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Aug. 15th, 2015 02:07 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sorcyressSo I wrote about 1500 words about Rocky Horror tonight. Because I love you, I will put it under a cut
Today, the Rocky Horror Picture Show turns 40! I had some jumbly thoughts on Twitter, I'm gonna try and make them more organized thoughts on here.
(that is not gonna happen).
I fucking love Rocky Horror. I saw it for the first time when I was sixteen, because that's how old my mother was when she saw it the first time. My company that first time was ShadowCap and probably DiscSophist --old pros! I wrote about the experience the next day. I was...enthusiastic, to say the least.
(warning, this link leads to 16!Sor, complete with ridiculous psych-out to start. Proceed at your own risk)
I've since seen it with...hangon, I used to be a lot better with these numbers...only five? at least five different casts. At least thirty or forty times. I've traveled to Maryland specifically to watch the Satanic Mechanics1 do their thing, and I've gone adventuring with literal strangers2 to see a new cast in Chicago. At least once, I snuck under a table with a boyfriend to engage in heavymetalpetting during the show. At the end of senior year of high school, as part of my general fuck you to the school, I printed out an entire copy of the script, and then spent most of my graduation rehearsals annotating it with brightly coloured pens.
I'm no ShadowCaptain, but I know my damn callbacks, and even managed to come up with one or two myself. The time I saw it in Atlanta, at the end of the show, one of the crew came up to me, eyes boggling and pretty much bowed before me as he asked "where did you COME from?!" I am loud and brash and completely unashamed at yelling "PLEASE MAGENTA CAN I FUCK WITH THE MONSTER, OKAY BUT THEN YOU'RE GONNA COME BACK AND FUCK ME WITH THE MOP" at the top of my lungs in a crowded theatre.
(I also sob *magnificently* at the crushing of my dear sweet bestest friend hamster Fluffy. I had that monologue down *pat* for a while.)
It's maybe the only musical wherein I can actually sing every word of every song. Like, even things like Sweeney Todd and Assassins have boring tracks that I skip (and don't get me wrong, I listen to Science Fiction/Double Feature about 300% as often as I do Super Heroes), but the whole point of Rocky is to take it as a whole and know dumb shit to shout for EVERY SONG, DAMNIT (Janet).
I miss it desperately. It's been...gods...possibly that time in Park Ridge was the last time I actually went --I know I've missed the last several Arisia casts, Balticon doesn't have one, and the Dragon*Con time didn't count, I barely even watched half. Four years? Five? A long damn time. It's extra long when you consider that it was one of my very favourite things, and I live in a city that has regular damn showings.
But.
But. Rocky Horror has some seriously fucked up culture surrounding it. I'm not qualified to touch on the transmisogyny conversation --I've seen accounts go by both pro and con, in terms of being a safe space for babyqueers versus being kinda seriously fucked up wrt the portrayal of Frank3. But I am qualified to touch on the rape culture parts, and they are...not...good.
Like, if we're talking solely about the movie-as-written, it's the story of a young virginal couple whose car breaks down and they're each, independently "seduced" (read: raped) by their host. And then one of them takes advantage of the sentient sex toy said host made. (plus there's a floor show!). We're not starting from a very consent-culture positive place, let's hold no illusions here.
And that's...I mean, I'd prefer my entertainment to be dubcon free, but sure, that's how the movie goes, and given adequate content warnings and a tongue-in-cheek understanding of the times, it's not too unreasonable.
But then there's the virgin games, and the callbacks.
A lot of the callbacks are sick and gross. The Asshole/Slut dichotomy is shamey, calling Janet a bitch is misogynistic, the whole point is to push the envelope and there's just as much punching down as up. But for me, and for the friends I've gone to see it with, there's a devilish glee to being atrocious like that. More importantly, there's an irony behind the whole thing. I've mentioned my dark sense of humour, right? Well, there's a metahumour, wink-wink-nudge-nudge-saynomore-saynomore where we all know that we don't actually think Janet's a slut or a bitch, and we know Frank's actions are reprehensible and not representative of the actual trans population.
...except in some places, some theatres, some Halloween shows packed full of frat boys (or let's not kid ourselves, convention occasions packed full of douchenerds)...one gets the sense that not everyone is in on the joke. Like, it's funny when *I* call Janet a bitch, because we all know that I respect women and would never tear one down like that. It's a lot less funny when uncomfortable unknown dudebro does it, because she's neither the first, nor the last, woman he's gonna call a bitch tonight.
And the virgin games, oh *dear*.
I really enjoyed my virgin game. My sister really *didn't* enjoy hers. Part of that is just the differences in our personalities, and our willingness to be made a spectacle of onstage. Part of that was the differences in the games themselves. Part of that was that I actually had a fucking choice to participate.
