WHY DO YOU DO IT?
MIBecky
is elitist and full of bullshit now, moreso than it was back when it started.
That's debateable, but it does beg some questions.
My questions are these - if it sucks so hard, why in the world are people so
obsessed with it? Why do people keep joining? Why can't people who retire
stay out of the loop? Why can't they move on with a clean break and not
concern themselves with it anymore? Not that I want to see the Clan Elders
move on, but what keeps them around even after they proclaim how much it all
sucks and they're done with it? Why do some come out of retirement or never
truly retire even after they've retired? If it sucks so hard, if it makes
everyone so upset and disappointed, why keep doing it? I have my own answers
to these questions, but rather than post them, I'd like to hear yours. I
don't mean to flame or insult, I'm honestly curious.
So, why? What keeps it going? What's in it for you? Not the community, or
your friends or your theater - WHAT'S IN IT, SELFISHLY, FOR YOU???
MIBecky
--
www.midnightinsanity.com
"A good friend will bail you out of jail. A best friend will be the one
sitting next to you saying: That was fucking awesome!"
Shawn McHorse
<mi_b...@yahoo.comremovethisifyoudonwannagetyourmailbouncedback> said...
> My questions are these - if it sucks so hard, why in the world are people so
> obsessed with it?
Because the first hit is always free.
--
Shawn McHorse | Article posted through RockyNewsgroup.org -
Queerios (Austin, Texas) | the Rocky Horror Usenet newsgroup archive.
http://www.queerios.org | http://www.rockynewsgroup.org
Jason
All kidding aside its for me is just apart of me. Its like all that body hair I
try to get rid of. No matter how many times I wax it away it just keeps coming
back. Weird/gross allogy (ms) I know but it just does.
All the memories I've spent there good or bad always come back to me and I'll
never be rid of. And why would I want to be rid of them?
--
Your Faithful Handyman,
Jason
Dossy
MIBecky <mi_b...@yahoo.com[...]> wrote:
> Yes, this thread is being started in direct response to people
> claiming RHPS is elitist and full of bullshit now, moreso than it was
> back when it started. That's debateable, but it does beg some
> questions.
As an RHPS old-timer from New Jersey, let me say that few if any of the
shows I've gone to since 1996 were worth going to.
When I first started going, back around 1990, it was a different crowd.
There were fewer young kids in the audience (someone under 16 was a
/novelty/ back then -- today, it's hard to find anyone who isn't under
16). The cast appeared to be in it because they enjoyed performing with
and for their friends, and the strangers they've never met who came in
to see them. We were all various degrees of poor and it didn't matter:
everyone who needed a ticket got one and got in, and we all managed to
grab a cup of coffee afterwards -- before we got kicked out of the
diner. Sticking around after the show meant helping to clean up and
providing constructive criticism to the cast and crew, not trying to
hook up with underaged girls. People hanging out in the parking lot
before the show helped represent the show and worked to vamp up the
crowd waiting to be let into the theater, not start fistfights and
harrass each other or do drugs.
> My questions are these - if it sucks so hard, why in the world are
> people so obsessed with it? Why do people keep joining?
Because kids today grew up with parents who were afraid to let their
kids play outdoors and socialize in person; they never learned to
socialize properly. The folks who gravitate towards RHPS today are the
people who are so maladjusted that the preexisting social misfit crowd
shuns them. Lots of these folks live with their parents and don't work,
so they have plenty of time and energy available to dwell on minutiae
that most people just don't care about after a full day of regularly
scheduled bullshit.
As the situation gets worse, with fewer kids growing up being encouraged
to exercise their social skills, the enlisting of new RHPS recruits will
just get out of hand.
> Why can't people who retire stay out of the loop? Why can't they move
> on with a clean break and not concern themselves with it anymore?
We're angry and bitter that we just let things roll downhill without
putting up more of a fight? We still believe that there's opportunity
for massive ass-kicking reform, which could one day restore RHPS to the
enjoyable hobby and past-time that it once was?
> Not that I want to see the Clan Elders move on, but what keeps them
> around even after they proclaim how much it all sucks and they're done
> with it? Why do some come out of retirement or never truly retire
> even after they've retired? If it sucks so hard, if it makes everyone
> so upset and disappointed, why keep doing it?
As you can tell by the fact that most people don't recognize who the
heck I am, some of us /have/ moved on. I occassionally poke into the
newsgroup and go to a live show, just to "check the temperature of the
RHPS pool" and see how things are. Apparently, people are still pissing
in it ...
> I have my own answers to these questions, but rather than post them,
> I'd like to hear yours. I don't mean to flame or insult, I'm honestly
> curious.
Please, post your answers - perhaps, in a week. I'm equally curious to
see what you have to say.
> So, why? What keeps it going? What's in it for you? Not the community, or
> your friends or your theater - WHAT'S IN IT, SELFISHLY, FOR YOU???
What's in it for me? In my youth, RHPS was a great source of
entertainment. It was good clean fun, late on a Saturday night and into
Sunday morning. I really enjoyed it.
Now that I have two lovely daughters of my own, I really wish they could
enjoy RHPS the way I did. However, I'm very disappointed that I
wouldn't want them going to an RHPS show, not the way they are now.
Someday, I'm hoping things will get better. Being no fool, I know that
they won't get better until someone does something to try and make it
better. Since every little bit counts, supposedly, I put in a bit here
and there -- comment on the newsgroup, give meaningful and constructive
feedback to cast and crew when I do make it out to a show, and try to
remind people of the good spirit and positive value that RHPS can have.
And I get to speak from the vantage point of experience, not of
discussing could-be potentials.
I know what RHPS was and could be again someday, so what I ask for of
the cast, crew, audience and RHPS in general, I know is a possibility.
