Rather, he lampooned political correctness long before it was fashionable. To his credit, Waters never attempted to top the shock value of Pink Flamingos . Instead, Waters went on to create works like Hairspray and Serial Mom that, while kitschy, were more palatable to mainstream audiences. Over the years, the American public has grown accustomed to the Waters aesthetic, a winkingly ironic wallow in bad taste. Jim Carrey tells butt jokes on the Academy Awards broadcast.
Trailer homes are pop icons.
Drag queens are everywhere. And Waters himself has mellowed. Now 51, he has quit smoking and lives in a stately Tudor-style house on a quiet Baltimore street. But after 40, you and your parents have to make a truce where you both agree not to push each other's buttons. Waters says he sympathizes with young artists trying to make a name for themselves in a society that has seen and done just about everything.