Time Warp

I spent the last week re-living a teenage obsession of mine---The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

I love love love Rocky Horror.

I love love love Tim Curry in that corset and the way he says "lab" and "slab".

antici..........
............
...........
...........

.........pation

Oh, that is the best part of that song...

Now if you haven't ever seen Rocky Horror, you totally won't get this blog.

"Glee" did an homage to Rocky Horror last week. The music was amazing. They put a fresh spin on it all. GOTT and I have been listening to it non-stop backstage as we settle and put away things from the show. And Fox Movies ran it non-stop all day on Halloween. I watched it 3 times...

The first time I saw Rocky Horror was here in Houston at the Alabama Theater. My aunt Jane took me (remember her? The best person in the world?). She took me and a few of my friends to see it.

We were totally unprepared for the experience.

The costumed freaks (who were freaks and happy to be called so), the toast throwing, the newspapers on the head, and all the shouting at the characters on the screen.

And then getting up to dance the Time Warp.

I LOVED it...it was a midnight movie and it was full of awesome people who weren't afraid to be different.

Because at that age all I wanted to do is conform but it was freeing to see others who were ok with being different. It wasn't until years later that I could really appreciate it and embrace it myself.

Because being able to be who you are is really amazing.

Some of us can be who we are because we aren't all that different. But I have friends who can't openly show love to their partners (yes...the gay thing again...sorry, it bugs me that my gay friends have to worry that they won't be accepted if they are open about it to everyone). Others have things in their pasts that they are ashamed of.

I myself had a pretty screwed up childhood.

My dad had affairs. My mother was a bi-polar alcoholic.

My dad left us for my stepmonster. My mother took pills, but wasn't very good about taking the pills that would have helped her...she just liked the ones that helped her not feel...

is it any wonder that I was as big as I was?

I have come to discover that I am an extremely co-dependent person who needs a lot of love, affection and positive feedback to feel worthy. I have to fix things. I have to solve things. I have to save people. I have to be the hero...

Is it any wonder that I compare myself to Tinkerbell?

But..........

I can use all of that for good.

I ENJOY helping people.

I love being surrounded by people I love...especially my theater kids and GOTT and TTG...

I love getting to be creative with our shows and surprising GOTT and TTG with the fun things I come up with.

I look on the stage and get all the fulfillment I need when I see the kids having fun and putting on a great show. And when they run off the stage into my arms and tell me "that was a blast" I am happy to share it with them.

I've watched those kids grow and change and discover themselves. I have been supportive when a few have "come out" (a brave thing to do in high school) because I am proud of them for knowing who they are. I have watched some use the theater experience to grow and change (the boy I love so who is student body president). I've watched some take the lead in their shows in high school and continue to move forward with their acting/singing.

High school is hard...you do a lot of things to fit in...

I was so into appearing to be just like everyone else in high school that I compromised myself and my values. Who didn't? (hopefully some of you) My compromise was drinking. I was afraid to drink and had a dad that would have killed me if I came home drunk. I lived in the hill country. Deer. Curves. Low water crossings. I had a friend who paralyzed himself after driving drunk.

My compromise...not what you might expect.

I didn't drink. But I LOOKED like I was. My friend and I took some empty beer cans, washed them, and then filled them with soda. The ruse worked pretty well at most of the parties we went to. Our version of "paryting" many times in high school was to go somewhere and pull up all the trucks and get a keg or steal your parents beer and stand around drinking. Once we did it at the rest stop on I-10...that was safe...not...

So the "not really beer" in the beer can thing worked until some football player took a swig and realized that we had soda in there. And then he declared us the uncoolest cheerleaders ever.

But I didn't drive drunk....at least not in high school. Scares me when I think about college so I won't revist that or go back...

My dad sent me to college with the following "rules" about drinking:
1) nothing out of a trash can---it just can't be good
2) nothing blue or purple---because those are scary colors for drinks
3) nothing that you drink down in one gulp (shots)
4) just drink beer

I broke all 3 of the "do not" rules within my first 2 months of college. May have been my first 2 weeks...may have been my first 2 days...

And why did I do all of that? To conform. To be like the others. Did I like the blue/purple drink? Heck no...

And trash can punch? Can you say "disgusting"?

The 7 shots of tequila followed by beer chasers (I was 110 pounds dripping wet) deserves it's own blog. I think I will call it "Jose Cuervo". It was a bad, bad night...I did tell my father to sue a certain fraternity because I was convinced I was given poison...no one told me tequila is poison...

But I digress...

So back to Rocky Horror...and Tim Curry in his corset...

As strange, and weird, and freaky as that movie is, it is a fun thing to watch. And it was more fun to GO to the movie and see all the crazy around you and have fun with it.

The lesson here? Wear a corset and high heels? Maybe...

Because if the corset and high heels make you feel pretty and sexy...why not? Even if you are not a size 4...

And if my male friend wants to kiss his boyfriend or my female friend wants to hold hands with her girlfriend---GO FOR IT...

And if you want to dance for absolutely no reason...DANCE! I do it backstage all the time...

And if you want to drink something blue or purple...well, there I might have to tell you that it is not a good idea...unless it is wine...and then purple can be GOOD...

Inspiration Music: "Time Warp"...Rocky Horror Glee Show...a really amazing version...or the original...you'll be into a time slip...

bye darlings