That makes it even that much more worth working towards, rather than
some dreamt up utopian image of the "ideal" RHPS show production.
Okay, whose in charge of props? I'm done with this soapbox, now.
-- Dossy
--
Dossy Shiobara mail: do...@panoptic.com
Panoptic Computer Network web: http://www.panoptic.com/
"He realized the fastest way to change is to laugh at your own
folly -- then you can let go and quickly move on." (p. 70)
Quality
"MIBecky" <mi_b...@yahoo.comremovethisifyoudonwannagetyourmailbouncedback>
wrote in message news:fsx450wv14...@news.rockynewsgroup.org...
> Yes, this thread is being started in direct response to people claiming
RHPS
> is elitist and full of bullshit now, moreso than it was back when it
started.
> That's debateable, but it does beg some questions.
>
> My questions are these - if it sucks so hard, why in the world are people
so
> obsessed with it? Why do people keep joining? Why can't people who
retire
> stay out of the loop? Why can't they move on with a clean break and not
> concern themselves with it anymore? Not that I want to see the Clan
Elders
> move on, but what keeps them around even after they proclaim how much it
all
> sucks and they're done with it? Why do some come out of retirement or
never
> truly retire even after they've retired? If it sucks so hard, if it makes
> everyone so upset and disappointed, why keep doing it? I have my own
answers
> to these questions, but rather than post them, I'd like to hear yours. I
> don't mean to flame or insult, I'm honestly curious.
I dunno. If I ever get around to retiring, I'll let you know. :)
Seriously, today is really not much different than it was when the shows
first started. People are just as anal. And thats fine. But as far as those
never quite letting the door hit them on the ass as they leave, I have a
theory.
<theory>
In Rocky years, much like dog years, you can seemingly be a veteran with not
much time under you belt. 5 years seems to be a good benchmark as to what
would be considered a veteran, because it's right about there people who
have stuck with it quit, or continue on for several more years. In those 5
years, members have pretty much entrenched themselves into the community,
and when they leave, they find that they don't have much in common with the
rest of the world. So they keep checking in, keep showing up every few
months or so. They stay in touch with their only friends, Rocky people,
because during the course of their run they never went outside the loop to
make any other friendships, because "other people just don't understand".
Then at the after parties or meetings, they pop in and reminise about how
'things use to be', and have the rapt attention of the newer people. With
this new found status as the keeper of knowledge, they start showing up
more, start posting more, and strangly develop a rose colored view of how
things were done or how they should be, because "we did things differently,
and we were much happier". They seem to be always in pursuit of a way to
keep what they believe to be the glory of the show alive, without the effort
of performing.
</theory>
Then we kill them and take their wallets. It's pretty cool.
--
Art Laurie means Quality! Ask for him by name!
Quality Brad since 1979! AIM/Yahoo/Livejournal - Quality617
The Teseracte Players of Boston! The Full Body Cast!
We keep you alive to serve this show.
www.teseracte.com www.purr3d.com www.fullbodycast.org
REV
overheard MIBecky
<mi_b...@yahoo.comremovethisifyoudonwannagetyourmailbouncedback> mutter:
> So, why? What keeps it going? What's in it for you? Not the community, or
> your friends or your theater - WHAT'S IN IT, SELFISHLY, FOR YOU???
Because I'm trying to give you cancer, Becky. Without me, you wouldn't have
anybody to bum cigarettes from. =p
--
Rev. Tracy Swineford
Jack of All Trades, Master of Some
-Bringing you a mixture of the sacred and the profane since 1995!-
http://www.midnightinsanity.com
http://www.cryptohomorockers.com
Vet's Here
originally started RHPS in January 1989 back in Iowa. Like Dossy
stated, things were different back then and it was great! I met my
husband of 12 years there. We stopped going regularly in 1992, but made
appearances here and there before we moved to Colorado. We started going
to RHPS regularly in CO, but with the different structure of cast and
rules of cast, we didn't feel comfortable and just started going every
now and then and we still do at least once a year.
What keeps me going? I love the movie and what it represents to me and
I LOVE screaming the lines and singing the music.
Former slut-veissssss of Iowa,
Vet
Lurch
woman who became my wife; you just can't walk away from something like that
which changes your life for the better on such a huge scale, at least not
permanently...
--
-- Lurch
visit Lurch's Lair at: http://yourang.freeservers.com
"Sic gorgiamus allus subjectatus nunc"
Ruth Fink-Winter (DSL)
I don't know if I'm old-guard, though I'm working on it (15 years and
counting). My experience differs from yours.
Most of the shows I've seen in the US would benefit from some attention to
minutiae--there are some very good shows out there, but a lot of slightly
f*ck-off casts where if someone suggests that maybe we should work on our
costumes or our blocking, they're accused of "making it into work."
Though I'm not sure that non-detail casts are new either...the very first
cast I performed in (Lincoln, NE, 1988) didn't even feature costumes (the
Frank wore heart-spangled boxer shorts), and the cast in Omaha, NE featured
essentially no costumes either (they just wore all black), and they were
performing until 1992 or thereabouts.
--
Ruth Fink-Winter - Now in Tennessee
Crazed Imaginations: By Rocky Fans, for Rocky Fans
http://www.crazedimaginations.com
PO Box 3364 Kingsport, TN 37664
"Dossy" <do...@panoptic.com> wrote in message
news:slrnblhkpf...@ecwav.panoptic.com...
> In article <fsx450wv14...@news.rockynewsgroup.org>,
> MIBecky <mi_b...@yahoo.com[...]> wrote:
> > Yes, this thread is being started in direct response to people
> > claiming RHPS is elitist and full of bullshit now, moreso than it was
> > back when it started. That's debateable, but it does beg some
> > questions.
