Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (2019), 384 pages
Description
"The newest essay collection from the New York Times-bestselling John Waters, reflecting on how to overcome newfound responsibility and rebel in the autumn of your years"--
User reviews
LibraryThing member ragwaine
I wasn't really a John Waters fan, but after reading this I definitely am. I remember seeing Pink Flamingos 30+ years ago and thinking, as most people probably do, "eww gross" and also "WTF?". I didn't really get into Hairspray, but my son liked it when he was younger so he used to watch it all the
The book was hilarious and probably more so because I did it on audio and he was the narrator. He talks fast so he packs in lots of details and his inflection just adds to it. You can almost picture the eyerolls sometimes. Being an eccentric myself, I felt an immediate bond with Mr. Waters, even though I don't feel like I would enjoy his movies, I do enjoy his creativity and I'm looking forward to reading/listening to some/all of his other books.
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time. I had no idea he had made as many movies as he has.The book was hilarious and probably more so because I did it on audio and he was the narrator. He talks fast so he packs in lots of details and his inflection just adds to it. You can almost picture the eyerolls sometimes. Being an eccentric myself, I felt an immediate bond with Mr. Waters, even though I don't feel like I would enjoy his movies, I do enjoy his creativity and I'm looking forward to reading/listening to some/all of his other books.
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LibraryThing member over.the.edge
Mr. Know-It-All: The Tarnished Wisdom of A Filth Elder
by John Waters
due 5-21-2019
Farrar
5.0 / 5.0
This essay collection is about John Waters life choices and how to get through life without losing your abject originality we all possess. Waters wit, humor and honesty are in full-swing and that is
This Know-It-All want you to know it all- a must read in a sea of maybes.
Thanks to the publisher for this e-book ARC for review.
#netgalley #MrKnowItAll
by John Waters
due 5-21-2019
Farrar
5.0 / 5.0
This essay collection is about John Waters life choices and how to get through life without losing your abject originality we all possess. Waters wit, humor and honesty are in full-swing and that is
Show More
why I loved this, and him. He cast Divine, Mink Stole, Tab Hunter! This Know-It-All want you to know it all- a must read in a sea of maybes.
Thanks to the publisher for this e-book ARC for review.
#netgalley #MrKnowItAll
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LibraryThing member pomo58
Mr. Know-It-All: The Tarnished Wisdom of a Filth Elder is a memoir in the form of a tongue-in-cheek advice manual, loosely speaking.
Waters is nothing if not irreverent and in that regard this book will not disappoint. While he dishes about everything from his experience in the film industry to
If you're a fan of his work you'll probably enjoy this more than I did, though I enjoyed it quite a lot. I don't dislike his work but I have never had the desire to watch any of his films a second time and most first viewings were because of a friend wanting to watch it.
I'd recommend this to readers of biographies/memoirs who don't fool themselves into thinking that it is somehow "objective" to review someone you don't like and make comments that only illustrate your weak reading comprehension skills. Analytical? Yeah, for a kindergartner, maybe. But alas, some readers have to compensate for their shortcomings by pretending that snark is objective criticism. It isn't but it makes them feel good in their pathetic little world, so let the little weak-minded have their delusional moment.
Reviewed from a copy made available through Goodreads First Reads.
Waters is nothing if not irreverent and in that regard this book will not disappoint. While he dishes about everything from his experience in the film industry to
Show More
aspects of his personal life, he seems to keep an eye on the thought of entertaining his readers as much as expressing his thoughts or telling about his life.If you're a fan of his work you'll probably enjoy this more than I did, though I enjoyed it quite a lot. I don't dislike his work but I have never had the desire to watch any of his films a second time and most first viewings were because of a friend wanting to watch it.
I'd recommend this to readers of biographies/memoirs who don't fool themselves into thinking that it is somehow "objective" to review someone you don't like and make comments that only illustrate your weak reading comprehension skills. Analytical? Yeah, for a kindergartner, maybe. But alas, some readers have to compensate for their shortcomings by pretending that snark is objective criticism. It isn't but it makes them feel good in their pathetic little world, so let the little weak-minded have their delusional moment.
Reviewed from a copy made available through Goodreads First Reads.
