Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America (2014) - Plot & Excerpts
John Waters is putting his life on hold. Armed with his sense of humor, a pencil-thin mustache, and a cardboard sign that reads “I’m Not Psycho,” he hitchhikes across America from Baltimore to San Francisco, braving lonely roads and treacherous drivers.I would have liked this book a lot more had he just told about the actual rides he received while partaking in this journey, but instead for every real story he told, he found the need to make up a completely wonderful story and an equally wretched story as well that amounted to little more than filler.That said, I love John Waters, remain a fan of his work, and just think this would have made for a much better documentary or reality TV series than a novel! I waited for so long to get this on hold at my library after hearing the news stories and his subsequent interviews about the trip. But what a bummer that only half of the book is about his actual experiences on the road. The first half is various short stories he's written about the Best Case (picked up by independent film producer who hands him a blank check) and Worst Case (serial killer who already bumped off Alejandro Jodorowsky) for people who'd pick him up on the road. It felt like filler to make the book longer than the actual very slim account of the 5+ days he spent thumbing his way across country. So I cheated and skipped ahead to that part, partially because I was curious to read about the friend of a friend of a friend (the owner of Campo Restaurant) who picked him up for the Truckee to Berkeley leg of the trip. In terms of recognizing places you're familiar with, I did think it was funny that he was unnerved by the seediness of N Virginia Street's old school casino strip in Reno (including a dead body unclaimed by the Washoe County Coroner) and mentions Granite Bay CA (bland, noveoue riche suburb of Sacramento)
What do You think about Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America (2014)?
John Waters has a great imagination. I enjoyed his fictional rides as well as the real ones.
—eleafar
This book was terrible and worth the $26 I paid for it.
—jcocpt
The book is in three parts. I enjoyed two of them.
—japonese