{snip}
The cast appeared to be in it because they enjoyed performing with
> and for their friends, and the strangers they've never met who came in
> to see them.
{snip}
> Lots of these folks live with their parents and don't work,
> so they have plenty of time and energy available to dwell on minutiae
> that most people just don't care about after a full day of regularly
> scheduled bullshit.
{snip}
Ron Maxwell
play Riff but the cast we were forming
(NYC - The New Yorker Theater - 1979) unanimously said "NO! You are playing
Brad." When I asked why
they simply said "Look in the mirror." Hehehehehe. I just seem to identify with
Brad. In 1981 I started performing
with the NYC Cast at the 8th Street Playhouse. WOW! Talk about costumes. This
was my first introduction into
"Screen Accurate costumes". Please remember we didn't have Video or DVD back
then. Some had a Bootleg
Beta-max version if I remember. We did have the Movie Novel though. One 8th st.
Frank won the $10,000 Pyramid and
spent the entire winnings on her Frank costume. No, it wasn't Dori Hartley.
Rocky was redhot in NYC back then.
At one point in the late 70's / eraly 80's there were no less than 4 theaters in
Manhattan alone playing RHPS.
The New Yorker, The Festival on 57th Street, The 8th Street Playhouse, and I
think one other. Anyhoo.
I just got a kick out of performing Brad. There was also no internet to look for
costumers, you were really
out on your own to develop your costume. It truly was fun to try and get every
nuance possible. Mostly from
photos bought at Jerry Ohlinger's and The Movie Novel book. Just try to guess
what the colors might be when
all you have is a B/W Photo to go by. hehehehe. I thought I had a descent
costume. Floorshow has alway been my
absolutely worst costume though. Not liking the whole corsett thing I guess I
just didn't strive that hard on that
one - it still is to this day. Yes, Bernie, I still have the corset with the
cups stil in place. :)
I just liked performing in front of an audience. Acting out numbers before the
show. Interacting with other fans
dressed up. I would really get pumped if another Brad showed up. The first
"number" I did was bugging out
to the Pointer Sister's Neutron Dance. Hehe. Just kinda dnacing around on
stage. The Audience applauded
and for better or worse encouraged me. Then came "performing" Once in a Life
Time, from the Talking Heads
movie Stop Maknig Sense, while the trailer was playing. My favorite was doing the
flips the "punk rocker" would
do during the Satisfaction video by DEVO. The Zenith of my "career" was meeting
most of the stars at the 10th anniv.
in their hotel room. I still will not reveal the Psuedonym RO'B uses to check
into hotels (at least in 1985). hehehehe
Fast forward 10 years (1995) to Rocky Con's and events. I don't remember the
first time I ran into Art Laurie, Bill Ung,
Marc Berman, Bernie Bregman, Wally Barsell or Ed Reed. But all I can say is they
took an old Brad to school again.
The detail! WOW. From the burgundy lining in the tux jacket to the authentic
Denton HS Ring, to the "discussions"
on what Brad's cumberbund fabric is. I was truly impressed. I mean how could you
not be. However, I was already
set in my ways. I still haven't done the burgundy lining, although I do look for
it at the local stores when I need a new
jacket. I will update pieces from time to time. The only piece of costume held
over from the old days is my cumberbund.
It is the same one used since 1981 or so. I know I am not screen accurate to
the extreme. I can't even do a complete
show without screwing something up once, even after all these years. I doubt
sincerely I would survive 10 minutes
performing in MI, Sins, Indescent Exposure, Barely Legal, or a number of other
casts in US. I am simply just not that
accurate. Please do not get me wrong. I am not saying there is anything wrong
with that. I just know my own limitations.
So why do I do it?
I too have been blessed. I have performed with the 8th Street Playhouse cast and
the various iterations of the NYC cast.
I've been to MTV and VH1 parties. Performed at the 10th, 20th, and 25th Anniv.
Been to London for the 1992 convention.
Traveled to LA, SF, Las Vegas, all places I probably wouldn't have ever traveled
to without a reason.
Met my wife Hilary (Sorry MI Becky, but when Hilary puts on her Magenta outfift -
woo hoo. She is by far the hottest
Magenta I know. :) Still gets me all oogie inside, even to this day.). I have
Made alot of friends, met various casts, and
performed with alot of different people..
Why?
All because of this silly little movie.
I forget who said it, but at the 25th Anniv while I was just coming off a high
from performing Dammit Janet with Jamie Froeming ,
I was told by another Brad they enjoyed my "interpretation" of Brad. That above
all else sums up my philosophy on performing...
I may not be the most accurate but hey -- Brads just want to have fun!
Ron Maxwell
BertSchnik
< Whats in it selfeshly, for you? >
Love, I guess. I fell in love with Rocky Horror when I was 15, and havent
looked back. After I quit performing, I never went back, except for 2 occasions
( the 25th and the Philly con, but the Philly con was only because the
scheduled Bert Schnick was ill at the last second.)
When you fall in love with something, you love it for life.
Bill
Richard Davidson
<rmax...@nycpinball.com> says...
> Fast forward 10 years (1995) to Rocky Con's and events. <snip> The detail!
WOW. From the burgundy lining in the tux jacket to the authentic
> Denton HS Ring, to the "discussions"
> on what Brad's cumberbund fabric is.
One of my funniest (at least it was funny to me) memories of conventions was at
the Tuscon Con immediately following the costume competition listening to
Bernie try to explain to Bill about what parts of his costume should have put
him into the lead in comparison to the rest of the competition. When he pointed
out that he had on a watch set to the exact time that you momentarily see
Brad's watch during "Dammit Janet", I knew that the level of competition was
being held damn high in that category.
