On the set with John Waters.

As anyone who's fallen in love with his films knows, it's not a good thing to wait too long between doses of John Waters. Raunchy, rude, and riddled with subversive humor, Waters's movies are soothing antidotes to a society that, more often than not, still ridicules gay men and lesbians and would rather we keep our fabulousness a secret.

For Waters fans who've been deprived since 1994's twisted Serial Mom, the wait is about to end. Pecker, a work he describes as "a sweet movie with a big edge," finished shooting in December and is scheduled for release this year.

In his latest film Waters returns once again to the story of an outsider who triumphs over mediocrity and bad hair. Filmed in Waters's native Baltimore, Pecker is the tale of a goofy working-class kid, played by Edward Furlong. The title character's name isn't a phallic reference, Waters insists: "He got it 'cause he pecked at his food."

The script takes Pecker from doughnut-shop worker to darling of the Manhattan art world, where he wins acclaim for photos he takes of his family. A luscious cast includes Mary Kay Place as Pecker's mom, Martha Plimpton as his sister, Lili Taylor as a snooty art dealer, and Christina Ricci as Pecker's workaholic girlfriend -- she runs a Laundromat and loves it.

Like all of Waters's movies, Pecker takes the side of the underdog ("I don't mock people -- I'm trying to praise people that society mocks," the filmmaker says) and raises the banner for strangeness and lunacy. Instead of offering up doughy gays deemed suitable for hetero palates, Waters embraces individuality -- and finds fresh ways of thumbing his nose at gay political correctness.

"Gay is not enough anymore," he says. "I have to have more of a twist on it." For example, one of his characters, played by New York performer Mo B. Dick, is a "drag king" who runs a lesbian strip club for heterosexual men.

Although Pecker promises the insanity of Waters's early titles, will his die-hard fans -- the ones who want flailing archism in every reel -- be disappointed? "I think they'll like it," says the director. "I mean, no one's going to eat shit in it," he adds, referring to a notorious scene in his 1972 breakthrough film, Pink Flamingos, "but I guarantee you no one's ever going to eat shit again in one of my movies."

Now, what about that title? "The Motion Picture Association of America told us we couldn't call it that," Waters reports. "So I went to a hearing with a very good lawyer, and I gave a little speech at the end. They were very nice, and they unanimously overturned the decision, so now I can call it Pecker."

Waters, who turns 52 in April, stuck a new feather in his cap in November with Director's Cut, a book of photographs taken from famous movies and reassembled as wickedly funny storyboards. (A typical example, "7 Marys," lines up six Hollywood depictions of the Virgin Mary alongside a photo of Paul Lynde.)

Single, loyal to his friends, and famously devoted to his career, Waters lives alone in Baltimore. "I see people, but I don't think I need to be in love right now," he says, laughing. Actually, I have been in love, but much of the time I prefer when I'm not. It's another job, another career."