Photos Courtesy of the Mick Rock Estate
In 1975, The Rocky Horror Picture Show was released, giving the world a dazzling, unprecedented blend of science fiction, fantasy, rock music, and brazenly libidinous humor as it told the story of a naïve young couple who get tangled up with a group of uninhibited gender-fluid aliens led by the self-professed “sweet transvestite” mad scientist Frank-N-Furter. Over the years, the film would become one of the most beloved cult films of all time.
Rocky began as a musical in London in 1973 – written by Richard O’Brien, who played Frank-N-Furter’s hunchbacked butler Riff Raff – before it went on to have a brief run on Broadway. When the movie version began filming, the celebrated photographer Mick Rock was invited to take candid photos of the actors as they worked – and now, to mark the film version of Rocky’s 50th anniversary this year, those photos have been released as a new deluxe coffee table book, ROCKY HORROR: A Behind the Scenes Look at the Cult Classic (published on September 30 via HarperPop).
During a recent Zoom call from his home in New Zealand, Richard O’Brien told The Big Takeover why Mick Rock was the perfect choice to capture that special moment in film history, and he also reflected on his own artistic path that led him to create the incredible Rocky story in the first place.
This story that you’ve created has been examined and interpreted in so many different ways, but this Mick Rock book stands out because it seems so candid, capturing all of you as you made this film that would go on to become so adored.
RICHARD O’BRIEN: I’ve always loved Mick’s photographs. I think the world became first aware of his work with the cover of Queen’s first album, that iconographic photograph of Queen and Freddie Mercury. And then the David Bowie photographs. It’s very interesting, isn’t it: you put three people on a beach. One of them is Henri Cartier-Bresson, the other two aren’t. And they take the same beach photographs. But the photographs by Cartier-Bresson are fabulous, and the others are just snaps, just what you and I could take. It is weird, that. And Mick had that [talent]. Finding your own voice is, I suppose, the goal of everyone who might want to become proficient at what they do. There’s no art without craft, as far as I’m concerned. That is an absolute. So finding your own voice is essential, isn’t it? And Mick found his own voice. They are Mick Rock photographs. Having him on the set was a joy. Because yes, there’s the chap that’s there every day because that’s his job, to keep taking photographs behind the scenes, and he does it well because he’s a professional. But along comes Mick on the same set, same costumes, same lighting, and they’re special. They’re different because they’re special. There’s color, there’s emotion; it’s in the lighting and the presentation. They’re richer, in so many ways, and more compelling.
Mick Rock
I wonder if Mick was such a good match for this project because the Rocky story has such a rock and roll element, and that was really his strong suit.
RICHARD O’BRIEN: Oh yes, we indeed liked that! He had this huge life of art. Rocky was just one of his projects. He had all that other stuff going with Iggy Pop and Bowie and all that.
Looking at these photos, it seems as if there’s a warmth that he captured in them, like everyone was having fun and genuinely liked each other. Does that match the way it actually was for you?
RICHARD O’BRIEN: Yes. There were no stresses from difficult actors. It wasn’t a difficult piece to shoot. We weren’t shooting great drama or something important. That’s another thing that gets in the way, you see. When something becomes very, very important, that’s when the tension rises because you’ve got a lot to lose. We weren’t doing something important. We were having fun. It was long days, but that’s all we were dedicated to doing as well as we could, and having as much fun as we could.
Did you know that you were creating something special as you were making this film?
RICHARD O’BRIEN: No, no, no, no, no. In fact, when the film first opened and closed, and the show had closed on Broadway at the Belasco [Theatre], Tim Curry [who played Frank-N-Furter in both the theatrical and film versions] and I stood on the street and we both agreed that it had been a wonderful ride for three years. And we thought that was it. But here we are, fifty years later. It has as much resonance today, if not more, than it did back then.
What do you think it is about this story that you created that has made it resonate with people so much?
RICHARD O’BRIEN: It’s a safe place for people to know that they belong to the rainbow community, and that they’re going to be in a safe area. It’s like going to a club, in a way, where you know it’s safe. It’s become a place of refuge. And it was never intended to [be that]; it’s just a musical comedy with no message, not trying to say anything. Simply to entertain, make us laugh, tap our foot, and to go home giggling. That was basically the premise, and it remains so. But it has this wonderful ability to draw in people who have felt marginalized, felt on the outside. The problem is, we shouldn’t even be having this conversation, because there shouldn’t be any kind of disapproval of someone who is gay or someone who is transgender. It shouldn’t be in our conversation. The only place it comes from is from people who believe that they are spiritually and morally more upright because they believe in a creation of fantasy. It’s so sickening, isn’t it? How arrogant of them. Because we allow them to worship; we’re tolerant and say, “You can have your church or your synagogue or your mosque on the corner of the street and worship your fantasy god if you wish to.” But don’t tell us that we have to believe, as well—how dare you? And how dare you say “I am gay” is against God’s will? He doesn’t exist. This is a fantasy of yours. We’ve abandoned rationality by accepting Abrahamic fantasy as a reality. We have to start fighting for rationality, because it’s just insane. Sanity should rule!
What made you want to be a writer and a performer in the first place?
RICHARD O’BRIEN: I never wanted to do the classics, or be a tragic actor. My love of the theater is dressing up and making believe—and if you can make people laugh, as well, that’s delightful. I don’t see comedy as the poor relation to tragedy. I think comedy is underrated. It’s far easier to be a tragedian than it is to be a comedian because you can’t fool people that you’re funny. With Rocky, you see, it’s a lightweight piece. You don’t have to stick your bum out and do a silly walk to make people laugh. You don’t have to scrape the bottom of the barrel.
Is there anything else that you’d like people to know about you and Rocky?
RICHARD O’BRIEN: I’ll tell you what I think is worth relating, is the fact that a door closed before I wrote Rocky. I was let go from a show in the West End, because Robert Stigwood, the producer, didn’t think that I should take over this role. And I was sent home with my tail between my legs. But they did give me some money: they paid me off because they were in breach of contract. But even so, the door had closed—but it was the best thing that could ever have happened to me. And I’m telling you this because there’s lots of people getting into a moment in time – could be today, could be tomorrow – when something happens. A door closes and you think, “Oh fuck, what happens now?” But it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Not always. I wouldn’t have written Rocky, you see, if I had been playing that role. It wouldn’t even have occurred to me. Because I had to do something, I wrote the song “Science Fiction/Double Feature” [which he sings over Rocky’s opening credits] to entertain some people at a Christmas party, and that became the program. If you are feeling down, if you feel bad, don’t give up on yourself. Giving up on yourself is a crime. [The situation] could well be to your advantage, so don’t despair too deeply.