I doubt
> sincerely I would survive 10 minutes
> performing in MI, Sins, Indescent Exposure, Barely Legal, or a number of
other
> casts in US.
You could have performed with IE. It would have just meant having to put up
with Becky putting you through the paces during neverending rehearsals... ; )
--
See you round like a record,
Richard Davidson
Bawdy Caste, Big Lil's Comedy Cabaret
http://www.bawdycaste.org
Buffy: No actual witches in your witch group?
Willow: No. Bunch of wanna blessed be's. Nowadays every girl with a henna
tattoo and a spice rack thinks she's a sister to the dark ones.
Hush, Season 4
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
BertSchnik
<..when he pointed out that he had on a watch set to the exact time that you
mementarily see Brads watch during "Dammit Janet:, i knew the competition was
being held damned high in that catagory...>
I remember that, Bernie FLOORED me with that watch! It looked like Brads
watch, and he timed it PERFECTLY...the clock on the Denton church is 4 minutes
to noon, and Bernie timed how long Brad speaks to Ralph, etc, until the time he
begins singing to Janet. Damn, that was dedication.
(Heh, I also remember Jared slipping me a beer on stage. It did'nt change any
judgements, but it was damned sweet of him.)
Anyway, here is a Brad costume idea that Ron mention to me a LOOONG time ago.
I dunno if he remembers it or not, but Ive always wanted to see him (or some
Brad, for that matter) try it...
Ron said that he always wanted to have a bladder/water ballon under his arm,
pumping water up a hose strapped to his back to a small shower head. The water
would shower him like in the rain scene as he walked out on stage. I dunno if I
ever complimented hom on this idea, but it stuck in my mind after all these
years and Ive always thought it was brilliant.
Ron? Maybe at the NYC con? Vegas con? Vegas con in 2005?
Bill
Beverly Gerrish
a year. I read the newsgroup out of habit and dont recognise half those who
post. I havent been to a con in two years.
But I still reserve the right to be a loudmouth bitch with an opinion.
Bev
In article <fsx450wv14...@news.rockynewsgroup.org>, MIBecky
<mi_b...@yahoo.comremovethisifyoudonwannagetyourmailbouncedback> says...
--
Give yourself over to Absolute Pleasure T-Shirts!!
MIBecky
outfift -
woo hoo. She is by far the hottest
Magenta I know. :)"
Hehe. There's a difference between "Hotness" and being a good, screen-accurate
performer. As I'm not aware of ever having seen Hilary perform (though I cyber-
love her dearly and I'm sure she's screamin' hot! ;) I can only say I've seen
some hot Magentas in my time and I don't rank in the top 10! ;) I can make
some of the facial expressions, and I can fake my way into looking like Pat
Quinn, but that's as far as I feel it goes. Hot? Nah, not really. Just
interesting to look at. With boobies. ;)
VERY interesting answers so far! I appreciate the interest and the time you
all took to answer. I'll let it ride for a bit longer, then I'll chime in. I
have much in common with many of you, as far as how we got invovled, what we
get out of it, etc. And I feel I know some of you better now and that makes me
happy.
And aren'tcha glad I'm not a student researching a paper! ;)
MIBecky
Quality
"Ron Maxwell" <rmax...@nycpinball.com> wrote in message
news:3F5929BF...@nycpinball.com...
> Fast forward 10 years (1995) to Rocky Con's and events. I don't remember
the
> first time I ran into Art Laurie, Bill Ung,
> Marc Berman, Bernie Bregman, Wally Barsell or Ed Reed. But all I can say
is they
> took an old Brad to school again.
I remember. It was at one of Larry's SUNY cons. I played handmaiden to
Karen, who was performing, and the audience almost passed out that night
because it was so hot. You kindly posed for a polaroid with me (which I
still have), two Brads, no waiting.
The only thing missing from the picture is that we don't have drinks in our
hands. But we remedied that at EC2000 and Phillycon. :)
--
Art Laurie means Quality! Ask for him by name!
Quality Brad since 1979! AIM/Yahoo/Livejournal - Quality617
The Teseracte Players of Boston!
@hotmail.com Mizz <M>
"MIBecky" <mi_b...@yahoo.comremovethisifyoudonwannagetyourmailbouncedback>
wrote in message news:fsx450wv14...@news.rockynewsgroup.org...
or
> your friends or your theater - WHAT'S IN IT, SELFISHLY, FOR YOU???
It's fun.
We do it once in a while (here in the UK) and it's fun both for the
performers and (I hope) the audience. No one gets sick of it as its an
occasional treat rather than a weekly or fortnightly ritual.
Ron Maxwell
conventions I never get to see whole cast performances. I never saw a complete MI
performance. Nor Barely Legal, WUT, Lichez-Moi, Home of Happiness, and may others.
One day it would be fun, if not expensive, to tour the world seeing as many RHPS
casts as possible. First stop: CA. I would love to see MI in action and w/o
commercail interuption. Then BL, WUT, Comeback through the midwest, see Bah-ston's
Lichez Moi, etc. I would save Las Vegas' Devine Decadance for last though. I would
probably loose all the money for the rest of the trip if I went there earlier. I
would give my right arm to see a complete performance of Indescent Exposure (I can't
say "IE". It makes me think of Internet Explorer) but that would require time
travel.
BTW: I always thought Brad has a thing for Magenta. He loves Janet, but Magenta is
his secret "dirty" girl. :) ;)
I have an idea...
Let's have a convention on a Jumbo 747 flying from LA to NYC to London.
Now that would be cool. then it would be up to everyone to get back home on their
own. Kind of like a Rocky Horror version of The Great Race.
-or -
Get the international Space Station to house a few performers for a week and see
what effect Zero Gravity has on people doing the Time Warp.
Ron
P.S.
