Rocky Horror Picture Show

How many of you have seen this movie?

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (RHPS).

And of those few who answered 'yes': how many of you just loved the decadence? Tim Curry strutting his stiff in heel, garters, fishnet stockings, bustier, and killer lips singing about being a "sweet transvestite, from the planet Transsexual in Transylvania"! And Susan Sarandon [slut!] getting a (sex) education at the hands of Frank-N-Furter *and* his creation Rocky! Oh, and Meat Loaf *again* ending up as a meal, just like in one of the Tales from the Crypt (What's Cooking, Chumley?)?! and the audience heaping abuse on the narrator / criminologist with no neck...

My thoughts have been filled, both day and night, for the last few days, with this movie... I'm dreaming about Frankie, dammit! And all those songs!!! And those call-out audience participation thingys!!

Huh? what was that about audience participation?

Yeah, did you know that when you go watch RHPS in the theatres, you are NOT expected to just sit and watch, but rather, you participate in the entire thing! Legend has it, in the early days (1975), someone found the dialogue so bad (and no doubt about it - it *is* a cheezy movie!) that he couldn't stand it anymore and shouted a response to the screen. Thus was born the tradition of Audience Participation. It has now expanded into a live show acted out in front just under the screen, mirroring what goes on onscreen... plus call-outs for just about every minute of the film!

There is something so liberating, addictive, and oh so cool about shouting 'asshole!', 'slut!', 'elbow sex', or overriding existing lines (whether dialogue or songs) with stuff like 'don't drink it, frank peed in it!" The movie also calls for lots of props: rice at the wedding scene, throwing pieces of toast in the air when Frank offers a toast (the drink), squirting water pistols to emulate the rain in the scene Brad and Janet make their way from their car to Frank's castle.

Yes Kosh, I am a freak :p

Dunno if I'd ever dress up in character to go see it, tho one of these Halloweens it may just happen, with the right amout of persuasion ? ?


Some noteworthy call-outs:

1. Before the lips appear, singing the opening song, you chant "A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away, God said, "Let there be lips"; so there were lips; and they were *good* lips!"

2. Magenta (as she slides down the bannister): "You're lucky, he's lucky, I'm lucky, we're ALL lucky"
Audience: The bannister's lucky!!!!

3. Frank: I see you shiver in anticip .... (audience: SAY IT!) ... pation!


Yeah. So. This RHPS-frenzy was caused by my renting it from the library: turned out the DVD had an option to play the audience participation soundtrack throughout the movie... oh my, for so many places it was pretty much impossible to make out what they were saying, so so so many voices calling out so many differnt things. So, me being the freak, went online searching from some help... and now I have a hard copy of one version of the audience participation guide. Now I can rest.

For those with a morbid curiosity, here are some sites for the audience participation guides:

1. http://www.uta.fi/~cstivi/rocky/material.html

2. http://www.eecis.udel.edu/~doke/rocky/scripts/

* * * * * don't dream it... be it * * * * *