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LibraryThing member DarthDeverell
John Waters’ Mr. Know-It-All: The Tarnished Wisdom of a Filth Elder is a delightful work that’s partly a memoir of his own work and partly his musings on a variety of subjects. In the first half of the book, Waters recounts the production of several of his films and teases out the lessons
Even amid the more outlandish scenarios he creates, Waters’ wisdom proves useful. For example, while satirizing some of the trendier restaurants through his concept for one called “Gristle,” Waters writes, “Sending the wine back after that ridiculous sniff ritual with the waiter does not make you look sophisticated; it makes you look like the Beverly Hillbillies in the Playboy Mansion. If you imagine someone other than yourself might be paying the bill (an impossibility here at Gristle), never order the most expensive thing on the menu, gold differ. In a foreign country if the poor waiter has to translate the menu into English for you, say yes to the very first thing you like – don’t make him go through the whole list” (pg. 185). Those who enjoy Waters’ unique vision will find it here, undiluted and honest as he confides in his reader the way he would to a close friend. It’s that authenticity that sets Mr. Know-It-All apart from other monographs. John isn’t trying to impress his readers or looking for a legacy; he’s already secured all of that. Instead, he wants them to enjoy life along with him. Mr. Know-It-All: The Tarnished Wisdom of a Filth Elder is just a delightful read.
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he’s learned about moviemaking, artistic vision, and fame along the way. In the second half, he muses on music, food, clubs, drugs, architecture, and art, spinning narratives that illustrate his point and will keep the reader enthralled and laughing along with him.Even amid the more outlandish scenarios he creates, Waters’ wisdom proves useful. For example, while satirizing some of the trendier restaurants through his concept for one called “Gristle,” Waters writes, “Sending the wine back after that ridiculous sniff ritual with the waiter does not make you look sophisticated; it makes you look like the Beverly Hillbillies in the Playboy Mansion. If you imagine someone other than yourself might be paying the bill (an impossibility here at Gristle), never order the most expensive thing on the menu, gold differ. In a foreign country if the poor waiter has to translate the menu into English for you, say yes to the very first thing you like – don’t make him go through the whole list” (pg. 185). Those who enjoy Waters’ unique vision will find it here, undiluted and honest as he confides in his reader the way he would to a close friend. It’s that authenticity that sets Mr. Know-It-All apart from other monographs. John isn’t trying to impress his readers or looking for a legacy; he’s already secured all of that. Instead, he wants them to enjoy life along with him. Mr. Know-It-All: The Tarnished Wisdom of a Filth Elder is just a delightful read.
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LibraryThing member ThomasPluck
I love John Waters, so of course I loved this book. It's his guide to fame! Getting there is your problem, but this memoir couched as a guide on how to leverage it, hustle your career, and shroud oneself in infamy like a filth elder is a lot of fun. The Old Folks Take LSD chapter is a drag, but
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it's funny how someone who tried every drug really needs a Xanax once he decides to drop acid at 70 "for science" with some old friends. The Andy Warhol chapter, all in run-on sentences, is a private joke that's a bit tedious to read, but a heartfelt tribute. He confessed in Role Models that he rewrites every chapter dozens of times, and it shows. Everything reads fluidly, like it's meant to be recited on his stage act, so it's an easy and very funny read, as he's one of the best stage speakers alive, with impeccable comic timing. A must for fans, and retrospective for virgins to Dreamland. Show Less
LibraryThing member SESchend
Hysterical in parts, fascinating in others, dull as toast in yet others. Choose your chapters according to tastes
LibraryThing member datrappert
Waters is perhaps the funniest person in the world, in a rather deep way, even if he is talking about the most disgusting or outrageous subjects. By all means, listen to the audiobook read by Waters himself. He is also perhaps the best audiobook reader I have ever heard, and the competition is
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fierce. This book is worth the price (or borrow) just for his chapter on music, which ranges from hilarious car-crash pop songs to his appreciation of country music to his recommendation of Glenn Gould and Maria Callas. Other chapters talk about many of his films at length, monkey art, and a few things I enjoyed listening to but don't want to mention in the review! Throughout, Waters comes across as the wittiest, most intelligent, most endearing character you could ever want to spend time with. Don't miss this one. Show Less
Original language
English
Physical description
384 p.; 5.79 inches
ISBN
0374214964 / 9780374214968