>I can only say I've seen
> some hot Magentas in my time and I don't rank in the top 10!
Are you nucking futs! Checking out the Magenta's of the World website
( http://members.tripod.com/magentas/becky/ ) I would put you in the
top 3 in "hottness" (just _above_ Pat Quinn) ;)
Ron Maxwell
>hands. But we remedied that at EC2000 and Phillycon. :)
That is why I don't remember. :O Jagermeister is brain food.
I have the same picture BTW. I think it got into one of issues of Crazed
Imaginations.
Ron "Never give up! Never surrender! - your beer anyway..." Maxwell
Ron Maxwell
> Hehe. There's a difference between "Hotness" and being a good, screen-accurate
> performer. As I'm not aware of ever having seen Hilary perform (though I cyber-
> love her dearly and I'm sure she's screamin' hot! ;) I can only say I've seen
> some hot Magentas in my time and I don't rank in the top 10! ;) I can make
> some of the facial expressions, and I can fake my way into looking like Pat
> Quinn, but that's as far as I feel it goes. Hot? Nah, not really. Just
> interesting to look at. With boobies. ;)
>
Glad my husband thinks I'm hot. Now at 40 and just recently popped out a child I
don't feel hot, and Becky you so are hot.
I think you did see me perform. Well I'm not sure, I did creation scene at the
25th on Sat. night. However, when the lights came back up most of the audience had
taken a powder so maybe you didn't see me. I did the same scene at FGTH with the
wonderful Jessica Feldman, and my dearest sweety, one of my favorite Riffs, Richard
Davidson. Also I was the one who's husband bribed the costume contest judges with
$20 bills. But alas I still didn't win. I Just can't win one of those Maggie
contests. However, I finally won for Trixie at the Philly Con. I was wearing a Miss
Halo 5 creation (Thanks Qaud). Not that these contests really matter much to me.
It's the stuff I've done and seen because of Rocky that's more important. Like Ron,
I've done VH1 shows and a commercial. Performed at cons and anniversary shows and
traveled all over and meet some great people because of Rocky. I also got to meet
Barry Bostwick at the 20th and he also thought I was hot. Actually, all he looked at
was my tits, but hey you take what you can get. Right?
As far as why I started in Rocky and why I keep coming back, well for me it's
like this. I started performing much older then a lot of you guys, my late 20's.
and I had no intention of doing so, I was shy, fat and had no confidence. The guy I
was with at the time performed Brad at Movieland on 8th st. Now don't get me wrong,
I saw Rocky many time before this and loved it. But this was the fist time I was a
regular, or the girlfriend of a regular. Anyway, to my horrors, I got shoved into
playing Janet one night. But something happened to me that night. It wasn't me I was
someone else altogether and people thought I was good looking. After that I wanted
it more and I became hot. It's all in the attitude! If you project it, it will come
shining through. But I was definitely not satisfied with Janet. So I set my sights
on Magenta. Finally at the 20th I got my shot. I walked up on that stage and bam I
was magenta. I think Ron told me that Sal even commented "Wow where did that come
from!?". So that's why I do it. To build my self confidence and have fun.
I keep coming back for the same reasons. I'm 40, I could be a mom to most of
the audience, and those little snot noses wouldn't give me the time of day if they
saw me on the street. :) But when the costume goes on, the crazy hair is let down,
apply the makeup, and crank up the Magenta-tude, you can be damn sure those 16/18
year old boys (and some girls) don't see a 40 year old mother they see a hot ass
Magenta with big boobs. It's Cool! I dig it! It's great to feel that way and have
people look at you that way. And I am so grateful that the NYC cast still gives me
the opportunity to perform once or twice a year. I also enjoy cons because I get to
see friends that I don't see otherwise. Its all good. Anyway I know this it way to
long so I will stop now.
Love and Kisses,
Hilary Maxwell - NYC Magenta (Semi-Retitred)
Richard Davidson
<rmax...@nycpinball.com> says...
> I did the same scene at FGTH with the
> wonderful Jessica Feldman, and my dearest sweety, one of my favorite
Riffs, Richard
> Davidson.
And you'll always be one of my favorite Magentas too. * hugs * : )
Ron Maxwell
I still have my wallet though. I guess I haven't "arrived" yet.
Oh the pain. The pain!
Ron
Ruth Fink-Winter (DSL)
before. So if you've heard it before, feel free to skip to the next
article.
In summary: Rocky Horror is one of the things in life I am best at, and in
addition to letting me use skills I enjoy using, it's led me on to learn a
lot of interesting new skills, which I can then share with others, making me
feel useful. In addition, I get to hang out with fellow enthusiasts, many
of them also fonts of interesting things I didn't know, and run around in
glitter and chiffon. All this while getting more respect than I do in the
field that actually pays my bills!
Rocky Horror being your best-honed skill is perhaps sad and pathetic, but it
makes me happy.
I don't mean I am one of the country's top performers; I'm not. I know the
moves and I keep working on my costume, which I also enjoy, and when I am
onstage I try to be Magenta (I like that a lot too). I've seen performers I
consider among the country's/world's best and I admire them a lot. And I am
very happy being the best Magenta I can be.
I have always loved glitter, extreme makeup, and vamps. Rocky lets me
indulge that. I'm a chemical engineer in real life. And most of my real
life is spent with my nose in a book or my eyeballs in front of a computer
screen. (Now that I own a house, significant portions are also spent behind
a lawnmower.) I was never tremendously outgoing and I never fit in
particularly well. To top it off, a love for good food and a distaste for
most physical activity means I now tip the scales at well over 200 pounds.
At Rocky I can run around in transparent chiffon and a string bikini and be
a sex bomb. This is great stress relief.
