“Punks are my people,” says John Waters, the infamous director whose transgressive, low-budget ’70s films helped spawn the midnight movie phenomenon around the same time punk rock was offering up an equally raw musical alternative to mainstream fare.

Though he eschews tattoos and lives in suit jackets, Waters tells Billboard he feels more at home in a punk bar than a gay bar. “Punks are usually never square. Some gay people are, and the gay people I like would be in the punk bar and are often on the down low, which I find kind of refreshing in today’s world where everybody knows everything about everyone’s life.”

The cult icon is in the midst of prep work for his July 17-19 hosting gig at the Mosswood Meltdown festival in Oakland, Calif. He first emceed the punk fest in 2015 and has been doing it ever since, thanks to a kinship with the festgoers and an affinity for the Bay Area city. Headlined by Iggy Pop (July 18) and Bikini Kill (July 19) with a pre-party performance from Pavement (July 17), Mosswood Meltdown 2026 also features Otoboke Beaver, Mannequin Pussy, The Return of Jackie and Judy (a Ramones tribute band courtesy Sleater-Kinney and Fred Armisen), The Dead Milkmen, Wednesday, Vivian Girls and more. (You can see the full lineup on the festival’s site.)

Ahead of this year’s fest, Waters talked to Billboard (“No. 1 with a bullet,” he quipped after telling us he was a subscriber, then added, “it’s so expensive”) about his writing process for this gig, what he thinks about using AI to create and which punk musician he’d consider putting in a movie.

You’ve been emceeing this festival since 2015. Back in the ‘70s, was punk your music? Were you listening to the Stooges, Dead Boys, Jayne County?

I loved all of them. I think that Pink Flamingos [1972] was a punk movie before there was such a thing. Certainly the punk attitude was in all my films from the very beginning, but finally there was a movement that celebrated that. I love the music, yes. I’m still friends with Jayne County; I saw Jayne County recently in Atlanta. I’m hoping we can get her at Mosswood one year.

The Pink Flamingos comparison makes sense. If Babs Johnson were at a punk festival, she would be in her element.

When she’s screaming “filth is my politics, filth is my life,” that’s a pretty punk mantle of power.

This year’s lineup includes Iggy Pop, who you directed in Cry Baby. Is there anyone else in this year’s lineup that, if you were making a film, you would love to put in it, either as a cameo or a star?

Oh, that’s a good one. You know, let’s see … I haven’t seen Pavement live ever, I know there’s a great excitement. I think some of the women in some of the groups look like they would definitely be Dreamland. [Waters’ frequent collaborators are called Dreamlanders.] Peaches Christ is my old friend; Peaches Christ has had Mink Stole [on] tours with him. So I guess if I was going to put anybody in it, I don’t know, it would be one of the women singers or trans singers in any of these groups that maybe I haven’t seen yet.

Of the artists on this year’s lineup, who have you seen the most times?

Who’s played before … I think Snooper has, I’ve seen Iggy of course. I’m writing the introductions right now. It’s a large writing job, because I have to introduce like 20 groups or something, so I try to make it different every year. I remember when I met Amyl and the Sniffers: She was the closest to Iggy Pop of any of the legends we’ve ever had. I think she would come in number one for who I would put in a movie.

So your introductions are always pre-written, never on the fly?

I write introductions and new comedy material every year that is the very first time tested at Mosswood. It later becomes part of my show. So no, I spend weeks writing — it’s a big job.

How do you do that? Do you research the bands online?

My assistant gives me research about each one. Marc Ribak, who books the festival, gives me his personal notes, and then I read everything about them and listen to them, and watch some videos of them, and then write it.

Does anyone ever ask you to say something last minute? “Hey, tell them we got a new album coming out?”

[Chuckles.] The answer would be no. I ask them things right before they go on. I say, “I want to make sure this fact is right,” or something like that. But I usually fact-check it before. No, they’re always usually really nice about me introducing it, so it’s great. I’m a filth elder there. I’m even still the oldest person there — Iggy’s a year younger.

He’s a young pup. He’s legendary for a certain performance style. Are we going to see self-laceration, peanut butter?

