SPECIAL FILM CLUB #1 - STREETS OF FIRE | THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW

Chat out of Hell cruises to the end of its summer break with a special FILM CLUB edition.

Emma has been dying to watch the Steinman-soundtracked 80s teen action flick Streets of Fire for months now. And Sam has never seen the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

But will at least one of them regret wasting two hours on this? Almost certainly.

Chat out of Hell returns for series 2 on Monday 12th August - see you there, Loafers!

Keep your comments, reviews and arguments flying in to chatoutofhell@gmail.com

Chat out of Hell is a is a review podcast: all music extracts are used for review/illustrative purposes. To hear the songs in full please buy them from your local record shop or streaming platform. Don't do a piracy.

Music extracts on this episode:
Nowhere Fast by Fire Inc from the album Streets of Fire Sountrack (1984)
Hot Patootie (Bless my Soul) by Meat Loaf from the album Rocky Horror Picture Show Soundtrack (1977)

Transcript

Emma 0:00

This is Chat Out of Hell Film Club!

Sam 0:02

Film cluuuuub! Laughter

Emma 0:05

Where we are going to look at a couple of films that are Meat Loaf or Jim Steinman related or adjacent in this case, tenuously related.

Sam 0:16

If this is your first time listening to Chat Out of Hell, please don't start with this episode. It's even more niche than our usual bullshit. Pick something in the middle of the first series, give that a go, and then come back to

Emma 0:25

Actually, I would recommend episode number one as a really good place to start.

Sam 0:29

All right. Well, we've not quite got into our swing

Emma 0:32

swing. Oh, okay, okay.

Sam 0:34

right. Fine. we're on our Chat out of Hell summer break at the moment, and like all right thinking people, we've just watched films instead of going to the beach and throwing a big inflatable ball around. We both suggested a film for us to watch, and we went away to watch our films because our busy schedules didn't match up with sitting in a room together for two hours. Listeners, normally we tell you to go away and listen to the songs that we've suggested for each week on Chat Out of Hell. We're not gonna do that today. That would be four hours of your life pissed down the drain.

Emma 1:08

No, I think you should do it. Go on, do it, do it.

Sam 1:11

Alright, well, Emma, what film would you like the listeners to watch?

Emma 1:14

I want them to watch Streets of Fire, because we had to.

Sam 1:17

to. And then after we've discussed Streets of Fire, we're gonna talk about the Rocky Horror Picture Show. And I know a lot of people are massive fans of it, but if you are I think less of you now. Shall we dive into Streets of Fire,

Emma 1:32

Let's.

Sam 1:33

I might put a clip of it in here.

Music 1:36

Saturday night, you're sweating buckets and it's not even hot But your brain has got the message and it's sending it out To every nerve and every muscle you've got You've got so many dreams that you don't know where to put them So you better turn a few of them loose Your body's gotta fight Feelin that it's startin to rust, you better rev it up and put it to use. And I don't know how I'll be

Sam 2:04

Emma, for the listeners who aren't watching what is this film about?

Emma 2:07

It's a rock and roll fable, That's what it says at the beginning. Although I always thought that fables were supposed to have morals at the end. Ha ha! There is no moral at the end of this fable.

Sam 2:16

Take that

Emma 2:17

The film is about rock and roll superstar Ellen A who is performing at a gig in a skeevy part of town. Town, undisclosed. It could be any city, anywhere. And she's kidnapped, oh no, by Raven and the Bombers gang. And then the rest of the film pretty much focuses on her rescue and the fallout afterwards and Yeah, the film came out on the 1st of June, 1984 directed by Walter Hill. And written by Walter Hill and Larry Gross. And how it links to Meat Loaf Stroke Steinman is that Jim Steinman wrote two of the songs for the soundtrack. And arguably they are the two most important songs in the film because they're at the beginning and at the end.

Sam 3:02

Yeah, and also the best songs in the film. the film opens with Ellen Aim and the Attackers, who are a cool band. They are playing in a sort of 1950s auditorium to some teenagers, and then a bunch of tough guys come in and stand at the back, not dancing. And that's how you know trouble's about to kick off.

Emma 3:22

At the beginning of the film it states that we're in another time, another place.

Sam 3:27

You seem very cynical about this concept, and I would like to return to it later

Emma 3:31

on, Okay. because

Sam 3:32

one of the few things the film does well. Yes., They're singing the song Nowhere Fast, and I owe Emma an apology at this point. Because when we discussed Nowhere Fast for the mainstream pod the mainstream podcast? the mainstream, oh me, if that's mainstream, what's this?

Emma 3:47

What's this?

Sam 3:49

When we discussed Nowhere Fast for the main podcast, I said that I thought the Meat Loaf version was slightly better. Take that opinion and throw it away.

Emma 3:57

Yes.

Sam 3:58

It's a very joyous opening to the film, and it's a fucking brilliant song.

Emma 4:02

It's glorious, I love it so much. It's like an anthem to the adolescent fight against boredom.

Sam 4:10

And there's a lot of boredom to come

Emma 4:11

yes yes there is!

Sam 4:12

film. So a really good song opens the film. She gets kidnapped in a classic film kidnapping way. The baddies pick her up, put her over their shoulders and she sort of screams and flails, yeah, and they just walk out with her over their shoulders.

Emma 4:27

But of course once the kidnapping is, is over with, that's not the end of it because then there's the big fight.

Sam 4:32

A big choreographed fight. And then they all escape on motorbikes

Emma 4:35

chased

Sam 4:35

by the two policemen who live in town. It is nice that the gang wait until the end of the really banging song

Emma 4:42

I was gonna say the same thing! It's really polite of them to wait, because, it is a good song, you wouldn't want to interrupt that

Sam 4:48

No, you wouldn't. But, the minute the song's over, they're like, okay, no encore. Bosh, let's go have them. And then they, grab the lady and escape, and that's the pre credits So she's kidnapped and then somebody, we're not sure who they are yet, sends a telegram to their brother to say, come

Emma 5:05

Well, it's it's Reva.