A large part of Rocky for me is also membership in the larger community. I
have met a lot of wonderful people over the years (and a few jerks--but only
a few), and it's fun having a community with whom to discuss the hobby. (I
like reading about ancient Egypt, too, but I don't get to put on a pleated
linen dress and swap pointers for braiding wigs with fellow enthusiasts.)
It is a lot of fun driving to different theaters, checking out movie palaces
and seeing how other people do this thing.
I love the music, and I've tied that in with my love of foreign languages by
collecting foreign soundtracks, although I enjoy the soundtracks from many
countries where I don't speak the language too. I've always enjoyed
collecting things; Rocky provides plenty of shiny items to collect, many of
them historical or in a foreign language too for double bonus points.
I am a detail freak in real life, so it's perhaps not surprising I am in my
hobbies as well. Rocky blends well with other things I like to do, and has
encouraged me to develop new interests. I enjoy reading about the history
of Rocky Horror. I enjoy digging up obscure facts about it, or finding a
production of the play in outer Timbuktu, or figuring out at long last how
Sue Blane put a costume together. Rocky allows me to find things like this
and share them with other people who are also interested, and who have dug
up similar fascinating things that I didn't know about.
There is enough to Rocky that if you are truly obsessive (yup!) you can keep
learning about different stuff for a very long time. I love learning new
things. My interest in Rocky has helped hone my research skills; increased
my knowledge of foreign languages (so I could talk with other fans and read
articles/programs about Rocky); got me onto Usenet in the first place; sent
me off on a quest to learn basic stage makeup/method acting and improve my
rudimentary sewing skills; encouraged me to learn about advertising and
working with volunteers more effectively; encouraged me to learn HTML,
desktop publishing and graphics manipulation; improved my eye for detail;
increased my social skills and self-confidence; and probably increased my
physical coordination (learning to dance in spike heels).
And the longer I keep doing all this stuff, (presumably) the better I'll get
at it. Or I may plateau in one area and have to concentrate my efforts on
improving elsewhere or learning something else new...in either case, it'll
keep me busy for a while.
Obsessively and verbosely yours,
Ruth Fink-Winter (DSL)
big screen (or, I suppose, on DVD or video on a small one).
"Ruth Fink-Winter (DSL)" <rut...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:Skr6b.2305$BG6....@newsread1.news.atl.earthlink.net...
> I've answered this question several times on the newsgroup when it's come
up
{snip}
Jason Furter
>
> So, why? What keeps it going? What's in it for you? Not the community, or
> your friends or your theater - WHAT'S IN IT, SELFISHLY, FOR YOU???
>
> MIBecky
The reason I still do Rocky is simply because I still like it. Once I
don't, I'll quit. I feel like I am still contibuting to the show and
I care about the people who do it now, and who have done it in the
past. At 9 nine years, I am the most senior member of Sins O' the
Flesh, and I am still enjoying the ride. Our show has changed, or
rather it has evolved, but a lot of the same things that made the
Rocky Horror experience for me 9 years ago when I joined Sins of the
Flesh, are still there.
Almost every significant person in my life are in my life only because
of Rocky Horror. I'm marrying a "Rocky person" next year and our
wedding party is full of more "Rocky people". If I had quit Rocky two
years ago, I would most likely not be as happy of a person that I am
now. I have been provided an ever growing social group, I would have
not had otherwise.
I'm not the kind of Rocky fan that collects memorobilia or has tons of
posters on my walls, I'm more of a Rocky Horror Picture Show cast fan.
Even more than that I am a fan of doing the show. I'm still writing
preshows (can't wait for Vegas Con!), and still smiling at my show
every week.
Every week is new for me. Our show is new school, old school, and too
cool for school. I take personal pride in being a member of my cast.
Rocky Horror is my thing, it's what I do, it's what I like.
~Jason
Cast Leader Type Person
Sins O' The Flesh, Los Angeles
http://www.sins.la
fashionasta #4
well, sad to say, it's my roots - I am the person I am now, partly due to
Rocky.
Thanks to this scene:
- I became alot more into costuming than I actually thought that I would be.
Which led me into doing what I'm doing now - being a fashionasta/up and
coming designer label making biatch.
- I gotten on nationwide tv (and have the tapes to prove it), which opened
the door later on to me getting into other stuff (like MTV Beach House in
the Hamptons this recent summer) due to dropping the fact that I have
"experience" being on tv and showing my "promotion video".
- I met some of the craziest people in the years I've been involved - some I
call my buds, some I refer to as family!
- I learned how to promote and NOT to promote - things that helped me keep
my promotions list (QuadList NYC) afloat for so many years.
- I moved up here to the NYC area, thanks to a great Rocky person named
Larry Viezel needing a roommate. Thanks to this turn of events, I'm where I
am now!
- My love for drag queens and kings grew more!
I don't do the show anymore, minus the 2 shows I did in the past 2 years and
only with that it was because I wanted to hang out with those that were
performing, I knew that I would have fun and because, more importantly, my
scheduled allowed it. It's funny, recently, I did Ron's birthday show, and
while it was fun performing with the ensemble, it made me even happier about
my current state of not having to do the show week after week. Don't get me
wrong, performing can be fun and all, but I LOVE my life now and how I can,
at any given weekend, do whatever I want, whenever I want, however I want,
where ever I want. Let alone, showed me just how much I evolved from doing
the weekly show, to doing crazy ass performances and events as I do now.
But, I haven't forgotten where I come from - and those that seen me from the
old days, can see that I've evolved to something just a bit more fitting to
what I want in life.
I like being on the NG. It keeps me up to date on what people are doing.
It also gives me a little chuckle whenever I need one.
