Mr. Know-It-All

The Tarnished Wisdom of a Filth Elder

By: John Waters

Narrated by: John Waters

Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's Summary

"Cheerfully lewd and sincerely disingenuous, cult filmmaker, comic, and lifelong raconteur John Waters narrates his latest memoir/tell-all with a good-natured wink and a well-earned dab of sentimentality." (AudioFile Magazine)

 "[Just] like reading a description of a Waters film is nothing like seeing it on the screen, listening to him tell his own stories brings the context and inflection needed to truly appreciate his art. A singular experience." (Booklist)

This program is read by the author and includes a bonus conversation.

No one knows more about everything - especially everything rude, clever, and offensively compelling - than John Waters.  

The man in the pencil-thin mustache, auteur of the transgressive movie classics Pink Flamingos, Polyester, the original Hairspray, Cry-Baby, and A Dirty Shame, is one of the world’s great sophisticates, and in Mr. Know-It-All, he serves it up raw: how to fail upward in Hollywood; how to develop musical taste from Nervous Norvus to Maria Callas; how to build a home so ugly and trendy that no one but you would dare live in it; more important, how to tell someone you love them without emotional risk; and yes, how to cheat death itself. Through it all, Waters swears by one undeniable truth: "Whatever you might have heard, there is absolutely no downside to being famous. None at all."

Studded with cameos of Waters’ stars, from Divine and Mink Stole to Johnny Depp, Kathleen Turner, Patricia Hearst, and Tracey Ullman, Mr. Know-It-All is Waters’ most hypnotic, upsetting, revelatory audiobook yet - another instant Waters classic.

Praise for John Waters:

"Waters doesn’t kowtow to the received wisdom, he flips it the bird.... [Waters] has the ability to show humanity at its most ridiculous and make that funny rather than repellent." (Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post)

"Carsick becomes a portrait not just of America’s desolate freeway nodes - though they’re brilliantly evoked - but of American fame itself." (Lawrence Osborne, The New York Times Book Review)

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2019 John Waters (P)2019 Macmillan Audio

Truth revealed through wicked humor

From the brilliant, twisted mind of John Waters springs his newest book, Mr. Know-It-All: The Tarnished Wisdom of a Filth Elder. LMFAO. Especially with the audio version, hearing him tell his stories. Subversive, and an incredible wordsmith, Waters reminds us of his remarkably vivid imagination. All are hysterical, but three of my favorite ruminations are his stream-of-consciousness thoughts on Andy Warhol; his plans for an anti-hipster restaurant named Gristle (that forces you to eat alone with dead flower arrangements, non-gastronomically correct fare such as paint chips—or worse); and a letter to his transgender adoptive son, Bill, a Linda Evans brand vinyl doll. Beneath it all, Waters is a social scientist with great love for his subjects, a purveyor of human behavior who reveals truth through his wicked humor.

Love John Waters but this is not his strongest

Been a fan of his for years as both director and writer. There are some hysterical sections of this book and while his later films weren’t maybe as strong or well received, it’s interesting to hear his views on them especially with some time between their release and now. His narration is as always outstanding. Several of the stories especially in the last half feel clunky and while they do have the Waters filth factor fans love him for, they ramble and end a bit boring. Not a horrid read but for first time listeners I’d start with earlier books.

Oh wow!

It’s my favorite audiobook to this day. I had to listen to a few of the chapters twice in a row because I was laughing so hard, and I also couldn’t wait until I was finished. The way the stories weave from fact to fantasy is a brilliant way to take a glimpse into the mind of John Waters.

Always entertaining!

Sometimes yucky, sometimes silly but always good fun. Loved it! He’s an America treasure. Recommended!

for fans

I adore John Waters and his twisted brain. if you arent into him, you might not enjoy this as you wont get all the references. For me tho- Laugh out loud funny❤

Another Winner

Mr. Waters unloads another fine batch of knowledge right into our ear holes and we must once again thank him for the opportunity.

John Waters is a king amongst men

The Prince of Puke, The Pope of Trash, whatever you call him, John Waters is one of American cinema's most talented and pure auteurs, and this book is a great introduction into one of the most imaginative minds of the last 40 years.

Hilarious

A side splitting good time. I find John Waters reading his own work to always be utterly hilarious. The chapter on Andy Warhol and then the chapter on Bill (his son) Had me almost in tears of how funny they were

Trash Talk

If you want to hear tidbits of Hollywood mashed together with an odd sense of fluidity and garbage, give this a listen. Or don't. He'll get a check either way.

Wade in the Waters

How does this guy (gracefully and grossly) manage to pull off humble and egomaniac all at once? Reading aloud, John Waters traverses the strange and wonderful territory of his life. Engaging, funny, cringe worthy and even functional. This book can help to keep your eyes on the road and your hands upon the wheel ... but becomes dysfunctional when you can’t resist listening to it when you’re supposed to be getting other work done. Go ahead, jump in, the Water’s fine.