Bieber with photo-shopped Botox in the series Hollywood “where they don’t look older, though they might look insane.” In another self-portrait,Waters disguises himself as the most despised person in pup-obsessed Provincetown - The Dog Catcher. “I have nostalgia sometimes and miss when everyone hated me and my films, so I tried to imagine what could make me feel like that again.”

Commentary on gay marriage is found in Bill’s Stroller with the leather studded strap baby stroller emblazoned with the name of New York sex clubs from Waters’ youth whose neighborhoods are now filled with gay couples pushing strollers. Separate but Equal - segregated MARRIED and NOT MARRIED drinking water fountains separating “the new hated minority of non-married gays who have even surpassed transgender.”

In a call and response to the fear of body hair outside the Bear community, Waters offers chest hair wigs in Hairball; but it’s Crab that Waters refers to his activist “green piece,” creating awareness of the pubic hair crab as an endangered species that no longer has a place to call home with everyone waxed as smooth a baby’s bottom.

Waters imagined magazine Brainiac gives the tabloid treatment to famous intellectuals who normally remain blissfully ignored by the paparazzi, noting that Joan Didion, crossing over to modeling for Celine, might now be outed for looking fat in her bathing suit.. ....



Here is the image caption for the piece we copied above:

Waters_RIP_Mike_Kelly.jpg John Waters R.I.P. Mike Kelley, 2014 Hand-painted cat urn with decorative detail, clear knotty pine shelf with engraved heart detail. Glue fasteners, paint cat urn: 10 x 8 x 5 ½ inches 25.4 x 20.3 x 14 cm shelf: 8 x 8 x 12 inches 20.3 x 20.3 x 30.5 cm Edition of 5 Courtesy of the artist and Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York © John Waters Photo credit: Jason Wyche


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