The Time Warp from 15 years ago

So my wife and I were flippping channels late on friday night after watching a very satisfying Broken Flowers (reveiw to come) and settled upon a pair or rosy red lips on like encore or bravo. "Michael Rennie was ill" the lips sang and I knew was caught. I probably haven't seen the ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW since college but, to land haphazardly on the first lyric from the first song, I couldn't change the channel. And I still knew every word. I looked over at Erin and caught her singing as well.

Rocky Horror was a huge part of my high school experience, from sing alongs at parties to even going as far as ordering the script and planning a production of the stage play the movie was based on (it never happened, of course). My silly friends and I argued unceasingly over who should be in what role. I've got to admit though, looking back on it, what bunch of pathetic fakers we all were. A strange thing happened in 1990, after years of being unavailable, Rocky Horror was released on videotape. Finally, after years of only being able to witness the cult film with hundreds of weirdos in costumes and props, you could watch it in your living room with your parents (I did). You could buy a cd or cassette tape of the audience participation version of the film, so you would know what to scream at the screen. And if you watched the special documentry that was relased that year to commemorate the 15th anniversary you knew what to bring and how to act at a showing. THat's right, no more 'rocky horror virgin embarrassment' as had become the standard. You could pass yourself off as a fan who just moved into the city and fake it.

Or you could do what we did, which was not go to the show at all but instead try to do it in the living room of every house that had a party for like a year. Now I'm sure a few people went into chicago to see it on the big screen, but it was a very few and it was only a couple times. I never went. And I was planning on doing a live stage version. The arrogance. And we didn't even do a good job in our living rooms. Costumes were rare, props were few and far between. It was basically singing-along, jumping up and acting if it was your 'part' and pretending we knew all the oh-so-witty comebacks that people in a real audience would say. It was probably also an excuse to make out with people you weren't dating (this was common amongst my group of friends) .

I'm watching this movie and a few thoughts occur to me. 1) the music stands up to time. The songs are still great. 2) the movie itself is not all that great. watching it in your living room, anytime there is not a song going on you are anxious to get to the next one, or thinking about how awful the acting in the film is (which is intentional, but doesn't make it a more enjoyable experience alone or with a friend ... only with a group of 300 strangers). 3) it really fizzles out at the end. I mean, what little plot there is, is disregarded for a 'stage show', and then RIff Raff and Magenta start gunning people down for no reason and the house takes off. 4) I really ripped myself off and the 15th anniversary release is to blame. If I hadn't been able to watch the movie at home I would have had to go downtown. We all would, and we would have experienced the movie as 15 years of fans before us had. And it would have been something, I don't know, special, instead of very very silly.

So I make this pledge, my children, if and when they come, are not allowed to watch ROCKY HORROR at home until they see it in the theatre with the freaks of the world. They can listen to the cd but not the audience particpation version. They can have a list of props to bring to the show but not information on what to do with them. I think we should all make this pledge. Because it's important. And maybe, if I go with them, and watch them suffer their virgin experience, I too will be able to steal that experience back for myself.

Rick (a.k.a. Eddie)