New Rocky Horror doco: '50 years of this wonderful nonsense'

The show became a massive hit, and O’Brien wrote the screenplay when it transitioned to the big screen and became the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

The “50 years of this ongoing wonderful nonsense,” is told in a new documentary, Strange Journey: The story of Rocky Horror, screening as part of the Doc Edge Film Festival.

The film was made by Linus O’ Brien, Richard’s son.

Related stories:

O’Brien was on the brink of abandoning show biz in the early 1970s, he told RNZ’s Nine to Noon.

“I was supposed to take over the role of King Herod [Jesus Christ Superstar] from an actor called Paul Jabara, an American actor who'd been allowed into London. British Actors' Equity had allowed him to play the role for six months, but they insisted on a British actor taking over.

“And I was nominated but when push came to shove, Robert Stigwood, the producer, decided I wasn't to play the role. They were then in breach of contract, so they gave me 300 quid and sent me packing.”

It was in hindsight the best thing that “ever could have happened," O’Brien says.

“If I'd stayed in the role and played that, I wouldn't have written Rocky. I'm not saying I wrote it out of spite, but it's not far from the truth!”

He also had his young son Linus to think about, he says.

“I was thinking of returning to New Zealand because I had Linus, a responsibility, and I didn't want to be one of those actors that keeps sitting around waiting for the phone to ring, never getting a job.

“And I thought I'd go back to New Zealand and get a proper job because of my responsibility.”

While he was mulling that over, EMI Studios invited him to their Christmas party to entertain the staff.

"I didn't know what to do, but I thought I'd give it a try. So, I wrote a song, which was called 'Science Fiction Double Feature', strung a few jokes together, and I did about a half an hour set, finishing up with the song Science Fiction, and they loved it. So, I thought, oh, that's okay maybe I should stay in the entertainment world.”

He also thought the song might make a good prologue for a musical.

“I loved watching the late night television and seeing all the creaky old movies that were only on because nobody was awake or they were intoxicated.

“And so, it was really a joy because I was able to indulge all my childhood, teenage, wonderful beginnings.”

Memories of watching double feature movies in Hamilton all came back to him, he says.

“It's a musical that probably came out of a 13-year-old boy's bedroom.”

The musical started out at a small, upstairs theatre in Chelsea, London, but was soon a word-of-mouth hit, he says.

“We didn't have to sell the show at all. We were sold out every night.

“Our final night we had Mick Jagger and Elliot Gould on the stairs waiting to come in and we had to cancel the show because Rocky got some glitter on a very unfortunate part of his anatomy, down his shorts, and we had to cancel the show. And they were very cheesed off.”

For Linus, Rocky has always been a part of his life, he says.

“Rocky's just been in and out of my life since I was born. I was born a year before the stage play first debuted.

“And then I saw it when I was four years old at the Asolo Theatre on the Kings Road. And then just going to various conventions and stagings and anniversaries throughout the last 50 years.”

Despite the success, O’Brien kept family life on an even keel, Linus says.

“People always ask, what was it like growing up with Rocky? It must have been like a madhouse, like Addams Family or something and it wasn't at all.

“He'd pick me up from school and take me to school and go and get cheeseburgers. It was just like a regular family, aside from having a quite unusual job.”

People were happy to participate in the documentary, which features interviews with key members of the production team and original cast, including Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick, Linus says, and the documentary has had a very positive response from audiences.

“The reception it's received at the festivals we've been to so far has been outstanding. We had a standing ovation at its world premiere at South by Southwest and it's just gone on from strength to strength. So, we're very, very happy and very lucky and very grateful that we've been given this opportunity.”

The original theatre shows and film came at a time of social liberation, it was “a rainbow event,” O’Brien says.

"It brings together the rainbow community. Our reality has been hijacked by creation with fantasy and our sexuality is judged by these silly people who believe in magic rather than rationality.

"And it's a tragedy, but we have to keep speaking up for rationality, liberal democracy and kindness.”

Rocky has enabled people to reach out to one another, he says, and find “some kind of solace and some kind of togetherness".

“It wasn't intended to do anything of this nature, but I'm so grateful, this is icing on the cake, really.”