Rocky Horror Picture Show

The cosmos must have been aligned just right yesterday, telling me that something was missing from my life of late. I mean, really, when you get two signs in a single day - it must be telling you something, right?

So, I was doing my usual daily browse over on emusic.com, trying to find a way to spend my 75 monthly downloads (still had 30 left to go before the 10th when I get my next month's batch), and I stumble on the newly added titles the following:


Yeah, baby! You know what this is. The original motion picture soundtrack for the Rocky Horror Picture Show, that campy musical fraught with sexual energy that first hit theatres in 1975 and became a cult classic as a staple of midnight showings all around the world since. Now, I had a couple songs from it on my iPod already but this was the whole kitten-caboodle. It didn't take me long to download many of the tracks.



Now, I know these songs by heart. I knew most of them by heart even before I saw the film for the first time at a midnight showing during my freshman year of college in 1983. They were so ingrained in my head after doing the timewarp at many a floor party dance. Heck, even back in the day I owned on vinyl the audience-participation album (basically the whole film with all the shout-outs as recorded at a NYC showing in the early 80's).

So, I got the songs. That was sign one.

Flipping the channels on TV last night, what do I run across at 8pm on a local affiliate? Yup! You guessed it! I ran across a showing of the film. Now, I own a copy of the 25th anniversary edition on DVD. Yet, just like any film you love, when you run across it on TV you stop, you watch, and despite the commercials you keep watching. Yeah, I'm a lost cause to be sure.

Now, compared to movies of today, Rocky Horror is pretty tame of an R-rated film. Heck, it'd likely be PG-13 today at best. But back in the 70's, it touched upon areas that were very taboo in a lot of parts of the country. It was subversive. It was weird. It was the perfect lure of young adults looking to celebrate their sexual freedoms.

For me, I love the songs - they're in the same vein as songs of the 50's and 60's. And the whole homage to the classic B-movies and old-time "late night double feature picture shows" gives the film such cheesey delight. And who can forget the cast? Meat Loaf (in his pre-Bat Out of Hell form rocks the film in just a single scene. And Tim Curry - we love Tim Curry! He is the perfect "sweet transvestite". Also, the early days of Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick's careers. Very nice. Little Nell is a doll. And Richard O'Brien, the author of the original musical, is perfectly creepy as Riff Raff.

A great film that brings back instant great memories. A perfect form of Halloween fun, for me.