Fresh Air

John Waters, 'Pope of Trash,' turns 80!

Published 17 April 2026Duration: 51m 43s
Share on X

We celebrate the 80th birthday of the filmmaker known as ‘The Pope of Trash’ and ‘The Prince of Puke,’ John Waters. He's spent a career violating taboos and pushing boundaries. His films include the cult classic ‘Pink Flamingos’ and the relatively mainstream ‘Hairspray,’ which was adapted into a hit Broadway musical. He spoke with Terry Gross in 2014 and 2019. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Dialog switches170
Avg turn16s
Longest speech2m 32s
Host questions32
Guest questions41
waters27john23movies20parents19movie18