August 5, 2024 • 46 mins
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)
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Emma (00:00):
This is Chat Out of Hell Film Club!
Sam (00:02):
Film cluuuuub! Laughter
Emma (00:05):
Where we are going to look at a couple of films that are
Meat Loaf or Jim Steinmanrelated or adjacent in this
case, tenuously related.
Sam (00:16):
If this is your first time listening to Chat Out of Hell,
please don't start with thisepisode.
It's even more niche than ourusual bullshit.
Pick something in the middle ofthe first series, give that a
go, and then come back to
Emma (00:25):
Actually, I would recommend episode number one as
a really good place to start.
Sam (00:29):
All right.
Well, we've not quite got intoour swing
Emma (00:32):
swing.
Oh, okay, okay.
Sam (00:34):
right.
Fine.
we're on our Chat out of Hellsummer break at the moment, and
like all right thinking people,we've just watched films instead
of going to the beach andthrowing a big inflatable ball
around.
We both suggested a film for usto watch, and we went away to
watch our films because our busyschedules didn't match up with
(00:55):
sitting in a room together fortwo hours.
Listeners, normally we tell youto go away and listen to the
songs that we've suggested foreach week on Chat Out of Hell.
We're not gonna do that today.
That would be four hours of yourlife pissed down the drain.
Emma (01:08):
No, I think you should do it.
Go on, do it, do it.
Sam (01:11):
Alright, well, Emma, what film would you like the
listeners to watch?
Emma (01:14):
I want them to watch Streets of Fire, because we had
to.
Sam (01:17):
to.
And then after we've discussedStreets of Fire, we're gonna
talk about the Rocky HorrorPicture Show.
And I know a lot of people aremassive fans of it, but if you
are I think less of you now.
Shall we dive into Streets ofFire,
Emma (01:32):
Let's.
Sam (01:33):
I might put a clip of it in here.
Music (01:36):
Saturday night, you're sweating buckets and it's not
even hot But your brain has gotthe message and it's sending it
out To every nerve and everymuscle you've got You've got so
many dreams that you don't knowwhere to put them So you better
turn a few of them loose Yourbody's gotta fight Feelin that
it's startin to rust, you betterrev it up and put it to use.
(01:59):
And I don't know how I'll be
Sam (02:04):
Emma, for the listeners who aren't watching what is this
film about?
Emma (02:07):
It's a rock and roll fable, That's what it says at
the beginning.
Although I always thought thatfables were supposed to have
morals at the end.
Ha ha! There is no moral at theend of this fable.
Sam (02:16):
Take that
Emma (02:17):
The film is about rock and roll superstar Ellen A who is
performing at a gig in a skeevypart of town.
Town, undisclosed.
It could be any city, anywhere.
And she's kidnapped, oh no, byRaven and the Bombers gang.
And then the rest of the filmpretty much focuses on her
(02:39):
rescue and the falloutafterwards and Yeah, the film
came out on the 1st of June,1984 directed by Walter Hill.
And written by Walter Hill andLarry Gross.
And how it links to Meat LoafStroke Steinman is that Jim
Steinman wrote two of the songsfor the soundtrack.
And arguably they are the twomost important songs in the film
(03:00):
because they're at the beginningand at the end.
Sam (03:02):
Yeah, and also the best songs in the film.
the film opens with Ellen Aimand the Attackers, who are a
cool band.
They are playing in a sort of1950s auditorium to some
teenagers, and then a bunch oftough guys come in and stand at
the back, not dancing.
And that's how you knowtrouble's about to kick off.
Emma (03:22):
At the beginning of the film it states that we're in
another time, another place.
Sam (03:27):
You seem very cynical about this concept, and I would like
to return to it later
Emma (03:31):
on, Okay.
because
Sam (03:32):
one of the few things the film does well.
Yes., They're singing the songNowhere Fast, and I owe Emma an
apology at this point.
Because when we discussedNowhere Fast for the mainstream
pod the mainstream podcast?
the mainstream, oh me, if that'smainstream, what's this?
Emma (03:47):
What's this?
Sam (03:49):
When we discussed Nowhere Fast for the main podcast, I
said that I thought the MeatLoaf version was slightly
better.
Take that opinion and throw itaway.
Emma (03:57):
Yes.
Sam (03:58):
It's a very joyous opening to the film, and it's a fucking
brilliant song.
Emma (04:02):
It's glorious, I love it so much.
It's like an anthem to theadolescent fight against
boredom.