Sam 5:06

It is Reva. We've not met Reva yet.

Emma 5:08

Okay, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm jumping the gun, I'm so excited.

Sam 5:13

Reva, who is a lady who was present and who works in a diner, she telegrams her brother, Tom, to come rescue. Ellen. And Tom comes along on a train, and my first note is, This guy on the train has a shameful teenage moustache. Is he the lead? I hope he's not the lead with a moustache like that. And what's interesting about Tom's moustache, is that it grows and shrinks throughout the film Which is mostly set on the course of one

Emma 5:43

of

Sam 5:43

goes up and down, but it's never not awful. Tom comes along on the train, he goes to the diner where Reva works, and some greasers all pour in the door all at once. To which Reva looks up and says,"You guys really know how to walk through a door.

Emma 6:01

Which is what I've been saying every time my husband has walked through a door since watching this film.

Sam 6:06

90 percent of this film's dialogue is badass quotes. Everybody in this film is a badass, including, spoiler alert, Rick Moranis. Rick Moranis plays a badass! But we'll get to that. that Tom beats up the guys. He tears off his long detective trench

Emma 6:23

Yes.

Sam 6:25

To reveal that underneath he was wearing a sleeveless denim vest.

Emma 6:30

That is not the worst outfit of the film. not.

Sam 6:33

Tom beats up some guys, as predicted, through

Emma 6:37

And once Tom's finished defenestrating

Sam 6:39

them

Emma 6:39

Tom and Reva, his sister, steal the car, go on a joyride and get told off by the cops in a really meaningless way.

Sam 6:47

Yeah, he gets vaguely threatened by the cops who are like, Oh, you're back in town, Tom. Don't, don't cause any trouble. And he says, I'm probably going to cause some trouble When he's sitting there in a stolen car. In a stolen

Emma 7:00

car! And then he speeds off again anyway

Sam 7:03

And then he goes to a bar owned by Bill Paxton.

Emma 7:05

He meets another very important character in the bar. Possibly my favorite character McCoy. And my notes here, I think she is the concept art for Natasha Lyonne's characters in everything she's ever done. Ha ha ha ha ha ha! I have the same note. Tom walks in, gets greeted by the bartender who's like an old

Sam 7:27

friend. And for about 10 seconds, I have a very short conversation. And McCoy gets annoyed and says, Are you two gonna shoot the shit all night, or are you gonna serve me

Emma 7:36

some

Sam 7:36

drinks? and we're just hello.

Emma 7:39

She's a very impatient

Sam 7:40

And then she punches Bill Paxton out. Yep.

Emma 7:43

Jumps over the bar and starts serving

Sam 7:45

serving herself. Yeah, steals the booze, and her and Tom are just like, Yeah, alright, let's go.

Emma 7:48

They are best

Sam 7:49

are immediate best friends. They are both ex soldiers. In this mysterious sci-fi world. So the film has like a, fifties, eighties mashup vibe, right?

Emma 7:59

Very much so, yeah, it's set in a world of dirty neon and rainy streets It's always raining, it's nearly always night.

Sam 8:09

This might not land with you. Okay. But for the 40 year old nerd men who are listening to this, it'll really fly. This whole setting of this film is the Sanctuary District from that episode of Deep Space Nine where they go back to the horrible year of 2024. So for your benefit Emma, yeah, they get sucked back in time to 2024 and there are some poor people and some rich people and it's all a bit rough but then Starfleet goodies have to prove there is justice still in the world

Emma 8:40

So at which point are we going to meet Starfleet? Because it's 2024 as we're speaking.

Sam 8:45

Yeah.

Emma 8:47

We're holding out for that then,

Sam 8:48

yeah? we've got a few

Emma 8:49

few months left. Fingers crossed. Yes, please.

Sam 8:52

So yeah, that's the whole vibe. Tom basically agrees to rescue Ellen Aim because she's his ex girlfriend and he's a very grumpy

Emma 8:58

He is a very

Sam 9:00

He's perpetually grumpy throughout the film,

Emma 9:02

I've written down little bits about each of the characters. Tom Cody moody man,

Sam 9:06

who

Emma 9:07

utterly hateful, can't cope with the idea of his woman being successful, so leaves her. Twice. alert. Spoiler alert.

Sam 9:15

Tom is played by a guy called Michael Paré.

Emma 9:18

Yeah.

Sam 9:18

And, Michael Paré, the actor. is incapable of

Emma 9:23

acting

Sam 9:23

the best actor in this whole film is Ed Begley who gets a 30 second bit later on. Tom agrees to go rescue Ellen Aim. And he agrees because he speaks to a guy called Billy Fish! Billy Fish! Billy Fish! Played by Rick Moranis, being a prick.

Emma 9:45

it's so good. And by good, I mean terrible.

Sam 9:48

yeah, Rick Moranis spends most of this film trying to be an angry, tough guy.

Emma 9:53

It's a weird choice.

Sam 9:55

Billy's like Ellen's manager. He's very rich. He offers Tom generic thousands of space money to go rescue Ellen. So we cut across to the Tough Biker Bar, which is in The Battery.

Emma 10:09

Looks like it's an old steelworks or

Sam 10:11

yeah, yeah, it's that sort of feel. Here's my note when we cut to the tough biker bar. The fuck is that villain wearing? Black pleather fishing waders and nothing else. Oh shit, that's Willem Dafoe! Surely he's gonna do some acting? No.

Emma 10:32

Sorry, another spoiler. No.

Sam 10:34

we get a lot of establishing shots of the tough biker bar.

Emma 10:37

There's The dancing girl. The she puts in a shift

Sam 10:39

She does put in a shift. Fair play to these villains, all these tough biker men hooting and hollering over a non gender conforming stripper, very androgynous. Yes! Yeah! So that's, that's one little tick in this and then Ed Begley Jr. comes along as a kind of hobo type guy to give them the secret entrance to the bar. McCoy goes undercover, says badass things at people. Tom's beard has finally come

Emma 11:03

in. For a bit.

Sam 11:05

Yeah. He shoots a guy off a bike. It explodes.

Emma 11:10

There's a lot of this. Tom is a really big fan of shooting the fuel tank on motorbikes.

Sam 11:16

And later on cars. Tom has a magic gun. Everything he shoots at explodes. he Only ever shoots, he doesn't shoot people. No,

Emma 11:25

no.

Sam 11:26

He only ever shoots vehicles which all immediately explode. So Tom shoots some shit outside the bar, and McCoy uses that as a distraction to rescue Ellen. They all escape and drive away.

Emma 11:37

Tom stays behind for a bit to do some more shooting And to make some more things

Sam 11:41

have a badass chat with Willem dafoe. One interesting thing comes out of that which I've taken a note of, and I didn't pick it up until Tom pointed it out. Tom has a gun, McCoy has a gun, none of the baddies have guns, and there's a little confrontation with Willem Dafoe as everything's exploding. Willem Dafoe says like, I could beat you up right now. And Tom says, look at this, I've got a gun. And Willem Dafoe says Maybe I could get guns. guns And it's so weirdly refreshing to have a film about American street gangs who are like, it's not occurred to them to get a gun until this point.

Emma 12:23

Aww. Yeah. Aww, they're just out playing on the

Sam 12:26

They're just out playing on the bikes and a man's just come and shot everything. Mean

Emma 12:30

Mean. Absolute rotters. I mean, sure, Raven did have designs on raping Ellen. Is

Sam 12:37

Is that stated?

Emma 12:38

It seems to be. it's

Sam 12:40

it's pseudo implied. Yeah, but do you know what the lack of guns makes me think that? Maybe Maybe.

Emma 12:46

Maybe not. Why has he kidnapped her?

Sam 12:50

Because he's a baddie, and that's what baddies do. I honestly think, just as they're confused about, oh, maybe guns will help us be better at crime, they probably also thought, we have to kidnap girls, and they're all sitting around in the biker hangout going, what do we do

Emma 13:07

Is this just like boys not being very good with girls?

Sam 13:11

You talk to her! No, you talk to her!

Emma 13:14

Hey guys, hey guys, as a woman speaking to the men Just talk to us Just talk to us. Don't kidnap us We've got the same problems as you have

Sam 13:25

gun shortage. So the team escape have a lot more arguments. And then they go to a more 50s version of 50s, 80s

Emma 13:34

80s land. Yeah.

Sam 13:35

And steal a bus that belongs to a doo wop group.

Emma 13:37

And they do a nice bit of singing for them, because that's what you do when somebody steals your bus.

Sam 13:41

And of course, we all know, the minute they do a lovely bit of singing, they will be singing with Ellen in the finale.

Emma 13:46

it gives everybody an opportunity to have a moment as well, doesn't it, on the bus. So you see people beginning to smile because the song is just so lovely. It really lifts the heart, even of Tom, who is dead inside McCoy immediately takes over the driving

Sam 14:00

McCoy's one job is to drive and be sassy.

Emma 14:03

God, that's what she's gonna do.,

Sam 14:04

So, they arrive at a police roadblock. Which Tom shoots. of course, and they escape through.

Emma 14:11

So the cops know that Ellen was kidnapped and they know who did it and what went on to rescue her, but no one is arrested for criminal damage or theft or anything.

Sam 14:21

Or kidnapping. And also Tom does not get in trouble with the police in his hometown when they get back. police chief from home just says, oh well done, you rescued her. everything's great, and then Willem Defoe rocks up and tells the police I am going to come beat up Tom.

Emma 14:37

Yep.

Sam 14:38

And the police go to Tom and say, leave town before Willem Defoe comes at which point Ellen leaves Rick Moranis and goes to

Emma 14:49

to sleep with Tom.

Sam 14:49

with and goes, Tom, to sleep with Tom. And then they both get on a train to get out of town and He punches her

Emma 14:55

unconscious. I'm so unhappy about this. I'm so unhappy.

Sam 14:57

To go fight Willem Defoe.

Emma 15:00

Instead of saying, hey, you leave town, I've got business to deal with. I'm going to save you. I'm going to make sure this guy never comes back for you. Instead of explaining things to her like a person would, he just punches her out and sends her out of town with McCoy.

Sam 15:14

it's a fairly common action film trope, knock the girl out so I can go do some more fighting. But normally it happens with a bit of chloroform, or Not

Emma 15:24

a punch!

Sam 15:25

In the face! He punches his girlfriend in the face! In a, oh,

Emma 15:30

it's It makes me feel very uncomfortable. Yeah. Yeah, don't. guys, guys.

Sam 15:37

If you do need to go fight Willem Dafoe,

Emma 15:39

Don't punch your girlfriend. Just don't.

Sam 15:42

Tom goes back to fight Willem Dafoe, who cheats. He said he was only going to bring two guys, and he brings loads of guys.

Emma 15:49

But what he also brings, this is possibly my favourite bit, for when they have the fight, it's not a fight with guns, it's not a fight with fists, it's not a fight with swords, it's a fight with hammers! Big

Sam 16:00

Big Tom and Willem Dafoe have a duel with hammers. Tom disarms Willem Dafoe, who looks scared. Tom drops his hammer in mercy, so Willem Dafoe goes, Ah! And then goes into fist fight mode. And then Tom wins again.

Emma 16:15

Yes. And then the bikers look like they're about to have a go, and that's when all the residents pull out their guns. All in unison, all the same kind of gun. Just shotguns.

Sam 16:26

And we get a lot of And the

Emma 16:27

Yep.

Sam 16:28

haven't brought

Emma 16:29

And the bikers who haven't brought their guns. Oh, they did bring their guns. Oh, they did. But they're, they're too scared to use them.

Sam 16:35

Willem Dafoe out so. They've lost the symbolic battle. And these guys are big into symbolism. I'm not sure many of them are into crime, to be honest with you.

Emma 16:45

with you. They just like riding bikes. Yeah, they just like bikes. And

Sam 16:47

bikes and it got, yeah, Willem Dafoe has led them down a bad path.

Emma 16:51

a lot of the bikers that I've met over the years, they're quite into charity events and stuff. I reckon these guys probably would be if they hadn't been led astray by Willem Dafoe.

Sam 16:59

But that's it. The baddies are defeated and right away, and we go to a closing montage of Oh my God! The Sorrells singing with Ellen Aim! So while the band are all playing, Tom slinks away.

Emma 17:11

Ellen knows that he's going.

Sam 17:13

He says to Ellen, I couldn't be the guy who carries your guitars around. Yeah, what a twat. I hate him so then McCoy drives up, does the old beep beep, get in, and the two go off to just fight and be

Emma 17:26

together. Well, What I wrote was Ellen and the Sorrels perform another show, and Tom leaves with McCoy, presumably to travel the country having littlest hobo style adventures.

Sam 17:34

That is exactly what they're gonna do. End of film. I think McCoy implied she was gay a few times,

Emma 17:42

Yeah, but then it seemed to Although

Sam 17:45

she implied she was gay in the way that happens in 1980s action films, which is by saying, you, the male lead, are not my type. And it is impossible for any woman into men not to be into the male lead

Emma 17:59

Well, I'm a woman who's into men and I am not into that male lead.

Sam 18:03

Amy Madigan originally read for Reva, Cody's sister, and told Hill and Silver that she wanted to play the role of McCoy, which, she remembers, was written to be played by an overweight male who was a good soldier and really needed a job. It could still be tough and strong and have a woman do it without rewriting the part! So there you go, she suggested that McCoy be a lady and not another tough dude.

Emma 18:24

I, I love that. Because McCoy is the best thing in the film. Yeah. And I, I love the whole attitude and Yeah, the blueprint for Natasha Lyonne's career.

Sam 18:37

Good things about this film, other than the Jim Steinman soundtrack.

Emma 18:45

Have you got anything? It's Silly Knockabout

Sam 18:50

It's Silly Knockabout Fun, in the vein of something like Big Trouble in Little china. Yeah. It's a story of a guy who rocks up, causes shit in town, and then goes away. I kind of like the 50s, 80s pseudo sci fi vibe. It's set in a sort of never time.

Emma 19:08

It feels like a precursor to the sort of cyberpunk kind of vibe. Sort of the, the kind of lead up to that, the neon and the rock and roll and stuff. I feel like it's, it's, If that was the real timeline of the world, then that would be sort of eighties and cyberpunk would have come through. And yeah, that, that kind of vibe. I quite

Sam 19:31

like that. I like the world. Yeah. Absolutely nobody in the cast gives any kind of good performance.

Emma 19:38

if anything, I'd like to revisit the world and see some more of the stories in it performed by, Good actors? And talented

Sam 19:47

Well, did you know this was originally part one of a trilogy?

Emma 19:49

I had a feeling that it was part of something else. I think I've read somewhere. Cause there was also an attempt at a sequel.

Sam 19:56

This was planned as a trilogy, The Tom Cody trilogy. Tom Cody was gonna be driving around, sorting out trouble in a weird near future land. But, it utterly bombed at the box office because Michael Paré could not act. So the planned for trilogy never happened. And then, Wikipedia says An unofficial sequel titled Road to Hell

Emma 20:18

Yeah,

Sam 20:19

made in

Emma 20:20

sort of aware

Sam 20:20

2008, directed by Albert Pyun, and with Parry playing Tom Cody and Deborah Van Valkenburg playing his sister Reva Cody. I don't know what makes it an unofficial sequel at that point when they're playing those roles. And having looked at IMDB, Ellen reappears, McCoy reappears. reappears Billy Fish does not make a comeback. But I'm just gonna play you the the trailer, Emma.

Laptop 20:51

No, I've needed you my whole life, asshole. So did mom. Well, I've killed. and on the beach and the perfect waves are to come. She's all that like. His hair is flying on in ribbons of gold And his touch has got the flower to stun I've got

Emma 21:16

You know if we find this.

Sam 21:17

It's not on streaming anywhere. How much do you think that film made at the box

Emma 21:21

Oh, about 50p.

Sam 21:22

One thousand four hundred and forty dollars

Emma 21:25

That seems about right. I also think that might be around the same as they spent on it.

Sam 21:29

yes, yes, it looks absolute cheap shite. Next film club we're doing that. Yeah. So, streets of Fire. It's alright?

Emma 21:35

I enjoyed watching it. It is in no way a good film. So if you can enjoy a film without it being good, then absolutely watch it.

Sam 21:44

Well, Emma, this film was directed by Walter Hill. So I've just put in an application for a patent on a Walter Hill rating

Emma 21:52

Laughter.

Sam 21:55

So is this film Walter Hill? Walter, I'd watch it if I had an afternoon to fill. Or Walter makes me feel ill.

Emma 22:03

Oh, God. It's probably Walter If I Had An Afternoon To

Sam 22:09

Walter, I'd watch it if I had an afternoon to fill! That was Streets of Fire. The more fun of our two films.'cause now we're gonna talk about. The Rocky Horror Picture show.

Emma 22:19

Before we do that, can I stop for a nose blow? I don't want to get that on audio.

Sam 22:24

By that she means cocaine.

Emma 22:25

Yes. Oh, delicious cocaine. Yum, yum, yum.

Music 22:34

Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And he used to swear from the perfume I smelled. My hands kind of fumbled with the wet plastic felt. I tasted every piece of stick and that's when it melted. She whispered in my ear tonight, she really was mine.

Sam 23:02

Emma's just blown her nose and you've probably heard a very short clip of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. This was my choice of film, just because I'd never seen it before. Yeah. And it features Meat Loaf in his first appearance, I guess, as an entertainer to most people. I imagine lots of people have seen the rocky horror picture show.

Emma 23:21

The rocky horror picture show is based on the rocky horror show, which was a stage musical the The film was written by Jim Sharman and Richard O'Brien based on Richard O'Brien's original playbook. Directed by Jim Sharman, released on the 14th of August 1975 in the UK, and I think sometime after that in the US. And the links to Meat Loaf are Meat Loaf Plays Eddie!

Sam 23:44

It's all about an all American couple called Brad and Janet. So Yeah, the film opens with a weird mouth singing at us about science fiction double bills. To establish that this is going to be a parody of thirties to fifties science fiction. That mouth is uncomfortably close to the camera.

Emma 24:04

It makes me feel weird.

Sam 24:05

I could see the ridges in the teeth and

Emma 24:07

and it really

Sam 24:08

me uncomfortable. Oh,

Emma 24:10

Uh

Sam 24:10

In the old timey style, the credits are mostly done at the front of the film. Yeah. Including Meat Loaf being credited as, Yes. Meatloaf, all one word,

Emma 24:19

Yeah. Which

Sam 24:20

the rest of his life, he uses the two word variant.

Emma 24:23

wouldn't have liked that.

Sam 24:24

No, so I've got no other background on that. I was just mildly surprised that he would, permit his trademark name to be used that way. My notes say, The Mouth sings a song called Science Fiction Double Feature over the credits, and frankly, it's all making me uncomfortable. Am I a square?

Emma 24:42

Yeah.

Sam 24:42

So, bam. Church. Wedding bells. The church looks just like that church from the road trip section of the first Muppet movie. A man called Brad appears, talks to the groom, the groom says, You'll be next! and then Susan Sarandon shows up, and I think, Crikey, this might be alright, this film. She plays somebody called Janet. She's well into Brad. They sing a song called Dammit Janet, and that song establishes that they are gonna get married too. And then we cut to a man in his office smoking a fag in one of them big cigarette holders. I guess he's the narrator, is he? He is. Feels very unnecessary, this guy. And I will point this out now, the narrator is fucking pointless in this film.

Emma 25:20

absolutely.

Sam 25:21

He's clearly a holdover from the stage show, where his job was to occupy a stage light while some scenes were shifted behind him.

Emma 25:27

Yeah, and also to provide some

Sam 25:29

exposition that you can provide in a film by just Filming

Emma 25:33

stuff.

Sam 25:36

But there you go. He does some exposition and then we go back to the action. They're driving along in a storm to go visit a, an old teacher of theirs. They pass a motorcyclist going the other way. And Brad says, life's pretty cheap to that sort. Because he thinks motorcyclists are the worst. A tire bursts, they break down, they need rescue, and then my favourite line in the whole film, these two kids driving across Iowa, or whatever it is, turn to each other and say, didn't we pass a castle a few miles back?

Emma 26:04

Oh my god! Which

Sam 26:06

what a silly film. there are so many lovely silly bits and there are so many fucking horrible bits So they walk back to the castle they sing a song The narrator unnecessarily appears and drops one line for no reason. Oh thank fuck, it's Richard

Emma 26:20

O'Brien! He'll save us! He's responsible for this.

Sam 26:24

He'll have therefore given himself good lines. He's playing sort of generic horror movie hunchback.

Emma 26:31

Raff.

Sam 26:31

He lets them into the house where there's a mystery party going on.

Emma 26:35

Richard O'Brien sings The Time Warp and introduces Brad and Janet to, like, the party.

Sam 26:39

To the concept of sex clubs.

Emma 26:41

Janet faints at the Time Warp. Janet wouldn't survive British culture when the Time Warp is played at every single wedding disco and work christmas do ever. She would be fainting like twice a year at least just through shock at the Time Warp.

Sam 26:57

Richard O'Brien sings the Time Warp along with a maid called Magenta and they dance them into the party where a bunch of people dressed up as vampires all sing the song. Brad and Janet are so freaked out by the very tame dance of the time warp that they try to shuffle out awkwardly.

Emma 27:16

here's the situation, right? You've broken down. Yep. You're with your best gal. Okay. And you've gone to a nearby castle? And when you arrive, instead of being greeted by someone who says, Oh yeah, sure, that's awful, come and use the phone, we'll get you sorted out. Like a person would do. Instead, you're shuffled into a terrifying dance party. Where they're singing weird songs at you. I think you'd want to just try and leave and find somewhere else, wouldn't you?

Sam 27:42

If they were doing the time warp at me, I would politely wait for the time warp to finish

Emma 27:46

finish and say,

Sam 27:47

you fucking nerds, where's the phone? The time warp's not a threatening dance

Emma 27:53

No, it's, not! It's just a jump to the left! I

Sam 27:58

I was actually quite impressed by that, but My whole comic character really is as a straight man. So I have to pretend to be deeply annoyed

Emma 28:11

You fucker! Grant me the laughter I crave!

Sam 28:20

Brad and janet are freaked out and back up towards a lift. You're right, why do old castles have lifts in, I don't know. But it's very very accessibility

Emma 28:29

so welcome.

Sam 28:29

so well done. Someone is coming down doing a dance. We are surely facing a good song now. It's Tim Curry! He plays Frank N. Furter. He's King Vampire or some shit. He sings a song called Sweet Transvestite and well done to him. Tim Curry. owns this film. Because I don't like the film, but I do just want to reiterate how much I love Tim Curry, and how much I will always enjoy watching him over act the shit out of everything. Tim Curry is one of our great hams, of course, and I cannot help but think that he tops the hamming here, in his appearance in Red Alert, which again, is a video game reference. You may have seen this video of him talking about going to space. Oh. No! you're gonna love So to provide some context, this is from a 90s strategy game called Command and Conquer Red alert. Tim Curry appears in between all of the levels to give you your briefing, as a Soviet leader.

Emma 29:31

What gaming console era is

Sam 29:33

this is the 90s, this was a PC game a top down real time strategy. So they sort of click on the dudes and tell them where to go, type thing. Hang on. So this is, I believe towards the end of the game,

Laptop 29:45

Commander, you've rained on my glorious parade. For this, I'm sending everything I've got at you. But I won't let you have the satisfaction of catching I'm escaping to the one place that hasn't been corrupted by capitalism. Space!

Sam 30:10

I love it!

Emma 30:11

I feel like that is the precursor to Despicable Me's Gru. Despicable Me. Ah, lovely stuff. I like Despicable Me. I feel if you watch it you will recognise the character. Right down to the voice and the accent and everything. Okay. Yeah.

Sam 30:27

I think that is Tim Curry's finest hamming, this has a close second So credit where it's due. Well done, Tim Curry. They just want to use the phone He's very up for having them at his party for the night first. I'm starting to suspect these might be

Emma 30:42

to suspect these might be sex people. Sex people? Sex people. Awww.

Sam 30:49

Then they get forcibly undressed by the servants

Emma 30:51

down

Sam 30:51

to their underpants which

Emma 30:53

about that.

Sam 30:53

They have to go up to Tim Curry's lab, in their underpants, and they learn that he's only got a made life, gor blimey governor A big muscly muscle man named Rocky.

Emma 31:04

In his gold pants

Sam 31:05

The very handsome buffed monster escapes and goes around singing about how scared he is that he might get done over. Tim curry chases him about. Tim Curry then sings a song about being well muscly. Then, fuck, here's Meat

Emma 31:20

Yay!

Sam 31:21

it was starting to get a bit creepy, so thank you Meat loaf for barging in on a motorbike,

Emma 31:25

From a deep freeze. from a

Sam 31:27

freeze. He sings a song Everyone agrees that rock and roll is good. Apart from Tim Curry. Who murders him with an ice pick. Fuck me, Tim Curry's just straight up murdering the lad. Yep. Bit

Emma 31:38

rough. Missed out the bit there where Meat Loaf goes mental on a

Sam 31:45

He does, he just drives round and round and round the lab on a motorbike. Oh, he does a lot of dry humping as well.

Emma 31:50

Yeah, there's a lot of that. So coming back to Meat Loaf's biography, I did read a chapter about Rocky Horror. In the movie, they had a stunt double riding the motorcycle that Eddie rides in on. I was on the bike, it wasn't even running. The stunt double crashed through the big ice wall and then they cut to a close up of me. All I had to do was coast to a stop. In one part, the motorcycle in the movie is running down the ramp. They had to figure out how they could get close ups of me up on that ramp. They took the windshield and handlebars off the motorcycle and put me in a wheelchair. They tried to shoot the scene by putting the camera at the bottom of the ramp, but that didn't work, so they mounted the camera to the front of the wheelchair, so that you can see the handlebars and the round visor. That made it so top heavy that when you got down to the bottom of the ramp, you didn't just kind of coast off like you did before. Now, when I went down the ramp, the wheelchair hit the edge, flipped over and smashed the camera. My stand in, not my stunt double, leaped forward to try and catch me in the wheelchair. He caught his leg on the side of the ramp, so the camera smashed. I think I got a little cut and the guy broke his leg. Everyone's trying to help me while my stand in's over there screaming in agony going, Ow! Ow! I tell them to go check him out. Everyone runs over there and leaves me. So now I'm trapped in this wheelchair. I say could one of you come back and help me? Is that exciting.

Sam 33:11

Bit rough indeed. So yeah, Tim Curry murders him. Janet establishes that she's now starting to get into muscly men.

Emma 33:17

Yeah.

Sam 33:18

Janet is transmuting into a sex person throughout the film.

Emma 33:22

She's slowly becoming a pervert.

Sam 33:25

Establishes that he's created life solely that he can bone it

Emma 33:29

that's morally questionable, isn't it? That is it?

Sam 33:31

university ethics

Emma 33:32

committee

Sam 33:33

would have a word about this. Ha ha He's Doctor Frank N. Furt where's his PhD from? That's what I want to know. And then it says here, fuck off narrator, act break, you can definitely do act breaks better than this on a film you know. Brad and Janet then get led off to bedrooms

Emma 33:50

Janet's laying in her bed, she thinks she's visited by Brad, because Tim Curry is an excellent mimic, it seems!

Sam 33:57

He's put a wig on

Emma 33:58

he's put a wig on. And so she thinks that she's being seduced by Brad at long last.

Sam 34:03

but only for about two seconds.

Emma 34:05

It becomes very apparent that actually Tim Curry is attempting to do a sex

Sam 34:08

on her. It's horrible, emma!

Emma 34:10

me feel very uncomfortable.

Sam 34:11

Tim Curry plays the old, you know you want it, and she eventually

Emma 34:15

agrees. Yeah, alright then. like like it.

Sam 34:18

What I've written here is, Tim Curry tries to bone Janet disguised as Brad. She sees through it, but bones him anyway. Cripes. Yeah, cripes. This is pretty oof. Rocky escapes, and then we see Tim Curry try to bone Brad in disguise as Janet, repeating the previous scene.

Emma 34:34

Non

Sam 34:35

is still oof, but fair play on the joke ish.

Emma 34:41

Fair play on the joke. Ever the comedian Sam.

Sam 34:45

Within the constraints of thinking that sort of scene is acceptable, that joke works. But yeah. Oh, crikey.

Emma 34:53

Yeah, quite uncomfortable.

Sam 34:55

In Richard O'Brien's defence, that is one of the tropes of these films, which he's parodying. And I'm not sure we're supposed to think, Ooh, that's, that's, it's good that that happened.

Emma 35:04

No.

Sam 35:06

It's a bit weird. Janet regrets boning Tim Curry. She spies on Brad having a post coital fag with Tim Curry. She goes off and bones Rocky singing a song called Touch Me. And then she fantasises about ev fantasises about everyone, the filthy so and so.

Emma 35:24

This is another lesson that we learn through the film. That repression isn't good either. And it'll come out eventually. So to speak.

Sam 35:34

My word. This doctor they were going to meet, who apparently works for the FBI, is now in the building. I'm quite keen on all the charging through walls in this film. It's Dr. Scott!

Emma 35:44

In the original theatrical performance Dr. Scott was played by Meat Loaf And Meat Loaf wanted to play him again but was told no. that it wouldn't work.

Sam 35:52

So instead Dr. Scott is played by generic old man.

Emma 35:56

Generic old man.

Sam 35:57

I would have loved to see Meat Loaf doing

Emma 35:58

Would have been great, and also it would have given a much bigger part in the whole thing. I feel like Eddie's part is really, it's pivotal, but

Sam 36:05

Sorry, what?

Emma 36:06

It's important

Sam 36:07

No it's not

Emma 36:08

it is!

Sam 36:09

What

Emma 36:09

It's part of the whole

Sam 36:10

What purpose does it play? Oh no, do you know what, sorry, I'm very sorry, because what purpose does any of this film?

Emma 36:19

Eddie is part of Rocky's brain. And also is a love interest for Columbia, who has been scorned so many times. So I think it's, it

Sam 36:31

Okay

Emma 36:31

fleshes the world out, Sam.

Sam 36:32

Oh you're right Emma. I do apologize Tolkien esque world building here.

Emma 36:39

Just because you prefer the one dimensional world of Streets of fire, this has got a subplot! Streets of Fire hasn't.

Sam 36:48

She's got me there, listeners. We go to an awkward dinner scene. Very Texas Chainsaw massacre in its sinister threateningness. We have a song about how Eddie was a no good kid. We find out that Eddie is Dr. Scott's nephew. God blimey, the food is made of

Emma 37:04

dead

Sam 37:05

Everybody runs around a bit.

Emma 37:07

Everybody runs around. You've really lost it by this point, haven't you, Sam? You don't give a shit

Sam 37:11

the revelation that the food is made of dead Eddie results in people running all over the shop. It does. Tim Curry wants to do a murder on Janet, perhaps. or possibly bone her, or induct her as a sex person, or all three. They're basically the same thing. A science machine turns Brad, Dr. Scott, and Janet into statues, and Magenta as well, who's going from sex person to straight person, in the opposite direction to Brad and Janet. They all get turned into stone, but their clothes fall off, which I did find that quite funny. If you're gonna make a film about a mega boning sex pervert from space, spoiler alert, he's from space, why not turn everybody into statues with their tits out?

Emma 38:01

Fair enough, yep

Sam 38:02

the narrator shows up and wastes some more celluloid Tim Curry de stonifies all the gang on a big stage.

Emma 38:10

dressed them

Sam 38:11

Dressed them all up like him, in corsets and high heels.

Emma 38:14

a bit burlesque.

Sam 38:15

they all do a big song. He does a song. And the end result of that song is that they all want to do it with him, in a pool.

Emma 38:22

Yeah.

Sam 38:24

Having got them all on his mega boning gender fluidity trip, it turns out that he, Riff Raff and Magenta are all aliens.

Emma 38:33

I love this bit because they're in the pool and they're probably about to begin the very damp bone a thon And honestly the idea of fucking in a pool turns my stomach that aside what happens next is Riff Raff and Magenta burst right in, and change the plot of it. Entirely. And it's just like, suddenly, they've had enough

Sam 38:54

We're aliens now.

Emma 38:55

we're always aliens but we've had enough, so we're taking over end of film.

Sam 39:00

Dr. Scott at one point does mention, Oh, I suspect aliens! And all the audience goes, Well, that's ridiculous. This is a film about Gender fluid sex perverts.

Emma 39:12

And their science.

Sam 39:14

Exactly, and it turns out they were all aliens. They come in with a big laser and shoot Tim Curry. Rocky does a good King Kong impression with Tim Curry's body and also gets lasered to death. The whole house is about to be beamed back to the planet of transsexual in the galaxy of Transylvania. Look, it's a fucking odd film. Back again to the narrator. He better pay off at some point. Spoiler, he fucking didn't. I was thinking, oh.

Emma 39:42

You were hoping there was gonna be a reveal at the end. Yeah, like

Sam 39:44

there's got to be some joke tied to why this narrator is wasting.

Emma 39:48

all along.

Sam 39:49

yeah, no, he's just just, uh. End of film Yeah. Yeah. that's the cultural behemoth that was the Rocky Horror Picture Show. And I do have to say, I didn't watch it in what I know to be ideal conditions. This is a film that people love to go and watch

Emma 40:10

together Yeah. and campy I mean, people go along to sing along versions, to dress up versions. It used to be popular amongst students. They all watch it together while stoned. I've seen it several times before, but never in a group. I've watched it like late night and stuff. When I've had a few drinks, but nothing like crazy party. This time round though, while rewatching it, it was a Thursday

Sam 40:33

Which

Emma 40:34

probably not the right time to be watching it.

Sam 40:36

Yeah, I also watched it under sub optimal conditions at on a blazing summer's day. Just me and my dog.

Emma 40:43

Awwww.

Sam 40:44

Yeah.

Emma 40:44

What did Maisie think of it?

Sam 40:45

She enjoyed the belly rubs she

Emma 40:47

got. No, no, no.

Sam 41:00

Everybody's said everything to say about this film already, right? our perspective, as a Meat Loaf related there was a bit of Meat Loaf in it. did really steal the show for the five minutes he was there.

Emma 41:10

The song's pretty good.

Sam 41:11

The song's good

Emma 41:12

It's one of the better ones in it

Sam 41:13

I enjoyed the high camp over the top, everything of it. But it would be nice if it was in a film that made sense.

Emma 41:21

you're asking a bit much there, did you know that there's a sequel

Sam 41:24

a little bit.

Emma 41:25

it's called shock treatment,

Sam 41:27

okay

Emma 41:27

I've not seen it

Sam 41:28

Oh, Oh, a standalone feature with little continuity from the original film. Alright, so, Richard O'Brien wrote a full sequel called Rocky Horror Shows His Heels In 1979. But then nobody wanted to make it, and Tim Curry didn't want to reprise. So instead, he carried some of that stuff over into Shock Treatment. Which was initially called the Brad and Janet show.

Emma 41:51

Oh God.

Sam 41:52

Shock treatment was poorly received by critics and audiences upon release, largely due to the absence of everyone who was good in the first film. But Overtime has built its own niche following. So I guess we have to do a special sequels edition to this podcast, Emma.

Emma 42:09

So are we gonna watch? We're going to watch Road to Hell and Shock treatment.

Sam 42:12

So that was Rocky Horror. Do you have anything else to say on it

Emma 42:16

I think it's fun. I think it's more fun if you watch it with other people and sing along and stuff. It's really weird.

Sam 42:24

I thought the Time Warp would be better. I thought it would do something, it literally was just like

Emma 42:30

just the Time Warp that you hear at the weddings.

Sam 42:32

the context of it in the show Yeah! Is just like, come into our house, we're sing a weird song now. There's no reason for the Time Warp to be the song that I thought, knowing that it was a parody of B movies, it would be related to time time Warps. but it's not it's just a bunch of weirdos at their weirdo convention going

Emma 42:55

The film makes So little sense.

Sam 42:58

think the stage show is probably more comprehensible

Emma 43:01

Yeah.

Sam 43:02

I want to tread quite carefully because It is a, the show is about awakening into a world of gender and sexuality, which I haven't felt the need to awaken into, so I don't want to be too like, aha, this film that helped you work out who you are is shit, idiots. But

Emma 43:25

Well, we're not, we're not criticising that.

Sam 43:26

what I'm saying, is when will they make film for the straight man? That's all want to know.

Emma 43:33

I don't think we've, we've not criticised any of the, gender awakening stuff. I think that's, it's, it's a really cool film for that. But that doesn't stop the story from being shit. Does it? No it doesn't. Because it's quite a bad story. And I think both of these films are indeed linked by their terrible storytelling. Streets of Fire has no subplot even. At least this has bit of Well, yeah, dammit. do you have a rating scale for this

Sam 44:04

Well, Emma it's interesting you asked me that cause I did just get an email from the patent office

Emma 44:08

we were talking. And the application patent. They're very very speedy.

Sam 44:13

Yeah, they work on a Saturday no less

Emma 44:15

it's such dedication. Yes.

Sam 44:17

So here's our question.

Emma 44:18

Okay.

Sam 44:19

This film directed by Jim Sharman. Was it Jim Sharman? Jim went a bit too far, man. Or Jim no ta, man.

Emma 44:32

Oh, I think it's Jim went a bit too far, man. What is it for you?

Sam 44:37

I can see myself watching Streets of Fire. if I have a spare afternoon to fill. I cannot see myself watching Rocky Horror again, unless it's specifically as part of a sort of, you know, a silly watch

Emma 44:48

along

Sam 44:49

So, with that in mind, I'm gonna say this is a Jim No Ta Man.

Emma 44:53

Fair enough.

Sam 44:55

Jim Went A Bit Too Far Man, slash Jim No Ta Man. And that's the end of Film Club. Yeah, Thank you all for listening to the Chat Out Of Hell Film Club, if indeed you did. If you have opinions on either of our films, then good for you! Share them with us! Chatoutofhell@gmail.com and as ever, please do keep emailing in your assorted Meat Loaf anecdotes, Meat Loaf memories. Did Meat Loaf push in line at a late night, midnight viewing of Rocky Horror Picture Show? Do let me know. I had to ad lib that one because I've not written a version of this for this episode. we will be back with the regular podcast on Monday the 12th of August where, as promised, we will be discussing surely his

Emma 45:42

longest work.

Sam 45:45

I would do anything for love. Brackets, but I won't do that. Close brackets. About which we both have an awful lot to say.

Emma 45:52

Oh yes.

Sam 45:53

very much looking forward to recording that. Anything else to add, Emma?

Emma 45:58

No.

Sam 45:58

Okay, cool. Right. Well, thanks everybody! Bye! Bye!