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John Waters Spreads Campy Holiday Cheer

For his third annual Christmas extravaganza, John Waters, the “Sultan of Sleaze,” hosted a hilarious evening of subversive holiday cheer featuring a special performance by former-Modern Lovers Jonathan Richman and Tommy Larkins. Richman rollicked through a subdued version of “Pablo Picasso” before serenading the audience in four different languages during “Let Her Go Into the Darkness.” Following their set, John Waters took the stage in his trademark ascot and delivered his naughty Christmas list, which included such requests as “Eminem’s huge ass” and a plea for “turd terrorism” against retailers. He rounded out the monologue with ruminations on the holidays and anecdotes about his filmmaking career. After Waters’ perverted Christmas pep talk and a sampling from his eclectic holiday album, A John Waters Christmas, the crowd left ready to spread tidings of campy joy. SARA TORELLO / PHOTOS BY DYLAN HART

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We asked: Since John Waters is known as the “Sultan of Sleaze,” what would your sleazy Christmas elf name be? COMMENT