THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW REVISITED

Below is an homage to The Rocky Horror Picture Show which I wrote in 2010.  

On Friday night, Gerald and I accompanied our friends James, Shane, and Shane's son Gage to Wilmington to see a Midnight showing.  Although the audience participation is far more raunchier than when we used to go, my sides are still hurting from laughing.  The highlights: knowing I can still jump out into the aisle and dance The Time Warp AGAIN;  seeing the "V" on James, Shane, and Gage to denote their losing their "virginity" to Rocky Horror as first-time participants.  We didn't "dress" this year--here's how I know I am OLD--it was too damned cold to dress in costume-- that would NOT have deterred me "back in the day"!  All of us are currently planning our costumes and props for next year!

My article from 2010:

 "DON'T DREAM IT--BE IT" -- THE MOTTO OF THE "ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW"

 I think Gerald and I initiated at least twenty teenagers to the Midnight Movie bashes of  The Rocky Horror Picture Show. We would go at least once a month and take a different kid with us! Yes, we danced The Time Warp in the aisle, threw toilet paper at the screen, dressed in costume (I had to be "Magenta"--my favorite color!)--the whole schtick--we had no shame! What fun! We were the crazy ones with props:

Some of my favorite memories:

I subscribed to the Cleveland Plain Dealer so I would have "The Plain Dealer" to put over my head like Janet did when it rained!

Water pistols--to rain on Brad and Janet--thus the newspaper covering her head!

Rice: At the beginning there's a wedding and we threw rice when the screen wedding guests did!

Toilet paper--bought Scott toilet paper to throw when Brad yelled "Great Scott!" .

Flashlights--to use when they sing, There's A Light Over At The Frankenstein Place:

"There's a light over at the Frankenstein place,
in the darkness of everybody's life!"

Toast--when Frank proposed a toast--threw toast.

Confetti--when the Transylvanians threw confetti--we threw confetti!

Rubber gloves--When Frank snaps his rubber gloves and when Magenta took the gloves from his hands--snapped gloves at same time!

Party hats--when Frank put on a party hat, so did we!

Noisemakers--At the end of the Creation speech, the Transylvanians used noisemakers as did we!

Bell--when Frank sang, "Do you hear a bell ring?" we rang our bells.

Cards--when Frank sang "Cards for sorrow, cards for pain", we threw playing cards!

I loved it when the movie switched from black and white to color--just like "Wizard of Oz"; Riff Raff, "Dammit, Janet", Dr. Frank-n-Furter, Rocky, Meat Loaf's appearance, but my all-time favorite is dancing in the aisle with Gerald to:


The Time Warp:

"It's a jump to the left,
And then it's a step to the right,
With your hands on your hips,
You bring your knees in tight,
But it's the pelvic thrust,
They really drive you insane,
Let's do the Time Warp again!"

Oh, Gerald, let's do "The Time Warp" AGAIN!

HAPPY, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

HALLOWEEN HOUSE

ENTER HERE

"THE FALLING LEAVES DRIFT BY THE WINDOW......."

I LOVE autumn! The yard is a scream of colors and the smell is glorious!

I especially love my ginkgo tree;  it was a gift from my mother in 1985 and it has grown splendidly.  This year the leaves of the tree seemed to turn yellow overnight!

Mother and I always loved the song Autumn Leaves;  the instrumental by Roger Williams was very popular when I was a girl, but I love the lyrics.  It was difficult to choose which rendition to use:  Frank, Nat, Ella, Doris Day, Sarah Vaughn, Eva Cassidy, or even the original in French by Edith Piaf, but it's impossible to go wrong with Keely Smith!


The falling leaves drift by the window
The autumn leaves of red and gold
I see your lips, the summer kisses
The sun-burned hands I used to hold.

Since you went away, the days grow long
And soon I'll hear old winter's song,
But I miss you most of all my darling
When autumn leaves start to fall.

C'est une chanson, qui nous ressemble
Toi tu m'aimais et je t'aimais
Nous vivions tous,, les deux ensemble
Toi que m'aimais moi qui t'aimais
Mais la vie separe ceux qui s'aiment
Tout doucement sans faire de bruit
Et la mer efface sur le sable les pas des amants desunis.

THESAURUS CLUB

My friend Susan Manbevers sent the THESAURUS CLUB image to me.  Whenever I see or hear the word "natter" I immediately think of "nattering nabobs of negativism" which were words penned by the speechwriter William Safire to be uttered by the reprehensible Spiro Agnew.  Although we were politically diametrically opposed, I admired the brilliant wordsmith Safire and I have four of his books on my library reference works shelf.

)

See the following article about Safire and his importance.http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/attytood/Nabobs_natter_about_the_passing_of_William_Safire_1929-2009.html

PHONE BOOTHS

This is a Facebook message from my friend Susan Manbevers:

Ok... So, I'm watching Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure with Zakk and Zoe... And I just had to explain what a phone booth was. Zakk doesn't buy my story about phones on every corner that took a quarter, but he totally believes it could be a teleportation device.... Hmmmmmm.

I commented that there is an outside phone (not a "phone booth") at the convenience store on U.S. 41 North.

My brother remarked about Christopher Reeve in Superman when Clark Kent rushed to change clothes and there was just a phone on a pole. I told him that we are old because we remember George Reeves as Superman changing clothes in a phone booth!

APPLAUSE!

At a local church,  I attended a "concert" advertised to contain  "music for woodwind quintet and organ".  I looked forward to going as there were going to be selections from Bach, Ravel, and Holst.  I was especially interested in hearing selections by Jongen and Warlock as I had never heard their works performed.

The performance was presented via a video shown on a large-screen but, because of the size of the church,  the television should have been a Jumbotron as one could hardy distinguish the performers on the television.  I could tell the flutist, bassoonist, clarinetist, and horn player from their instruments but one performer was obscured by the organ and a music stand but I could see a tiny head pop up intermittently thus I assumed she was the oboeist!

Preceding each composer's work, the Master of Ceremonies gave a short description of each composer and selection.  He also told about the performers.

After each composer's work a strange thing happened:  the audience erupted in applause.  I did not applaud as it seemed rather ludicrous to be applauding a taped performance, but I noticed that several people around me looked over at me with my folded arms.

When all the works were completed the audience arose--like a standing ovation--and directed their hands in applause to the church's Choir Master who is also the  Director of Concerts as he was standing in what I assume is a balcony.

I was the only person who remained seated and I could detect numerous people giving quizzical looks at me.

Do these people people believe that by some magical, mystical method that their plaudits are somehow transmitted to those performers wherever they might be in the universe?

I have always been amazed when people applaud in movie theaters after a movie.  Do they think Meryl Streep--or perhaps a director--know that they are being applauded?  Honestly, while listening to classical music from WOSU radio, I do not applaud in my car or home!

Read an interesting article:http://www.flickchart.com/blog/hold-your-applause-the-case-for-and-against-clapping-in-a-cinema/