AFED #2: Polyester (US, 1981); Dir. John Waters
Remember the Avalanches' 2001 track 'Frontier Psychiatrist'? Ever wonder where they sampled the intro from? If you were really that curious you probably already knew, but as I discovered today it originated with John Waters' 1981 comedy Polyester . Waters is probably better known nowadays as the writer/director of the original Hairspray (1988) than the excesses of his earlier work (the infamous dog shit-eating of Pink Flamingoes ), but the crossover really began with Polyester . It's an affectionate tribute to the kind of melodramas that Douglas Sirk cranked out during Waters' formative years, camped up to eleven. Waters' longtime muse, drag queen Divine, stars as Francine Fishpaw, a frustrated suburban housewife who resembles an inflated Liz Taylor with a five o' clock shadow. Francine is trapped in a loveless marriage to boorish porno cinema owner Elmer (David Samson), who deserts her for his secretary. On top of that the Fishpaw kids are par...