Episode 513
with John Waters, Sasha LaPointe, and Deep Sea Diver
Host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello discuss an emotional support pig and a DoorDasher who saved a customer's life. Plus, legendary filmmaker John Waters chats about his first novel Liarmouth and why he'll never leave Baltimore; writer Sasha LaPointe (Red Paint) unpacks her nomadic upbringing in the Pacific Northwest and why Twin Peaks made an impact on her as young Native woman; and indie rock group Deep Sea Diver performs "Shattering the Hourglass" from their album Impossible Weight.
John Waters
Filmmaker, Writer, & Actor
John Waters is a legendary filmmaker, writer, actor, and artist known for his raunchy surrealism and joyful, postmodern humor. He rose to fame in the early 1970s with a series of transgressive cult films, filmed in his hometown of Baltimore with his company of local actors, the Dreamlanders. In 1988, he wrote and directed the comedy film Hairspray, which was adapted into a hit Broadway musical. John is the author of eight books, and his artwork exhibits regularly in galleries and museums around the world. He has performed his ever-changing one man show, This Filthy World, at countless clubs and festivals. In 2016, Waters received an honorary degree from the Maryland Institute College of Art, and in 2018, he was named an officer of the Order of Arts and Letters in France. Website
Sasha LaPointe
Artist & Writer
Sasha LaPointe is an indigenous artist and writer. Her work has appeared in Shapes of Native Non Fiction: Collected Essays by Contemporary Writers, Hunger Mountain, The Rumpus Literary Journal, and more! In her latest book, Red Paint: The Ancestral Autobiography of a Coast Salish Punk, she blends the aesthetics of punk rock with the traditional spiritual practices of the women in her lineage in this bold, contemporary journey to reclaim her heritage and unleash her power and voice while searching for a permanent home. Sasha offers up an unblinking reckoning with personal traumas amplified by the collective historical traumas of colonialism and genocide that continue to haunt native peoples. Red Paint is an intersectional autobiography of lineage, resilience, and, above all, the ability to heal. Website • Book
Deep Sea Diver
Seattle-based Four-piece
Deep Sea Diver is a Seattle-based four-piece led by prodigious guitarist and front woman Jessica Dobson, who previously played lead guitar for Beck and The Shins. Their third full-length album, Impossible Weight, features guest vocals from Sharon Van Etten and Jessica’s trademark radical vulnerability. The band has received acclaim for their festival-ready power and presence, larger than life guitar hooks, and their cascading layers that build upon each other until they reach their explosive peak. Listen • Website
