--- title: RISD: John Waters Graduation Speech 2015 description: John Waters gave this commencement speech at Rhode Island School of Design canonical: https://time.com/3922739/john-waters-graduation-speech-risd/ author: John Waters article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-06-16T15:40:02.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T08:14:58.374Z article:section: Ideas og:title: John Waters to Grads: Participate in the Creative World og:description: John Waters gave this commencement speech at Rhode Island School of Design og:url: https://time.com/3922739/john-waters-graduation-speech-risd/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltea2cb7f7bc18d223/698854b20b72e352c26e47dd/474910602-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=828&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: John Waters at the book launch party for "Carsick" in New York City on May 27, 2015. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: John Waters to Grads: Participate in the Creative World twitter:description: John Waters gave this commencement speech at Rhode Island School of Design twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltea2cb7f7bc18d223/698854b20b72e352c26e47dd/474910602-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=828&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # John Waters to Grads: Participate in the Creative World ## Video: John Waters Speaks at RISD Commencement 2015 [Watch (HLS stream): John Waters Speaks at RISD Commencement 2015](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/s0KwG2OV.m3u8) (12:20)  _Published 2015-06-16. John Waters Speaks at RISD Commencement 2015_ by [John Waters](https://time.com/author/john-waters/) ## John Waters Jun 16, 2015 3:40 PM UTC  John Waters at the book launch party for "Carsick" in New York City on May 27, 2015. John Waters at the book launch party for "Carsick" in New York City on May 27, 2015.Daniel Zuchnik—WireImage/Getty Images by [John Waters](https://time.com/author/john-waters/) ## John Waters Jun 16, 2015 3:40 PM UTC All right. Welcome and good afternoon, President Somerson, Chairman Spalter, honored guests, parents, faculty, staff, and – mostly! – the 183 graduates and 486 undergraduates here today. I should say right off that I am really qualified to be your commencement speaker. I was suspended from high school, then kicked out of college in the first marijuana scandal ever on a university campus. I’ve been arrested several times. I’ve been known to dress in ludicrous fashions. I’ve also built a career out of negative reviews, and have been called “the prince of puke” by the press. And most recently a title I’m really proud of: “the people’s pervert.” I am honored to be here today with my people. OK, I’m supposed to inspire you. How’s this? Somehow I’ve been able to make a living doing what I love best for 50 years without ever having to get a real job. “But how can you be so disciplined?” friends always ask when I tell them my job is to get up every day at 6 a.m. Monday to Friday and think up insane stuff. Easy! If I didn’t work this hard for myself, I’d have to go work for somebody else. Plus I can go to my office one room away from my bedroom in my own house dressed in my underpants if I want to. You’re lucky. When I went to school, my teachers discouraged every dream I ever had. I wanted to be the filthiest person alive, but no school would let me. I bet RISD would’ve. You could possibly even make a snuff movie here and get an A+. Hopefully you have been taught never to fear rejection in the workplace. Remember, a no is free. Ask for the world and pay no mind if you are initially turned down. A career in the arts is like a hitchhiking trip: All you need is one person to say “Get in” and off you go. And then the confidence begins. Of course, play is equally as important to your education as work. And in the fine arts, play _is_ work, isn’t it? What other field allows you to deduct as business expenses from your taxes gangsta rap, Gaspar Noé’s movies, even vintage porn as long as you use it for research? Remember: You must _participate_ in the creative world you want to become part of. So what if you have talent? _Then_ what? You have to figure out how to work your way inside. Keep up with what’s causing chaos in your own field. * If you’re a visual artist, go see the shows in the galleries that are frantically competing to find the one bad neighborhood left in Manhattan to open up in. * Watch every movie that gets a _negative_ review in the New York _Times_ and figure out what the director did wrong. * Read, read, read! * Watch people on the streets. Spy, be nosy, eavesdrop. And, as you get older, you’ll need youth spies that will keep you abreast of new music that nobody has heard of yet or body-piercing mutilations that are becoming all the rage – even budding sexually transmitted disease you should go to any length to avoid. Never be like some of my generation who say “We had more fun in the ’60s.” No, we didn’t! The kids today who still live with their parents who haven’t seen them in months but leave food outside their bedroom doors are having just as much fun shutting down the government of foreign countries on their computer as we did banning the bomb. Today may be the