Too fucking common, I find, all the virgins get dragged up onstage to be ridiculed, or a random selection get grabbed without first, you know, checking to see if they want to play some games. No, I didn't know exactly what to expect for mine, but I am dramatic and ridiculous and willing to go along --my GGG is very high. If you do not want to be onstage, _you should not fucking be on that stage_.
And yes, making fun of the virgins is part of the enjoyment of the show, *but*. Do it with love, not with cruelty. And holy embarrassment squick batman --I've seen some uncomfortable damn virgins up on that stage and it was *not* funny. *shudders*.
So there are some fairly unsavory aspects to Rocky Horror, which is a damn shame, because the freedom and ridiculosity makes my babyqueer heart go pit-a-pat --to say nothing of the freedom of having a theatre where it is FUCKING ENCOURAGED to snark at the screen. I am terrible to go to movies with, I don't keep my damn mouth shut, so yeah, being socially encouraged to catcall is *delicious*
(One Halloween, the dudebro a few rows ahead of me turned around and yelled at me to "SHUT UP ALREADY", somewhere around "Damnit Janet". Oh how I howled with laughter! I'd never felt so goddamn honored!)
It was a seriously important part of being able to work through my self and my ability to be sexual and casual and goofy in a safe space. But I know better than to go back --being in a theatre full of people I don't know, who may or may not be unsafe people...that is not appealing.
That leaves me with two solutions --abandon the show entirely, or host it myself. Because dude seriously, I've watched it with like BDan and three other friends, and that was a *blast*. I've still never managed to play the cards such to have Magus on one side and ShadowCap on the other, but given a home theatre and enough couches, anything is possible, right?
So, who knows. Maybe I will put together a movie night sometime, complete with corsets and shouting and everyone reliving their adorable baby kinkster glory days. Or maybe I will continue to just hold it in my heart like a good ex, something that worked for a while but doesn't anymore, and I miss but know I'm happier without.
Regardless, happy birthday Rocky Horror. You've made the world a more interesting place, and that's really all anyone could ever hope for.
~Sor
MOOP!
1: They have since imploded. This is a fucking tragedy, except for the part where I was sortof already out of the whole scene and so it really doesn't affect me.
2: I am not joking. Alys and I met a couple of teenagers (like, 19 or 20ish?) at a shindig at the Park Ridge library the summer before mom moved out there properly. They invited us along. Mom scanned the one kid's license before she'd let us go, but she did let us go, which was a pretty fucking cool thing for her to do.
3: And if you're going to comment on this part, I would like to prioritize comments from trans women (or links to such), since they're the ones who get bit worst by this.
Today, the Rocky Horror Picture Show turns 40! I had some jumbly thoughts on Twitter, I'm gonna try and make them more organized thoughts on here.
(that is not gonna happen).
I fucking love Rocky Horror. I saw it for the first time when I was sixteen, because that's how old my mother was when she saw it the first time. My company that first time was ShadowCap and probably DiscSophist --old pros! I wrote about the experience the next day. I was...enthusiastic, to say the least.
(warning, this link leads to 16!Sor, complete with ridiculous psych-out to start. Proceed at your own risk)
I've since seen it with...hangon, I used to be a lot better with these numbers...only five? at least five different casts. At least thirty or forty times. I've traveled to Maryland specifically to watch the Satanic Mechanics1 do their thing, and I've gone adventuring with literal strangers2 to see a new cast in Chicago. At least once, I snuck under a table with a boyfriend to engage in heavy
I'm no ShadowCaptain, but I know my damn callbacks, and even managed to come up with one or two myself. The time I saw it in Atlanta, at the end of the show, one of the crew came up to me, eyes boggling and pretty much bowed before me as he asked "where did you COME from?!" I am loud and brash and completely unashamed at yelling "PLEASE MAGENTA CAN I FUCK WITH THE MONSTER, OKAY BUT THEN YOU'RE GONNA COME BACK AND FUCK ME WITH THE MOP" at the top of my lungs in a crowded theatre.
(I also sob *magnificently* at the crushing of my dear sweet bestest friend hamster Fluffy. I had that monologue down *pat* for a while.)
It's maybe the only musical wherein I can actually sing every word of every song. Like, even things like Sweeney Todd and Assassins have boring tracks that I skip (and don't get me wrong, I listen to Science Fiction/Double Feature about 300% as often as I do Super Heroes), but the whole point of Rocky is to take it as a whole and know dumb shit to shout for EVERY SONG, DAMNIT (Janet).
I miss it desperately. It's been...gods...possibly that time in Park Ridge was the last time I actually went --I know I've missed the last several Arisia casts, Balticon doesn't have one, and the Dragon*Con time didn't count, I barely even watched half. Four years? Five? A long damn time. It's extra long when you consider that it was one of my very favourite things, and I live in a city that has regular damn showings.