I’m not going to spoil that. I’m going to let him surprise me. Every year he does something that’s even more amazing and funny. Parodying himself, but still giving an absolutely great performance of the complete legend he is. He’s still nude stage diving.

For his age, stage diving is no small feat.

No, it isn’t. I was gonna do it, and I thought, well, no, I’d have to rehearse too much. And then they wouldn’t catch me.

Have you ever stage dived?

No, I have not, but I have filmed it. Certainly, we had a scene in Serial Mom with L7 where Sam Waterston had to stage dive, which was funny. So, no, I personally never have, but I like watching it. At Mosswood, in the amphitheater, if you miss you land on concrete. But we’ve never had any trouble.

Never any misses, never any blood yet?

Oh, if there was any blood anywhere it was self-induced for fashion.

Some of the bands on the lineup this year — Bikini Kill, Vivian Girls — went on a hiatus or broke up and then came back. Are there any bands you would love to see reunite and play Mosswood?

The Donnas, who I knew a long time ago, they were in my house in Baltimore. I would love to have the Donnas together again. That would be an absolutely brilliant one. And Jayne County on stage, no matter how we get her there, even if it’s a crane. She should come out any way she possibly can. Those would be the two that would pick the most.

You know the Donnas, you know Jayne. Have you asked them?

Nah, that’s not my job. I know we’ve certainly been trying to get the Donnas for years. Who knows! One year. I’m not speculating why we haven’t but one year hopefully we do.

If you’re at Mosswood and you’re not on stage, are you watching the bands? Are you chilling in a trailer?

I’m watching the bands up to a point, but then I have to go look for the next act. Once in a while I see some friends backstage, but mostly I do see the shows here. And I can really see the audience, which I love just as much as numbers. Last year we had for the first time merch that sold out of this world, so we have new merch this year. It’s all done by Seth Bogart [of Hunx and His Punx], who does a really great job. I’m the only person that has a celebrity c-m rag and a celebrity dirty handkerchief with snot already on it.

Wait, does the c-m rag come pre-used?

No.

Batteries not included. What about Oakland? I gather you’re a fan of the city. Do you go to the punk bars?

Thee Stork Club is the coolest bar. I have a great time there. Oakland has a little bit of Baltimore, definitely.

When you say a little bit of Baltimore, what is it?

It’s cheaper and it’s a little dangerous. But you need danger to have a bohemia. You need a cheaper neighborhood, so gay people can come in and flip houses.

I think that’s true. You have been called the Pope of Trash —

Well, William Burroughs called me that. I didn’t call myself that.

Fair enough: You have been called that, but you do not self-identify. Anyway, the new pope is American. If Leo were to show up at Mosswood, do you think there is something for him at the festival?

You know what? I don’t like any of the popes. I was raised Catholic. They’re infallible, they can do whatever they want. Just say gay marriage is legal, put women in the church, don’t keep hinting and being liberal, just do it, b—h, do it.

Amen to that. You are a very well-dressed man. I imagine some years it’s got to get hot. Do you ever think about not wearing a full suit? Have you ever gone out in shorts?

I never. … A man my age should never be in a T-shirt. I wear suit jackets, but they’re very lightweight. I get summer ones because I need pockets. And I think that when people come to pay and see me, they expect me to dress for them.

We’re about a month away from Mosswood. How much have you written?

I just wrote this morning. I wrote Iggy’s introduction this morning, [I’m on] day two of it. So I have done all the introductions for Friday and Saturday and I [still] have Sunday.

Wow. You are not a procrastinating writer.

It’s a little harder for Iggy because I’ve introduced him so many times and I try not to say the same thing.

I’m going to ask a question that I feel I know the answer to: Would you ever use AI to help you write?

Not to help me write. I would use AI to cure cancer. But not to write, no. I saw something that was written supposedly for me by AI, and it was just like a really bad first draft — but yes, it was a first draft. To me, no. I wouldn’t do it. I wouldn’t know how to do it even if I wanted to. I think I always thought it would be good for pornography, but you can tell. It looks too good. I thought I would like it but I don’t. It looks too good.

What is the most entertaining thing you’ve seen or experienced at Mosswood?

I love it when I see three generations: grandfather, the father and the kids of punks. I think that is so touching and pretty rare. I guess the family that sniffs glue together stays together.