Sam (04:10):
And there's a lot of boredom to come
Emma (04:11):
yes yes there is!
Sam (04:12):
film.
So a really good song opens thefilm.
She gets kidnapped in a classicfilm kidnapping way.
The baddies pick her up, put herover their shoulders and she
sort of screams and flails,yeah, and they just walk out
with her over their shoulders.
Emma (04:27):
But of course once the kidnapping is, is over with,
that's not the end of it becausethen there's the big fight.
Sam (04:32):
A big choreographed fight.
And then they all escape onmotorbikes
Emma (04:35):
chased
Sam (04:35):
by the two policemen who live in town.
It is nice that the gang waituntil the end of the really
banging song
Emma (04:42):
I was gonna say the same thing! It's really polite of
them to wait, because, it is agood song, you wouldn't want to
interrupt that
Sam (04:48):
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 andescape, and that's the pre
credits So she's kidnapped andthen somebody, we're not sure
who they are yet, sends atelegram to their brother to
say, come
Emma (05:05):
Well, it's it's Reva.
Sam (05:06):
It is Reva.
We've not met Reva yet.
Emma (05:08):
Okay, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
I'm jumping the gun, I'm soexcited.
Sam (05:13):
Reva, who is a lady who was present and who works in a
diner, she telegrams herbrother, Tom, to come rescue.
Ellen.
And Tom comes along on a train,and my first note is, This guy
on the train has a shamefulteenage moustache.
Is he the lead?
I hope he's not the lead with amoustache like that.
(05:35):
And what's interesting aboutTom's moustache, is that it
grows and shrinks throughout thefilm Which is mostly set on the
course of one
Emma (05:43):
of
Sam (05:43):
goes up and down, but it's never not awful.
Tom comes along on the train, hegoes to the diner where Reva
works, and some greasers allpour in the door all at once.
To which Reva looks up and says,"You guys really know how to
walk through a door.
Emma (06:01):
Which is what I've been saying every time my husband has
walked through a door sincewatching this film.
Sam (06:06):
90 percent of this film's dialogue is badass quotes.
Everybody in this film is abadass, including, spoiler
alert, Rick Moranis.
Rick Moranis plays a badass! Butwe'll get to that.
that Tom beats up the guys.
He tears off his long detectivetrench
Emma (06:23):
Yes.
Sam (06:25):
To reveal that underneath he was wearing a sleeveless
denim vest.
Emma (06:30):
That is not the worst outfit of the film.
not.
Sam (06:33):
Tom beats up some guys, as predicted, through
Emma (06:37):
And once Tom's finished defenestrating
Sam (06:39):
them
Emma (06:39):
Tom and Reva, his sister, steal the car, go on a joyride
and get told off by the cops ina really meaningless way.
Sam (06:47):
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 goingto cause some trouble When he's
sitting there in a stolen car.
In a stolen
Emma (07:00):
car! And then he speeds off again anyway
Sam (07:03):
And then he goes to a bar owned by Bill Paxton.
Emma (07:05):
He meets another very important character in the bar.
Possibly my favorite characterMcCoy.
And my notes here, I think sheis the concept art for Natasha
Lyonne's characters ineverything she's ever done.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha! I have thesame note.
Tom walks in, gets greeted bythe bartender who's like an old
Sam (07:27):
friend.
And for about 10 seconds, I havea very short conversation.
And McCoy gets annoyed and says,Are you two gonna shoot the shit
all night, or are you gonnaserve me
Emma (07:36):
some
Sam (07:36):
drinks?
and we're just hello.
Emma (07:39):
She's a very impatient
Sam (07:40):
And then she punches Bill Paxton out.
Yep.
Emma (07:43):
Jumps over the bar and starts serving
Sam (07:45):
serving herself.
Yeah, steals the booze, and herand Tom are just like, Yeah,
alright, let's go.
Emma (07:48):
They are best
Sam (07:49):
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 (07:59):
Very much so, yeah, it's set in a world of dirty neon and
rainy streets It's alwaysraining, it's nearly always
night.
Sam (08:09):
This might not land with you.
Okay.
But for the 40 year old nerd menwho are listening to this, it'll
really fly.
This whole setting of this filmis the Sanctuary District from
that episode of Deep Space Ninewhere 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 poorpeople and some rich people and
(08:34):
it's all a bit rough but thenStarfleet goodies have to prove
there is justice still in theworld
Emma (08:40):
So at which point are we going to meet Starfleet?
