Posted by: Stephen Saban contact

Acid Queens

World of Wonder's Jim Eckels recently interviewed acclaimed Broadway scribes Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, whose fabulous Tony-winning musical Hairspray is based on John Waters’ movie of the same name. We wanted to ask them about Waters’ other seminal earth-shaker, Pink Flamingos, for our upcoming series Movies That Shook the World. We particularly wondered how they felt as tender young homosexuals encountering the freak-infused, poopy vision of John Waters for the first time.

Tell me about seeing Pink Flamingos for the first time. What did you think?

Scott Wittman: It was the first time I took acid and I went to the Elgin Theatre downtown on 18th Street in Manhattan and I saw the midnight show. Like the third week it came out. So that was 1972.

Marc Shaiman: I was still in elementary school. That was '72?

Wittman: Yeah, yeah, yeah. 'Cause I remember it was the year of Liza with a Z and Pink Flamingos. Those are the two events I remember from that year.

You were on acid in elementary school?

Wittman: Yeah. I'm on acid now, actually. I went a lot, I saw it a lot. I was vomiting 'cause I was probably drinking and taking acid. So I might have vomited, but it had nothing to do with the movie.

Shaiman: Nice. I might have vomited a little into my mouth during the singing asshole scene. I actually remember being so revolted by that. I didn't enjoy the singing asshole.

Wittman: No?

Shaiman: No. It's gross, it's horrible. I don't think I'd wanna watch it even today.

Was there any scene you particularly remember?

Wittman: It might have been, you know, Bambi. I found it very, you know, heart warming. Actually.

Shaiman: There are the other people, and there's people like us, who John Waters was making those movies for. He was presenting exactly what we wanted to see.

Wittman: On acid.

(Movies That Shook the World begins September 8 at 10PM on AMC.)

Related Stories:

Shelf-Promotion

Posted: Monday, April 3rd 2006

Never Mind The Bullocks

Posted: Thursday, June 18th 2009

Of Interest

Posted: Friday, June 19th 2009

Must-See TV

Posted: Sunday, February 12th 2006