“From Prince to Pope” – 1986 John Waters “Crackpot” Interview

Posted on April 13, 2012 by atomictv

(Exploitation Retrospect, 1986)

First off, what’s your new book Crackpot about?
Alright, Crackpot, well it’s subtitled “The Obsessions of John Waters,” and basically it’s just about all the things that interest me. You know, before I was paid to be a writer, people thought I was crazy to just go on these little missions of things that would interest me. But now that I get paid to do it, people say, “Oh how interesting.” So, I think that’s really the difference between being a writer and a crackpot. I think some of the subjects in it are, William Castle, Lana Turner’s Hairdresser, Charo’s Plumber, Pia Zadora, “How to Have a Sense of Humor if You Have a Life Sentence in Jail,” The Lecture Circuit, The National Enquirer, Art Movies I Like, Why I Love Christmas, HAIL MARY…lots of different, many varied subjects. Hopefully it’s a humorous book.

Did you come up with the ad line, “Lowbrow fixations elevated shamelessly to a highly original comic manifesto”?
Yeah, I’m good at ad copy.

That’s right up there with THE MUTILATOR with “Bye pick, by hook, by axe, bye bye.”
(laughs) Right.

So, when’s the book going to be coming out?
The book comes out, well the publication date is the middle of October, but it will actually be in the major cities at the beginning of September. It takes six weeks to release a book all over the country, so by October 15 it should be everywhere. It will actually be in New York by September 10.

Great. Are you working on a new film right now?
Well, I have a script, it’s finished, I have a producer and we’re going to start shooting it in the spring. Actually, I’m doing a rewrite on it right now. I had a development deal on this project. The producer is an unnamed investment banker in New York. And it’s, I’m so superstitious to talk about it. I can say that its certainly a comedy, the budget is over a million dollars — which for me is a lot, but for a movie is very little. And I certainly would like Divine and Pia Zadora to star in it.

Continue reading “From Prince to Pope” at Exploitation Retrospect.

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Gray And Blue Jews Of The Civil War

Posted on April 13, 2012 by atomictv

By Yonatan Grossman-Boder (Baltimore Jewish Times, 4/13/2012)

Passover was just around the corner that spring in 1862 when J.A. Joel, like so many other Jews, sought fixings for his seder. But it was a little harder for Joel, who was stationed at Sewell Mountain in eastern Fayette County, W.Va., with the Union’s 23rd Ohio Infantry.

Joel turned to his fellow Jews in the regiment — 20 in all — to acquire the necessary items. With some foraging, the group found eggs, chickens and cider. Also, the group members procured matzoh and haggadot from their Jewish regimental merchant.

Unfortunately, they could not find horseradish. However, Joel recounted they “found a weed, whose bitterness, I apprehend, exceeded anything our forefathers ‘enjoyed.’” They also obtained a lamb. Though uncertain which part to use for the seder, Joel wrote that “Yankee ingenuity prevailed, and it was decided to cook the whole and put it on the table.”

Col. Marcus M. Spiegel of the 120th Ohio Infantry

With matzoh, egg, maror (bitter herbs), a shank bone and wine in hand, the men of the 23rd celebrated the Festival of Freedom in grand style. Joel was proud of their accomplishment and wrote to a local newspaper, “There, in the wild woods of West Virginia, away from home and friends, we consecrated and offered up to the ever-loving G-d of Israel our prayers and sacrifice.”

During the Civil War, J.A. Joel was one of approximately 10,000 Jews who fought in the armies of the Union and Confederacy. His story reminds us during this sesquicentennial anniversary of the Civil War that the history of the Jews in the United States is part of the larger story of American history.

Continue reading “Gray And Blue Jews Of The Civil War” at the Baltimore Jewish Times.

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Bromo Seltzer Tower

Posted on April 13, 2012 by atomictv

Photo by kymkleemann - http://instagr.am/p/JVRdeJvGwT/

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Things David Simon Doesn’t Like

Posted on April 12, 2012 by atomictv

By Rachel Monroe (Baltimore Fishbowl, 4/12/2012)

Last week, David Simon gave an interview to Jeremy Egner of the New York Times in which he discussed bloggers, Wire fans, and the problems of advertising-based TV. When the interview was published, it caused a minor Twitter-storm; Simon comes off as grouchy and resentful of all the attention The Wire is getting at this late date. He went on to give another interview to clarify his thoughts a bit. After reading both, we’re still pretty sure that Simon is the smartest grouch in America. (There’s nothing wrong with being a pessimist, Dave! Don’t apologize! Keep it up!) In case you’re keeping track, we made a list of things that David Simon does and doesn’t like. In true Simonian fashion, we’ll start with the negatives.

Continue reading “Things David Simon Doesn’t Like” at Baltimore Fishbowl.

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