Because it's 2024 as we'respeaking.
Sam (08:45):
Yeah.
Emma (08:47):
We're holding out for that then,
Sam (08:48):
yeah?
we've got a few
Emma (08:49):
few months left.
Fingers crossed.
Yes, please.
Sam (08:52):
So yeah, that's the whole vibe.
Tom basically agrees to rescueEllen Aim because she's his ex
girlfriend and he's a verygrumpy
Emma (08:58):
He is a very
Sam (09:00):
He's perpetually grumpy throughout the film,
Emma (09:02):
I've written down little bits about each of the
characters.
Tom Cody moody man,
Sam (09:06):
who
Emma (09:07):
utterly hateful, can't cope with the idea of his woman
being successful, so leaves her.
Twice.
alert.
Spoiler alert.
Sam (09:15):
Tom is played by a guy called Michael Paré.
Emma (09:18):
Yeah.
Sam (09:18):
And, Michael Paré, the actor.
is incapable of
Emma (09:23):
acting
Sam (09:23):
the best actor in this whole film is Ed Begley who gets
a 30 second bit later on.
Tom agrees to go rescue EllenAim.
And he agrees because he speaksto a guy called Billy Fish!
Billy Fish! Billy Fish! Playedby Rick Moranis, being a prick.
Emma (09:45):
it's so good.
And by good, I mean terrible.
Sam (09:48):
yeah, Rick Moranis spends most of this film trying to be
an angry, tough guy.
Emma (09:53):
It's a weird choice.
Sam (09:55):
Billy's like Ellen's manager.
He's very rich.
He offers Tom generic thousandsof space money to go rescue
Ellen.
So we cut across to the ToughBiker 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 tothe tough biker bar.
The fuck is that villainwearing?
Black pleather fishing wadersand 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, allthese tough biker men hooting
and hollering over a non genderconforming stripper, very
androgynous.
Yes! Yeah! So that's, that's onelittle tick in this and then Ed
Begley Jr.
comes along as a kind of hobotype guy to give them the secret
entrance to the bar.
McCoy goes undercover, saysbadass things at people.
(11:01):
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 ofshooting the fuel tank on
motorbikes.
Sam (11:16):
And later on cars.
Tom has a magic gun.
Everything he shoots atexplodes.
he Only ever shoots, he doesn'tshoot people.
No,
Emma (11:25):
no.
Sam (11:26):
He only ever shoots vehicles which all immediately
explode.
So Tom shoots some shit outsidethe 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 outof that which I've taken a note
of, and I didn't pick it upuntil Tom pointed it out.
Tom has a gun, McCoy has a gun,none of the baddies have guns,
and there's a littleconfrontation with Willem Dafoe
as everything's exploding.
Willem Dafoe says like, I couldbeat you up right now.
(12:04):
And Tom says, look at this, I'vegot a gun.
And Willem Dafoe says Maybe Icould get guns.
guns And it's so weirdlyrefreshing to have a film about
American street gangs who arelike, it's not occurred to them
to get a gun until this point.
Emma (12:23):
Aww.
Yeah.
Aww, they're just out playing onthe
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 havedesigns 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 thelack 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 asthey're confused about, oh,
maybe guns will help us bebetter at crime, they probably
also thought, we have to kidnapgirls, and they're all sitting
around in the biker hangoutgoing, 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 thesame problems as you have
Sam (13:25):
gun shortage.
So the team escape have a lotmore arguments.
And then they go to a more 50sversion 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 stealsyour bus.
Sam (13:41):
And of course, we all know, the minute they do a lovely bit
of singing, they will be singingwith 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 tosmile because the song is just
so lovely.
It really lifts the heart, evenof Tom, who is dead inside McCoy
immediately takes over thedriving
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 escapethrough.
Emma (14:11):
So the cops know that Ellen was kidnapped and they
know who did it and what went onto rescue her, but no one is
arrested for criminal damage ortheft or anything.
Sam (14:21):
Or kidnapping.
And also Tom does not get introuble with the police in his
hometown when they get back.
police chief from home justsays, oh well done, you rescued
her.
everything's great, and thenWillem Defoe rocks up and tells
the police I am going to comebeat up Tom.
Emma (14:37):
Yep.
Sam (14:38):
And the police go to Tom and say, leave town before
Willem Defoe comes at whichpoint 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 atrain 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 guynever comes back for you.
Instead of explaining things toher like a person would, he just
punches her out and sends herout 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 morefighting.
