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05-23-15: A 2015 Interview with John Waters

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"...you change how you would be in real life...”
—John Waters

So yes, John Waters is pretty much exactly the fellow I'd hoped him to be. As we sit down to talk about 'Carsick,' he seems fresh, engaged and ready to go. I'm guessing that I'm about the 3,000th person to speak with him about the book, but he's so charming and such a great speaker that I forget any of that and find myself very much in the here-and-now of KUSP's giant conference room, where we are settled down to chat.

Much of this is down to Waters' immense but light-hearted presence. He is a life-of-the-party guy, but sort of low-key as well. He's happy to be where he is at the moment and in his life. And as we settle down to talk about his book, he's happy to indulge himself in his own very funny and interesting opinions.

We talked about his happiest and most dire versions of trip, and how he crafted the fiction. Waters writes ion longhand, all of his drafts, and there are many. Yes, the writing feels polished, but it also has a sort of rough-and-ready feel. This segues into my take on the book as a quintessential work of Americana. Whether he's indulging his imagination or trying to beat the tedium of hitchhiking, John Waters' book feels like a perfect version of America. Only here could such a book come to life. This is clearly time-capsule material.

Waters talked about his movies and we hear that we cannot hear — an inclination to secrecy that I understand. Make sure to check out the Time to Read, which has some different and fantastic material on it. But to have a grand time and hitch a ride with John Waters, just follow this link to the MP3 audio file.




05-23-15 UPDATE: Podcast Update: Time to Read Episode 205: John Waters, 'Carsick'

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Here's the two hundred and fifth episode of my series of podcasts, which I'm calling Time to Read.

I've been working for more of a live format lately, and to this end in this Time to Read "lightning round," I've included some of the banter beforehand, to give a feel for the atmosphere when we run these little mini-interviews. The bottom line: They're a fun way to finish off the gig.

The podcasts/radio broadcasts will be of books worth your valuable reading time. I'll try to keep the reports under four minutes, for a radio-friendly format. If you want to run them on your show or podcast, let me know.

My hope is that in under four (or maybe twice as many!) minutes I can offer readers a concise review and an opportunity to hear the author read from or speak about the work. I'm hoping to offer a new one every week.

The two hundred and fifth episode is a look at John Waters and 'Carsick.' It's a long one, eight minutes; with material not in the long-form interview!

Here's a link to the MP3 audio file of Time to Read, Episode 205: John Waters, 'Carsick'.



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05-23-15: Commentary : John Waters Gets 'Carsick' : Going His Way

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with John Waters : "...you change how you would be in real life...”

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 205: John Waters : Carsick

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