John Waters is the latest celebrity weighing in on the idea of “cancel culture,” touching on the topic during a recent interview with The New York Times.
The iconic filmmaker mostly talked about the self-imposed limits he feels have been put on art these days, before getting around to the topic of “cancelation,” noting that he’s relieved this is a new thing and not retroactive “because practically every artist would be canceled.”
But he does have thoughts about the one household name he thinks deserves it.
“J.K. Rowling. Give her some Preparation H for that transphobia. What’s the matter with her?” he asked, before adding, “There are people I would like to cancel, but at the same time I’m saying it humorously.”
Waters also spoke at length about his dissatisfaction with what he appears to see as the sanitization of both art and experience, expressing a vague annoyance at “people’s seriousness now.”
“I think I should be allowed to yell ‘fire’ in a crowded theater. I believe in the extremes of free speech,” he said. “Where does it stop? People don’t like what I say? So what. I’m allowed to say it and I live in the greatest country.”
It’s about what one might expect from Waters, whose work over the years has pushed boundaries, shocked and horrified pearl-clutching viewers, and given voice to the weirdos and misfits who weren’t seeing themselves reflected in other media at the time. Putting limits on either art or artists doesn’t seem to be in his nature.
With that in mind, the fact that he’s still eager to call Rowling out for her callousness towards trans people says a lot.
Oh, and he also had a nice little sidebar about poppers that makes the whole interview worth reading.
