The latest incarnation of Hairspray had its New York premiere last night, and it was an apparently uneventful evening– pity the poor celeb blogs, who have nothing to pump other than the “Katie Holmes Left The House, Possibly Pregnant” vein. But back in 1988, the premiere of the first Hairspray took Baltimore by storm. This amazing clip (from Jonathan Ross‘ late-80 cult film documentary series The Incredibly Strange Film Show) features interviews with John Waters and a tuxedo-wearing Divine, as well as a brief history of Waters’ pre-Hairspray output.

Towards the end, Ross, interviewing Waters weeks after Divine’s death, asks the filmmaker to define his late muse’s appeal. Waters sighs and answers, “He represented to any kind of rebel somebody that could win.” THAT’s what’s missing from this new version of Hairspray–it’s an incredible crowd pleaser, but it’s got nothing on the original film’s spirit of insurrection.