But normally it happens with abit 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 tobring 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 thefight, it's not a fight with
guns, it's not a fight withfists, it's not a fight with
swords, it's a fight withhammers! Big
Sam (16:00):
Big Tom and Willem Dafoe have a duel with hammers.
Tom disarms Willem Dafoe, wholooks 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 likethey're about to have a go, and
that's when all the residentspull out their guns.
All in unison, all the same kindof 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 scaredto use them.
Sam (16:35):
Willem Dafoe out so.
They've lost the symbolicbattle.
And these guys are big intosymbolism.
I'm not sure many of them areinto 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 andstuff.
I reckon these guys probablywould be if they hadn't been led
astray by Willem Dafoe.
Sam (16:59):
But that's it.
The baddies are defeated andright away, and we go to a
closing montage of Oh my God!The Sorrells singing with Ellen
Aim! So while the band are allplaying, 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 drivesup, does the old beep beep, get
in, and the two go off to justfight and be
Emma (17:26):
together.
Well, What I wrote was Ellen andthe Sorrels perform another
show, and Tom leaves with McCoy,presumably to travel the country
having littlest hobo styleadventures.
Sam (17:34):
That is exactly what they're gonna do.
End of film.
I think McCoy implied she wasgay 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 bysaying, you, the male lead, are
not my type.
And it is impossible for anywoman 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 shewanted to play the role of
McCoy, which, she remembers, waswritten to be played by an
overweight male who was a goodsoldier and really needed a job.
It could still be tough andstrong and have a woman do it
without rewriting the part! Sothere you go, she suggested that
McCoy be a lady and not anothertough dude.
Emma (18:24):
I, I love that.
Because McCoy is the best thingin the film.
Yeah.
And I, I love the whole attitudeand 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 rocksup, causes shit in town, and
then goes away.
I kind of like the 50s, 80spseudo sci fi vibe.
It's set in a sort of nevertime.
Emma (19:08):
It feels like a precursor to the sort of cyberpunk kind of
vibe.
Sort of the, the kind of lead upto that, the neon and the rock
and roll and stuff.
I feel like it's, it's, If thatwas the real timeline of the
world, then that would be sortof eighties and cyberpunk would
have come through.
(19:29):
And yeah, that, that kind ofvibe.
I quite
Sam (19:31):
like that.
I like the world.
Yeah.
Absolutely nobody in the castgives 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 itperformed 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 attemptat a sequel.
Sam (19:56):
This was planned as a trilogy, The Tom Cody trilogy.
Tom Cody was gonna be drivingaround, sorting out trouble in a
weird near future land.
But, it utterly bombed at thebox office because Michael Paré
could not act.
So the planned for trilogy neverhappened.
And then, Wikipedia says Anunofficial sequel titled Road to
(20:18):
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 Valkenburgplaying his sister Reva Cody.
I don't know what makes it anunofficial sequel at that point
when they're playing thoseroles.
And having looked at IMDB, Ellenreappears, McCoy reappears.
reappears Billy Fish does notmake a comeback.
(20:41):
But I'm just gonna play you thethe 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 perfectwaves are to come.
She's all that like.
His hair is flying on in ribbonsof gold And his touch has got
(21:14):
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 filmmade 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 bearound 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 filmwithout 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 anapplication 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 anafternoon to fill.
Or Walter makes me feel ill.
Emma (22:03):
Oh, God.
It's probably Walter If I Had AnAfternoon 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 talkabout.
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 onaudio.
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 theperfume I smelled.
My hands kind of fumbled withthe wet plastic felt.
(22:55):
I tasted every piece of stickand 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 HorrorPicture Show.
This was my choice of film, justbecause I'd never seen it
before.
Yeah.
And it features Meat Loaf in hisfirst appearance, I guess, as an
entertainer to most people.
I imagine lots of people haveseen the rocky horror picture
show.
Emma (23:21):
The rocky horror picture show is based on the rocky
horror show, which was a stagemusical the The film was written
by Jim Sharman and RichardO'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 thinksometime after that in the US.
(23:41):
And the links to Meat Loaf areMeat Loaf Plays Eddie!
Sam (23:44):
It's all about an all American couple called Brad and
Janet.
So Yeah, the film opens with aweird mouth singing at us about
science fiction double bills.
To establish that this is goingto be a parody of thirties to
fifties science fiction.
That mouth is uncomfortablyclose 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 beingcredited 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 thathe would, permit his trademark
name to be used that way.
