John Waters bringing his Christmas act to hometown Baltimore for December performance
BALTIMORE - "The John Waters Christmas Show" is returning to Baltimore for a performance this December.
Waters, a Baltimore native, became famous as a filmmaker, writer and actor. The 77-year-old, nicknamed, "The Pope of Trash," has a brand-new version of what he calls his "Comedy Show from Hell."
He attended Calvert Hall College High School in Baltimore, and then the Maryland Institute College of Art.
WJZ anchor Denise Koch caught up with Waters on Thursday to find out what to expect from Christmas – John Waters style.
In December, Waters will take his brand-new Christmas show to 20 venues in 23 days, across the country from San Francisco to New York.
He returned home to Baltimore to start work on "A John Waters Christmas: Let's Blow it Up."
Waters stops in Baltimore on Thursday, December 21. Buy your ticket here.
After that, you will have to wait an entire year to celebrate the Christmas season with, as he calls himself, "The Old Saint Nick of Nut Cases."
John Waters: I just returned this morning on the train from New York.
Denise Koch: Welcome home.
Waters: Thank you. It's great to be home.
Koch: You've got a Hollywood star.
Waters: I know. As I say, I'm so respectable I could puke.
Koch: We're talking about your Christmas show. Now I know you've done one in the past. Do you update it?
Waters: Completely. It is not one word the same as the last one. I rewrite it totally once a year which is a big deal to write a 70-minute show and memorize it. That's the hardest.
The material comes from, well, from the mind of John Waters, and memories of Christmas past.
Waters: I mean sometimes terrible things happen that are great, like when the Christmas tree fell over on my grandmother.
Koch: Do you like Christmas? Do you celebrate Christmas?
Waters: Yes. I do with my family. I have my own version of my Christmas decorations. I always used to decorate the electric chair from "Female Trouble" (a 1974 film) but the electric chair is in the Academy Awards Show. They've taken my Christmas Tree away.
A John Waters Christmas is where fat daddy sings and, at the end, the audience gets to ask questions.
Waters: Usually the closing night is Baltimore, which I like. I better have it learned by then.
Waters is also set to perform a Valentine's Day event on Feb. 14 at Soundstage. Find the tickets here.
Note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated Waters would have two December dates in Baltimore. The dates have since been corrected.