But.
But. Rocky Horror has some seriously fucked up culture surrounding it. I'm not qualified to touch on the transmisogyny conversation --I've seen accounts go by both pro and con, in terms of being a safe space for babyqueers versus being kinda seriously fucked up wrt the portrayal of Frank3. But I am qualified to touch on the rape culture parts, and they are...not...good.
Like, if we're talking solely about the movie-as-written, it's the story of a young virginal couple whose car breaks down and they're each, independently "seduced" (read: raped) by their host. And then one of them takes advantage of the sentient sex toy said host made. (plus there's a floor show!). We're not starting from a very consent-culture positive place, let's hold no illusions here.
And that's...I mean, I'd prefer my entertainment to be dubcon free, but sure, that's how the movie goes, and given adequate content warnings and a tongue-in-cheek understanding of the times, it's not too unreasonable.
But then there's the virgin games, and the callbacks.
A lot of the callbacks are sick and gross. The Asshole/Slut dichotomy is shamey, calling Janet a bitch is misogynistic, the whole point is to push the envelope and there's just as much punching down as up. But for me, and for the friends I've gone to see it with, there's a devilish glee to being atrocious like that. More importantly, there's an irony behind the whole thing. I've mentioned my dark sense of humour, right? Well, there's a metahumour, wink-wink-nudge-nudge-saynomore-saynomore where we all know that we don't actually think Janet's a slut or a bitch, and we know Frank's actions are reprehensible and not representative of the actual trans population.
...except in some places, some theatres, some Halloween shows packed full of frat boys (or let's not kid ourselves, convention occasions packed full of douchenerds)...one gets the sense that not everyone is in on the joke. Like, it's funny when *I* call Janet a bitch, because we all know that I respect women and would never tear one down like that. It's a lot less funny when uncomfortable unknown dudebro does it, because she's neither the first, nor the last, woman he's gonna call a bitch tonight.
And the virgin games, oh *dear*.
I really enjoyed my virgin game. My sister really *didn't* enjoy hers. Part of that is just the differences in our personalities, and our willingness to be made a spectacle of onstage. Part of that was the differences in the games themselves. Part of that was that I actually had a fucking choice to participate.
Too fucking common, I find, all the virgins get dragged up onstage to be ridiculed, or a random selection get grabbed without first, you know, checking to see if they want to play some games. No, I didn't know exactly what to expect for mine, but I am dramatic and ridiculous and willing to go along --my GGG is very high. If you do not want to be onstage, _you should not fucking be on that stage_.
And yes, making fun of the virgins is part of the enjoyment of the show, *but*. Do it with love, not with cruelty. And holy embarrassment squick batman --I've seen some uncomfortable damn virgins up on that stage and it was *not* funny. *shudders*.
So there are some fairly unsavory aspects to Rocky Horror, which is a damn shame, because the freedom and ridiculosity makes my babyqueer heart go pit-a-pat --to say nothing of the freedom of having a theatre where it is FUCKING ENCOURAGED to snark at the screen. I am terrible to go to movies with, I don't keep my damn mouth shut, so yeah, being socially encouraged to catcall is *delicious*
(One Halloween, the dudebro a few rows ahead of me turned around and yelled at me to "SHUT UP ALREADY", somewhere around "Damnit Janet". Oh how I howled with laughter! I'd never felt so goddamn honored!)
It was a seriously important part of being able to work through my self and my ability to be sexual and casual and goofy in a safe space. But I know better than to go back --being in a theatre full of people I don't know, who may or may not be unsafe people...that is not appealing.
That leaves me with two solutions --abandon the show entirely, or host it myself. Because dude seriously, I've watched it with like BDan and three other friends, and that was a *blast*. I've still never managed to play the cards such to have Magus on one side and ShadowCap on the other, but given a home theatre and enough couches, anything is possible, right?
So, who knows. Maybe I will put together a movie night sometime, complete with corsets and shouting and everyone reliving their adorable baby kinkster glory days. Or maybe I will continue to just hold it in my heart like a good ex, something that worked for a while but doesn't anymore, and I miss but know I'm happier without.
Regardless, happy birthday Rocky Horror. You've made the world a more interesting place, and that's really all anyone could ever hope for.
~Sor
MOOP!
1: They have since imploded. This is a fucking tragedy, except for the part where I was sortof already out of the whole scene and so it really doesn't affect me.
2: I am not joking. Alys and I met a couple of teenagers (like, 19 or 20ish?) at a shindig at the Park Ridge library the summer before mom moved out there properly. They invited us along. Mom scanned the one kid's license before she'd let us go, but she did let us go, which was a pretty fucking cool thing for her to do.
3: And if you're going to comment on this part, I would like to prioritize comments from trans women (or links to such), since they're the ones who get bit worst by this.