A memoir and trash manifesto from legendary filmmaker and king of sleaze, John Waters.

John Waters' Treatise on Bad Taste!

'To me, bad taste is what entertainment is all about. If someone vomits watching one of my films, it's like getting a standing ovation.'

Thus begins SHOCK VALUE. And what a story it is. Packed into these pages are moments of incomparable humor, tenderness, and revelation, all suffused with Waters' sweet charm and mad-genius wit. Also included is a new foreword by fashion writer Simon Doonan, a close friend of Waters' and a fellow cultural icon.

John Waters, perhaps America's most successful trash filmmaker, achieved a new ironic sense of public acceptance in 2003 with the runaway success of the Broadway musical HAIRSPRAY. He first achieved notoriety with his films, and he's written and directed 15, including Pink Flamingos, Polyester, Cry-Baby, Pecker, and A Dirty Shame.

Readers familiar only with Waters' movies may be surprised at just how extraordinary a prose writer he is; he's as gifted a memoirist as he is a filmmaker. Here is a true love letter from a legendary director to his friends, family, and fans.

Includes:
- The Filthiest People Alive
- Why I Love Violence
- Baltimore, Maryland: Hairdo Capital of the World
- Female Trouble
- All My Trials
- Desperate Living
- Edith Massey, The Egg Lady
... and more!

Author: John Waters
Publisher: Running Press
Pages: 244pp
Size: 7 x 10
Notes: softcover, b/w, new edition
Release Date: 2005
ISBN: 978-1560256984