John Waters’ Hitchhiking Explained: It’s for a Book

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When we read last week that Brooklyn indie rockers Here We Go Magic had picked up a hitchhiking John Waters in Ohio — and then saw photo evidence to prove it — we figured something was up. The additional reports of Waters thumbing rides across the country that trickled in over the next few days seemed to clinch it: This had to be part of some project.

Indeed it is, as The New York Times reports today. It turns out Waters returned to his scrappy, DIY roots, hitching from coast to coast over the course of eight days, in preparation for a book. Titled Carsick and comprised of stories accumulated during his journey, it will be published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux, which put out the filmmaker’s excellent 2010 essay collection, Role Models. Of course, the trip wasn’t just about work: “My life is so over-scheduled, what will happen if I give up control?” Waters wondered before setting out on the excursion — which you can read more about in his ArtsBeat interview.