John Waters Picked Up Hitchhiking by Indie Band Here We Go Magic
We don't advocate picking up hitchhikers (they might have hooks or axes or really bad breath), but this story about a rock band picking up a happy (and famous) traveler is too cool to ignore.
Indie band Here We Go Magic were traveling through Ohio in their van when they came across a hitchhiker on the side of Interstate 70. The man looked a lot like legendary film director John Waters. So, the band turned around and took another look. Turns out it was John Waters, the icon behind the groundbreaking "Pink Flamingos," as well as "Hairspray" and "Cecil B. Demented."
The rock group, on their way to Chicago for a gig, posted a play-by-play of their encounter to their Twitter feed and relayed their adventure to DCist. Waters was a real charmer.
"He got in the van and he got all tangled up in the seat belt, it was really adorable. That was the first thing that happened. We're traveling in a van and there are all these seat belts that block your way. You know, the ones that go from the side to the seats in the middle. So he was totally tangled and he didn't even remove himself. He just sort of sat down, entrenched in seat belts. He was a perfect gentleman."
Waters, who was wearing a hat that read "Scum of the Earth," told the band that he often hitchhikes because its a great way to meet people. By the time the band picked him up in Ohio, he'd been with about six drivers since Baltimore. About half the drivers who picked him up recognized him.
The band's bassist, Jen Turner, told DCist that she was really inspired by the man. "Just by the mere fact that what he was doing was advice enough. Live it.
Do it. Work hard. He writes at 8 a.m. every single day. That was really, super inspiring. He works really hard. He's a super hard worker. I was really excited by his work ethic and his lightness. That was advice enough for me."
Waters bought lunch for the band and posed for photos. After six hours, he got out of the van and was on his way. No word on where he was headed.