end of your juvenile delinquency, but it should also be the first day of your new adult disobedience. These days, everybody wants to be an outsider, politically correct to a fault. That’s good. I hope you _are_ working to end racism, sexism, ageism, fatism. But is that enough? Isn’t being an outsider _sooo_ 2014? I mean, maybe it’s time to throw caution to the wind, _really_ shake things up, and reinvent yourself as a new version of your most dreaded enemy – the insider. Like I am. Ha! The final irony: A creatively crazy person who finally gets power. Think about it: _I_ didn’t change. Society did. Who would have ever thought a top college like RISD would invite a filth elder like myself to _set an example to its students_‽ See? There’s hope for everybody. You need to prepare sneak attacks on society. _Hairspray_ is the only really devious movie I ever made. The musical based on it is now being performed in practically every high school in America – and nobody seems to notice it’s a show with two men singing a love song to each other that also encourages white teen girls to date black guys. _Pink Flamingos_ was preaching to the converted. But _Hairspray_ is a Trojan horse: It snuck into Middle America and never got caught. You can do the same thing. Listen to your political enemies, especially the smart ones, and then figure out a way to make them laugh. Nobody likes a bore on a soapbox. Humor is always the best defense _and_ weapon. If you can make an idiot laugh, they’ll at least pause and listen before they do something stupid – to you. Refuse to isolate yourself. Separatism is for losers. Gay is not enough anymore. It’s a good start, but I don’t want my memoirs to be in the gay section near true crime at the back of the bookstore next to the bathrooms. No! I want it up front with the best sellers. And don’t heterosexual kids actually receive more prejudice in art schools today than the gay ones? Things are a-changin’ – it’s a confusing time. This might be time for a trigger warning. Uh, the amazing concept I’ve heard about is where you’re supposed to warn students if you’re gonna talk about something that challenges their values? I thought that’s why you _went_ to college. My whole life has been a trigger warning. But you have been warned. So the trigger warning is in effect, and now back to the prepared speech. Uh, don’t hate all rich people. They’re not _all_ awful. Believe me, I know some evil poor people, too. We need _some_ rich people: Who else is going to back our movies or buy our art? _I’m_ rich! I don’t mean money-wise. I mean that I have figured out how to never be around a——-s at any time in my personal and professional life. _That’s_ rich. And not being around a——s should be the goal of every graduate here today. It’s OK to hate the poor, too, but only the poor of spirit, not wealth. A poor person to me can have a big bank balance but is stupid by choice – uncurious, judgmental, isolated and unavailable to change. I’m also sorry to report there’s no such thing as karma. So many of my talented great friends are dead and so many of the fools I’ve met and loathed are still alive. It’s not fair, and it never will be. Parents, now it’s time to talk to you. God, these kids can be brats, can’t they? Do they _think_ you’re made of money? Can’t they give you a second to adjust to such social changes as sexual reassignment surgery, horn implants, and the political rights of the adult baby community? And, young adults, maybe today is the day you _stop_ blaming your parents for every problem you’ve ever had. Yes, it’s a drag you were kept locked in a cardboard box under their bed and daily whipped with a car aerial, but it’s time to move on. We’ve all been dealt a hand. Deal with it! Whining is never appealing in a college graduate. And, parents, vice versa: You don’t get to order up your kids, either. Maybe your daughter did tattoo her entire face. Well, work with that you got! Think positively: Maybe she’ll open a fancy tattoo parlor in Paris. I’m touched to sometimes see distraught parents bringing their angry and defiant teenage children with them to see my spoken-word show in a last-ditch effort to bond. At least both sides are trying. The truce of maturity will come to families if every member is patient. I often look back in wonder at how understanding my parents were. Dr. Spock didn’t have a chapter in his child-rearing book on how to handle your son if all he wanted to do as a child was play “car accident.” Yet my mom took me to junkyards as a toddler and let me wander around fantasizing ghoulishly. My dad even lent me the money to make _Pink Flamingos_, and I paid him back in full – with interest. But, looking back, did I really expect him to be thrilled that I had made one of the quote “most stupid, vile, repulsive films ever made,” as _Variety_ called it? My parents made me feel safe, and that’s why I’m up here today. That’s what you should try to do to your children too – no matter _where_ you get your children these days. Contemporary art’s job is to wreck what came before. Is there a better job description than that to aspire to? Here’s another trigger warning: Go out in the world and f— it up beautifully. * Design clothes so hideous that they _can’t_ be worn ironically. * Horrify us with _new_ ideas. * Outrage outdated critics. Use technology for transgression, not lazy social living. * Make _me_ nervous! And finally, count your blessings. You got through college. You didn’t commit suicide, O.D., or have a nervous breakdown, and let’s remember the ones who did. It’s time to get busy. It’s your turn to cause trouble – but this time in the real world, and this time from the inside. Thank you very much. _Read more 2015 commencement speeches:_ [_Alan Alda to Grads: Everything in Life Takes Time_](http://time.com/3889343/alan-alda-graduation-speech-cmu) [_Arianna Huffington to Grads: Make Time to Connect With Yourself_](http://time.com/3910921/arianna-huffington-graduation-speech-vassar/) [_Bernard Harris to Grads: You Are an Infinite Being With Infinite Possibilities_](http://time.com/3892197/bernard-harris-graduation-speech-wpi/) [_Bill Nye to Grads: Change the World_](http://time.com/3882613/bill-nye-graduation-speech-rutgers-university/) [_Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie to Grads: Make Feminism an Inclusive Party_](http://time.com/3921492/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie-graduation-commencement-wellesley/) [_Chris Matthews to Grads: ‘Make Them Say No. Never Say No to Yourself’_](http://time.com/3895685/chris-matthews-commencement-address/) [_Colin Powell to Grads: Learn to Lead_](http://time.com/3889524/colin-powell-graduation-speech-2015/) [_Darren Walker to Grads: Build a Bridge to a Better World_](http://time.com/3897166/darren-walker-graduation-speech-ut-austin/) [_Ed Helms to Grads: Define Yourselves_](http://time.com/3891310/ed-helms-graduation-speech-2015/) [_Eric Schmidt to Grads: You Can Write the Code for All of Us_](http://time.com/3889977/eric-schmidt-graduation-speech-vt) [_Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel to Grads: ‘This Is the World We Were Born Into, and We Are Responsible for It’_](http://time.com/3881609/snapchat-evan-spiegel-graduation-speech/) [_Gwen Ifill to Grads: If You See Something, Do Something_](http://time.com/3891033/gwen-ifill-graduation-speech-utica/) [_GE CEO Jeff Immelt to Grads: Become a Force for Change_](http://time.com/3888086/jeff-immelt-graduation-speech-siena/) [_Ian McEwan to Grads: Defend Free Speech_](http://time.com/3883212/ian-mcewan-graduation-speech-dickinson/) [_Joe Plumeri to Grads: Go Out and Play in Traffic_](http://time.com/3896557/joe-plumeri-graduation-speech-nyls/) [_Jon Bon Jovi to Grads: Lead By Example_](http://time.com/3892791/bon-jovi-graduation-speech-rutgers-camden/) [_Jorge Ramos’ Message for Journalists: Take a Stand_](http://time.com/3881590/jorge-ramos-usc-commencement/) [_Joyce Carol Oates to Grads: Be Stubborn and Optimistic_](http://time.com/3893106/joyce-carol-oates-to-grads-be-stubborn-and-optimistic/) [_Katie Couric to Grads: Get Yourself Noticed_](http://time.com/3882654/katie-couric-graduation-speech-2015/) [_Ken Burns to Grads: Set Things Right Again_](http://time.com/3890954/ken-burns-graduation-speech-wustl/) [_Kenneth Cole to Grads: Find Your Voice_](http://time.com/3889495/kenneth-cole-class-speech-emory) [_Madeleine Albright to Grads: The World Needs You_](http://time.com/3882439/madeleine-albright-tufts-graduation-speech/) [_Mark Ruffalo to Grads: Buck the System_](http://time.com/3883345/mark-ruffalo-award-speech-dickinson/) [_Matthew McConaughey to Grads: Always Play Like an Underdog_](http://time.com/3881954/matthew-mcconaughey-graduation-speech-university-of-houston/) [_Maya Rudolph to Grads: Create Your Own Destiny_](http://time.com/3883091/maya-rudolph-tulane-university-graduation-speech/) [_Mellody Hobson to Grads: Set Your Sights High_](http://time.com/3889937/mellody-hobson-graduation-speech-usc/) [_Meredith Vieira to Grads: Be the Left Shark_](http://time.com/3882465/meredith-vieira-graduation-speech-boston-university/?iid=time%5Fspeed) [_Michelle Obama to Grads: Shape the Revolution_](http://time.com/3895761/michelle-obama-to-grads-shape-the-revolution/) [_Mitt Romney to Grads: America Needs You to Serve_](http://time.com/3882769/mitt-romney-graduation-speech-saint-anselm-college/) [_Natalie Portman to Grads: Carve Your Own Path_](http://time.com/3899747/natalie-portman-to-grads-carve-your-own-path/) [_President Obama to Grads: We Should Invest in People Like You_](http://time.com/3889866/barack-obama-graduation-speech-lati/) [_President Obama to Cadets: Lead the Way on Fighting Climate Change_](http://time.com/3891078/barack-obama-graduation-speech-uscga/) [_Salman Rushdie to Grads: Try to Be Larger Than Life_](http://time.com/3889267/salman-rushdie-graduation-speech-emory/) [_Samantha Power to Grads: Start Changing the World By ‘Acting As If’_](http://time.com/3883303/samantha-power-graduation-speech-upenn/) [_Stephen Colbert to Grads: You Are Your Own Professor Now_](http://time.com/3883513/stephen-colbert-graduation-speech-wfu/) [_Tim Cook to Grads: Tune Out the Cynics_](http://time.com/3882479/tim-cook-graduation-speech-gwu/) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3922739/john-waters-graduation-speech-risd/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3922739/john-waters-graduation-speech-risd/"},"headline":"John Waters to Grads: Participate in the Creative 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