John Waters Revisits His New Orleans Roots and the Lasting Influence of Tennessee Williams

NEW ORLEANS — Best known for his transgressive cult films and deep ties to Baltimore, filmmaker and provocateur John Waters recently made a sentimental return to a lesser-known chapter of his past: his brief, formative time living in New Orleans during the early 1970s.

While in town for an exhibition of his photography and mixed media at the Arthur Roger Gallery, Waters sat down with the Historic New Orleans Collection for its acclaimed oral history series, NOLA Life Stories.

In the conversation, Waters delved into his unique relationship with the Crescent City, a place he credits with shaping his artistic vision just as much as his beloved Baltimore.

“I always say I’m from Baltimore, and I am — that’s my true home. But New Orleans was my escape hatch,” Waters said during the interview. “It was a place where I could be anonymous, weird, and wildly inspired.”

Waters lived in New Orleans for a short but intense period in the early 1970s, just as his underground classic Pink Flamingos was taking shape. He recalled the city as a haven of eccentricity and decadence, a “fever dream of characters,” which felt like an extension of the world he was already imagining on film.

“There’s a certain kind of deranged glamour to New Orleans,” Waters said. “And at the time, it wasn’t curated or self-aware — it was just how people lived.”

A pivotal influence during this period, Waters revealed, was the work of playwright Tennessee Williams, who himself had long been associated with New Orleans. As a teenager, Waters devoured Williams’ plays, admiring how the playwright gave voice to the outsiders, the broken, and the flamboyantly doomed.

“Tennessee Williams made me want to be a writer,” Waters confessed. “He made it seem okay — heroic, even — to be on the fringe. He gave dignity to people who society tried to shame.”

Waters spoke of walking past Williams’ former residence in the French Quarter and feeling a sense of continuity between their creative worlds. “He put New Orleans on the map for people like me,” he said. “His characters were the kind of people I wanted to film.”

Though Waters eventually returned to Baltimore to continue building his career, his time in New Orleans left a permanent imprint on his aesthetic. “This city taught me that excess and elegance can live side by side,” he said. “It gave me the courage to go further.”

Now 79, Waters continues to evolve as a multimedia artist, but his brief affair with New Orleans remains a cherished chapter — a ghost of a city that still whispers inspiration into his work.

“I came here to hide,” he said, smiling. “But New Orleans doesn’t let you hide. It seduces you — and then it becomes part of who you are.”