Quad
fashionasta #4
I love designing for you.. Besides, you are hot with big boobs and a cute
little boy!! :)
Plus you performed with one of my favorite Riffs and my hotel roommate! :)
Don't stop! Get it get it! :)
Quad
Richard Davidson
<beastie(boyz)gi...@quadprincess.com (boys gotta get taken out to get to me!!)>
says...
> Plus you performed with one of my favorite Riffs and my hotel roommate! :)
Well, you know that you can perform with me anytime you'd like... ; )
fashionasta #4
it?
*inside joke*
Quad
--
miss halo 5
fabric mistress supastar
Door Bitch/Hostess diva
"Don't stop - Get it, get it!"
"Richard Davidson" <rich...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:7eb73rsb5w...@news.rockynewsgroup.org...
Sgt. Pepper - A splendid time is guaranteed for all...
everyone has their own different perspectives and such. Anyway why I do/did
it was to have a release from a really boring college life. I got a lot of
enjoyment and was able to not worry about school or anything else really for 4
hours total on the weekend. It was also a creative vent. I grew up in a
very 'conservative' family. Not politically conservative but more Wally and
the Beaver sort of way. So with rocky I found a creative muse in my brain
that laid dormant for some 18 years. Rocky helped me achieve a good attitude
of 'I will do this because it makes me happy.' And today although I'm
retired I still follow that mantra of do what makes you happy.
And like Quad posted earlier about Rocky being her roots, I feel the same
way. No matter where I go or do Rocky is going to be an ever present part of
my past. It helped me evolve into what I am and who I am.
Rocky has also given me some of the dearest and best friendships I could hope
for. Occasionally I'll get together at a bar with an old rocky friend who's
retired also and we talk about the old days. Sort of like old war buddies.
Anyway that's my spin on it. I stay on the NG to keep in touch and in the
news on events and such. And of course for the posts regarding Hilary's
boobs.
--
Back off man, I'm a scientist
ryan knoxville
NYC Beatle geek and damn proud of it
Ron Maxwell
)
I would also like to add as per Ryan I am the only one who can entice him to
perform these days. Well at least that is what he told me anyway. Is it because
I'm just that good of a Magenta or is it because I have incredibly big boobs? I
wonder? Oh there I go again bringing up the boobs. But wait let me clarify he say
I'm one of 2 people. Now who could the other person be?? Oh it doesn't matter
anyway he wants me and by the way he is one of my other favorite Riffs as well.
Love and Kisses,
Hilary Maxwell
Richard Davidson
> it?
I missed out once. I don't plan on missing it again. ; )
Jason
think about this more. Why do I do it? What is my selfish reason?
I'd have to say the people I've met along the way.
When I first got started I met people in my cast who even to this day that
have held near and dear places in my heart. I met Katie, Steve,Jean,Jen, and
many others who will change my life forever. But it was Steve who told me
about Rocky Urban legends about people accross the world who had been doing
this.
While doing research for my characters I came across some of these names
in other places as well. I heard about this really nice Eddie in AZ named
Scott. Then I heard about people in NY who help really keep Rocky Alive. There
was this guy named Ron who was on the Audince Part Cover, and this weird guy
who had doing this for 15 years named Mad Man Mike who had a realy cute
girlfriend who was really nice named Liza. I also came across this cast who i
knew nothing about called Midnight Insanity who I heard hads some trannies or
something like that who knew about costumes. Also I read some fan fiction by
this guy named Bill Brennan who inspired me to write some of my own, and these
pictures from this guy named Larry in NJ. That site was run by this guy named
Jim who called himself Cosmo. Well MI website was great and they had this
really hot Magenta named Becky Epstein who had a thing that said if you wanted
to stalk, say hi, or send love letters to anyone in the cast...
So as a joke I emailed her and to my surprize she emailed me back. (didn't
bother to tell me she was engaged, but oh well.)
And so it began. I met Becky, and Marty at the 25th and even went do to
their con were I met Bill, Sheila, Cheryl, Reign, Mark, Shannon, and many
others of MI. Suddenly all these Rocky Legends were right their in front of
me. People who I met oline had faces and acted as thought we had know each
other forever. Mistress Nico Blue became Samantha.
I met Ron and Hillary while smoking in front of the Roosevelt. And in ways
they don't even know they helped me choose what College to go to. All long the
way I have had the pleasure of meting Amy and Jason of Crazed Imaginations and
did my first guess performance with them. Finally, I moved to NY where I found
my home with Mad Man, Liza, Ryan, and on this time the guy who I read storied
by Bill Brennan. Who introced me to Erica of Philly or as I had know her as
Magen...@aol.com.
This has gotten way to long. So I ask my self why do I do this? What is
selfish reason I keep it up? What do these people have to do with anything?
Each on these people have changed my life in one way or another. All for
the better. All they/ you guys/ did was do something you love doing.They/you
have been legends, role models, friends,teachers, but above all good people.
As long as I can live my life aroung people like this I know I can be happy
for as long as I like.
Is that enough?
Your Faithful Handyman,
Jason
Vernon Allmaras
<rmax...@nycpinball.com> says...
> Hmmm. You got me thinking. Since I rarely travel to other states outside of
RHPS
> conventions I never get to see whole cast performances. I never saw a
complete MI
> performance. Nor Barely Legal, WUT, Lichez-Moi, Home of Happiness, and may
others.
> One day it would be fun, if not expensive, to tour the world seeing as many
RHPS
> casts as possible. First stop: CA. I would love to see MI in action and w/o
> commercail interuption. Then BL, WUT, Comeback through the midwest, see Bah-
ston's
> Lichez Moi, etc. I would save Las Vegas' Devine Decadance for last though.
I would
> probably loose all the money for the rest of the trip if I went there
earlier. I
> would give my right arm to see a complete performance of Indescent Exposure
(I can't
> say "IE". It makes me think of Internet Explorer) but that would require time
> travel.
Hey Ron,
I'm an alumni memebr of Indecent Exposure and know that there are the
occasional guest performances from IE members at the Barely Legal show in
Oakland. Check thier website from time to time and you may see a guest
announcement of someone you'd want to see. If not, their show is well worth
catching and can give you a sense of what Indecent was like... albeit, without
the famed U.C. Theatre... *sigh*
Vernon
--
"A toast... to absent friends"
L.A.var
calendar, MIBecky <mi_b...@yahoo.comedy> proceeded to chug a beer and then
belch "The Star Spangled Banner" before babbling:
>
>Yes, this thread is being started in direct response to people claiming RHPS
>is elitist and full of bullshit now, moreso than it was back when it started.
>are people so obsessed with it and keep joining? Why can't people who retire
>stay out of the loop? Why can't they move on with a clean break and not
>concern themselves with it anymore? Not that I want to see the Clan Elders
>move on, but what keeps them around even after they proclaim how much it all
>sucks and they're done with it? Why do some come out of retirement or never
>truly retire even after they've retired? If it sucks so hard, if it makes
>everyone so upset and disappointed, why keep doing it? I have my own answers
>mean to flame or insult, I'm honestly curious. So, why? What keeps it going?
>
I've always maintained that Rocky Horror is a singles scene o'sorts. Young
folks who are old enough to drive, vote, buy booze, etc. like to go out at
night on the weekends, meet up with other young folks and socialize. RHPS, I
think, has always been a great alternative to the all-too-typical bar & club
scene that drowns you in drunks or causes you to suffer hearing loss.
People want to get out. They want to get away from their homes--where
intrusive roommates or members of their own family exist--and go someplace
other than their schools, jobs, malls or any other place they frequent far too
often. Go out, get a little crazy, meet people and have fun. Rocky has it all.
And when you are part of a given "scene," it is natural for a person to want to
have some sort of prominence; gain recognition. People like the idea of goin'
to where "everyone knows your name" (to coin a phrase from "Cheers"); AND, they
like the idea of people being GLAD to see 'em. I don't know of anyone who
walks onto the scene and dislikes being greeted by several folks who are
actually glad to see 'em.
Over time, this becomes not only infectuous & addictive, but for a lot of
people, it becomes a cornerstone in their lives. Perhaps where other scenes
fell short, RHPS exceeds for a lot of people (it certainly did for me). I know
that one way in which Rocky has always appealed to me--especially when being
part of a cast--is that when I arrive on the scene, there are things to do. I
don't have to stand around like a rhythmless retard, waiting on the sidelines
like a wallflower, hopin' others will approach me. I just go to work; get shit
done and be productive in some way or another. The rest just falls into place.
I know a lot of people have trouble leaving--and STAYING away--after they've
been part of The Rocky Realm for a long time. Once a person quits or retires,
their Friday and/or Saturday nights are suddenly free...quiet...even dull. And
they find themselves going stir crazy because of a lack o'things to do. This
stems from people usually not planning ahead. It also comes from the egos that
many have in thinking/hoping: "Once I'm gone, everyone will miss me!" Right.
Most folks don't know just how MUCH they've become reliant upon the Rocky scene.
Rather than consider this--or admit to it--they defiantly try to walk away;
push RHPS out of their life and try to prove they don't need it. But then,
they don't DO anything else...which leaves them moping around for a while, and
wanting to come back. Pathetic.
Anyone can get tired of a good thing when you've had too much of it. People
don't realize the value of moderation; they just trying to fill their lives
with Rocky Horror, in ANY respect, 24-7...and before they know it, they grow
sick & tired of the scene, the movie, people involved with the genre, etc.
This is really a shame, because with just a little foresight, such a mistake
can easily be avoided. It's just a matter of knowing when to take a break, and
knowing when you have REALLY had enough.
As the years wore on, I could feel myself tiring of performing. There were--
and still are--things about the scene that I resent. But there are also great
benefits to be reaped as well. You will get a share of good & bad, no matter
WHAT genre or area you enter into. That is a universal balance most people
fail to recognize. If you can moderate yourself--your life...then you can
better enjoy it and not become so negative about it. Hopefully.
Think about this: going to school or work each day is a grind. At first, you
go to Rocky to escape said grind...but once you've been in cast and performing
on a weekly basis for a long time, then THAT becomes a grind, too. Personally,
I'm done with performing; but not with RHPS. So joining a cast's tech crew was
a good option for me. A bonus came in how the cast I'm with now does only one
show per month; so there is no weekly grind to cause resentment to well up.
With this diminished role in The Rocky Realm, I can not only remain active
within the community, but can also pursue opportunities for "having a life"
elsewhere. Whether I find something or not, RHPS is still there to go back to.
One last note: when friends were gone and girlfriends abandoned me, there was
always a Rocky show nearby to go to. It got me out of the house, away from sad
thoughts that plagued me and into something positive & productive. It has been
a constant in my life, one way or another, for well over a decade now. At
least with me, this genre has proven itself time & again where people failed.
That fact alone is what has earned it my eternal gratitude and respect.
--
L.A.var - "Time to get off the soap box...and actually take a bath."
Tech Crew - Wild & Untamed Things (http://wut.rhps.org)
Laemmle's Fallbrook 7 Theatre - Fallbrook Ave. @ Vanowen St. in West Hills, CA.
(NEXT SHOW: FRIDAY NIGHT, OCTOBER 3rd!)
Beverly Gerrish
never seem to be able to make clear. Excellent post!!
Bev
In article <m8k6ghxqmv...@news.rockynewsgroup.org>, L.A.var
<La...@Sux2Bme.com> says...