WATCH: John Waters Talks About Perks of Hitchhiking

When film director John Waters took to the road to document what might happen to him if he hitchhiked across the country, he had some pretty vivid fantasies. What he didn't imagine is that drivers from all walks of life would be so warm and open-minded. After riding with a Republican official, a minister's wife, a cop, a trucker, a coal miner, and a rock band, Waters tells Stephen Colbert that they all had one thing in common.

"What did you discover about America?"

"How incredibly open-minded they were about people. They were more open-minded than intellectuals I know in L.A. and New York. These people defied what you think about a coal miner. It didn't matter if they were Republican or Democrat."

Lesson learned. We should all start hitchiking more.

Watch the full clip here: