Chat out of Hell

SPECIAL FILM CLUB #1

• Emma Crossland & Sam Wilkinson • Season 1 • Episode 7

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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)

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Emma:

This is Chat Out of Hell Film Club!

Sam:

Film cluuuuub! Laughter

Emma:

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:

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:

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

Sam:

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

Emma:

swing. Oh, okay, okay.

Sam:

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:

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

Sam:

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

Emma:

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

Sam:

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:

Let's.

Sam:

I might put a clip of it in here.

Music:

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:

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

Emma:

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:

Take that

Emma:

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:

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:

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

Sam:

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

Emma:

on, Okay. because

Sam:

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:

What's this?

Sam:

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:

Yes.

Sam:

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

Emma:

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

Sam:

And there's a lot of boredom to come

Emma:

yes yes there is!

Sam:

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:

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:

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

Emma:

chased

Sam:

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

Emma:

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:

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:

Well, it's it's Reva.

Sam:

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

Emma:

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

Sam:

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:

of

Sam:

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:

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

Sam:

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:

Yes.

Sam:

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

Emma:

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

Sam:

Tom beats up some guys, as predicted, through

Emma:

And once Tom's finished defenestrating

Sam:

them

Emma:

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:

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:

car! And then he speeds off again anyway

Sam:

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

Emma:

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:

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:

some

Sam:

drinks? and we're just hello.

Emma:

She's a very impatient

Sam:

And then she punches Bill Paxton out. Yep.

Emma:

Jumps over the bar and starts serving

Sam:

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

Emma:

They are best

Sam:

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:

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:

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:

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

Sam:

Yeah.

Emma:

We're holding out for that then,

Sam:

yeah? we've got a few

Emma:

few months left. Fingers crossed. Yes, please.

Sam:

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:

He is a very

Sam:

He's perpetually grumpy throughout the film,

Emma:

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

Sam:

who

Emma:

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

Sam:

Tom is played by a guy called Michael Paré.

Emma:

Yeah.

Sam:

And, Michael Paré, the actor. is incapable of

Emma:

acting

Sam:

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:

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

Sam:

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

Emma:

It's a weird choice.

Sam:

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:

Looks like it's an old steelworks or

Sam:

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:

Sorry, another spoiler. No.

Sam:

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

Emma:

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

Sam:

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:

in. For a bit.

Sam:

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

Emma:

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

Sam:

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:

no.

Sam:

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:

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

Sam:

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:

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

Sam:

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

Emma:

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

Sam:

Is that stated?

Emma:

It seems to be. it's

Sam:

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

Emma:

Maybe not. Why has he kidnapped her?

Sam:

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:

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

Sam:

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

Emma:

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:

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

Emma:

80s land. Yeah.

Sam:

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

Emma:

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

Sam:

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:

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:

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

Emma:

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

Sam:

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

Emma:

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:

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:

Yep.

Sam:

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:

to sleep with Tom.

Sam:

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:

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

Sam:

To go fight Willem Defoe.

Emma:

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:

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:

a punch!

Sam:

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

Emma:

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

Sam:

If you do need to go fight Willem Dafoe,

Emma:

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

Sam:

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:

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:

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:

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:

And we get a lot of And the

Emma:

Yep.

Sam:

haven't brought

Emma:

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:

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:

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

Sam:

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

Emma:

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:

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:

Ellen knows that he's going.

Sam:

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:

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:

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

Emma:

Yeah, but then it seemed to Although

Sam:

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:

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

Sam:

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:

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:

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

Emma:

Have you got anything? It's Silly Knockabout

Sam:

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:

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:

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

Emma:

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:

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

Emma:

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:

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:

Yeah,

Sam:

made in

Emma:

sort of aware

Sam:

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:

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:

You know if we find this.

Sam:

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

Emma:

Oh, about 50p.

Sam:

One thousand four hundred and forty dollars

Emma:

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

Sam:

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

Emma:

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:

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:

Laughter.

Sam:

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:

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

Sam:

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:

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

Sam:

By that she means cocaine.

Emma:

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

Music:

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:

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:

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:

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:

It makes me feel weird.

Sam:

I could see the ridges in the teeth and

Emma:

and it really

Sam:

me uncomfortable. Oh,

Emma:

Uh

Sam:

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:

Yeah. Which

Sam:

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

Emma:

wouldn't have liked that.

Sam:

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:

Yeah.

Sam:

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:

absolutely.

Sam:

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:

Yeah, and also to provide some

Sam:

exposition that you can provide in a film by just Filming

Emma:

stuff.

Sam:

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:

Oh my god! Which

Sam:

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:

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

Sam:

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

Emma:

Raff.

Sam:

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

Emma:

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

Sam:

To the concept of sex clubs.

Emma:

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:

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:

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:

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

Emma:

finish and say,

Sam:

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

Emma:

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

Sam:

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:

You fucker! Grant me the laughter I crave!

Sam:

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:

so welcome.

Sam:

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:

What gaming console era is

Sam:

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:

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:

I love it!

Emma:

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:

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:

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

Sam:

Then they get forcibly undressed by the servants

Emma:

down

Sam:

to their underpants which

Emma:

about that.

Sam:

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:

In his gold pants

Sam:

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:

Yay!

Sam:

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

Emma:

From a deep freeze. from a

Sam:

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:

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

Sam:

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:

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:

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

Emma:

Yeah.

Sam:

Janet is transmuting into a sex person throughout the film.

Emma:

She's slowly becoming a pervert.

Sam:

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

Emma:

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

Sam:

university ethics

Emma:

committee

Sam:

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:

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

Sam:

He's put a wig on

Emma:

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

Sam:

but only for about two seconds.

Emma:

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

Sam:

on her. It's horrible, emma!

Emma:

me feel very uncomfortable.

Sam:

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

Emma:

agrees. Yeah, alright then. like like it.

Sam:

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:

Non

Sam:

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

Emma:

Fair play on the joke. Ever the comedian Sam.

Sam:

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

Emma:

Yeah, quite uncomfortable.

Sam:

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:

No.

Sam:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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

Emma:

Generic old man.

Sam:

I would have loved to see Meat Loaf doing

Emma:

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:

Sorry, what?

Emma:

It's important

Sam:

No it's not

Emma:

it is!

Sam:

What

Emma:

It's part of the whole

Sam:

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:

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:

Okay

Emma:

fleshes the world out, Sam.

Sam:

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

Emma:

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

Sam:

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:

dead

Sam:

Everybody runs around a bit.

Emma:

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

Sam:

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:

Fair enough, yep

Sam:

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

Emma:

dressed them

Sam:

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

Emma:

a bit burlesque.

Sam:

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:

Yeah.

Sam:

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

Emma:

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:

We're aliens now.

Emma:

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

Sam:

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:

And their science.

Sam:

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:

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

Sam:

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

Emma:

all along.

Sam:

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:

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:

Which

Emma:

probably not the right time to be watching it.

Sam:

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

Emma:

Awwww.

Sam:

Yeah.

Emma:

What did Maisie think of it?

Sam:

She enjoyed the belly rubs she

Emma:

got. No, no, no.

Sam:

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:

The song's pretty good.

Sam:

The song's good

Emma:

It's one of the better ones in it

Sam:

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:

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

Sam:

a little bit.

Emma:

it's called shock treatment,

Sam:

okay

Emma:

I've not seen it

Sam:

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:

Oh God.

Sam:

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:

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

Sam:

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

Emma:

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:

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

Emma:

just the Time Warp that you hear at the weddings.

Sam:

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:

The film makes So little sense.

Sam:

think the stage show is probably more comprehensible

Emma:

Yeah.

Sam:

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:

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

Sam:

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

Emma:

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:

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

Emma:

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

Sam:

Yeah, they work on a Saturday no less

Emma:

it's such dedication. Yes.

Sam:

So here's our question.

Emma:

Okay.

Sam:

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

Emma:

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

Sam:

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:

along

Sam:

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

Emma:

Fair enough.

Sam:

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:

longest work.

Sam:

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:

Oh yes.

Sam:

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

Emma:

No.

Sam:

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