My notes say, The Mouth sings asong 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 thatchurch from the road trip
section of the first Muppetmovie.
A man called Brad appears, talksto the groom, the groom says,
You'll be next! and then SusanSarandon 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 DammitJanet, and that song establishes
(25:03):
that they are gonna get marriedtoo.
And then we cut to a man in hisoffice smoking a fag in one of
them big cigarette holders.
I guess he's the narrator, ishe?
He is.
Feels very unnecessary, thisguy.
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 lightwhile 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 thenwe go back to the action.
They're driving along in a stormto go visit a, an old teacher of
theirs.
They pass a motorcyclist goingthe other way.
And Brad says, life's prettycheap to that sort.
Because he thinks motorcyclistsare the worst.
A tire bursts, they break down,they need rescue, and then my
(25:56):
favourite line in the wholefilm, these two kids driving
across Iowa, or whatever it is,turn to each other and say,
didn't we pass a castle a fewmiles back?
Emma (26:04):
Oh my god! Which
Sam (26:06):
what a silly film.
there are so many lovely sillybits and there are so many
fucking horrible bits So theywalk back to the castle they
sing a song The narratorunnecessarily 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 generichorror 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 Britishculture when the Time Warp is
played at every single weddingdisco and work christmas do
ever.
She would be fainting like twicea 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 dancethem into the party where a
bunch of people dressed up asvampires all sing the song.
Brad and Janet are so freakedout by the very tame dance of
the time warp that they try toshuffle 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 nearbycastle?
And when you arrive, instead ofbeing greeted by someone who
says, Oh yeah, sure, that'sawful, come and use the phone,
we'll get you sorted out.
Like a person would do.
Instead, you're shuffled into aterrifying dance party.
(27:37):
Where they're singing weirdsongs at you.
I think you'd want to just tryand 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 athreatening 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 astraight man.
So I have to pretend to bedeeply 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 castleshave 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 adance.
We are surely facing a good songnow.
It's Tim Curry! He plays FrankN.
Furter.
He's King Vampire or some shit.
He sings a song called SweetTransvestite and well done to
him.
Tim Curry.
owns this film.
(28:50):
Because I don't like the film,but I do just want to reiterate
how much I love Tim Curry, andhow much I will always enjoy
watching him over act the shitout of everything.
Tim Curry is one of our greathams, of course, and I cannot
help but think that he tops thehamming here, in his appearance
in Red Alert, which again, is avideo game reference.
You may have seen this video ofhim talking about going to
(29:11):
space.
Oh.
No! you're gonna love So toprovide some context, this is
from a 90s strategy game calledCommand and Conquer Red alert.
Tim Curry appears in between allof 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 thedudes and tell them where to go,
type thing.
Hang on.
So this is, I believe towardsthe end of the game,
Laptop (29:45):
Commander, you've rained on my glorious parade.
For this, I'm sending everythingI've got at you.
But I won't let you have thesatisfaction of catching I'm
escaping to the one place thathasn't been corrupted by
capitalism.
(30:06):
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 willrecognise the character.
Right down to the voice and theaccent 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 phoneHe's very up for having them at
his party for the night first.
I'm starting to suspect thesemight 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 thathe's only got a made life, gor
blimey governor A big musclymuscle 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 isthat he might get done over.
Tim curry chases him about.
Tim Curry then sings a songabout 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 amotorbike,
Emma (31:25):
From a deep freeze.
from a
Sam (31:27):
freeze.
He sings a song Everyone agreesthat rock and roll is good.
Apart from Tim Curry.
Who murders him with an icepick.
Fuck me, Tim Curry's juststraight up murdering the lad.
Yep.
Bit
Emma (31:38):
rough.
Missed out the bit there whereMeat 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 humpingas well.
Emma (31:50):
Yeah, there's a lot of that.
So coming back to Meat Loaf'sbiography, I did read a chapter
about Rocky Horror.
In the movie, they had a stuntdouble riding the motorcycle
that Eddie rides in on.
I was on the bike, it wasn'teven running.
The stunt double crashed throughthe big ice wall and then they
cut to a close up of me.
All I had to do was coast to astop.
In one part, the motorcycle inthe movie is running down the
(32:11):
ramp.
They had to figure out how theycould get close ups of me up on
that ramp.
They took the windshield andhandlebars off the motorcycle
and put me in a wheelchair.
They tried to shoot the scene byputting the camera at the bottom
of the ramp, but that didn'twork, 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 thatwhen you got down to the bottom
(32:33):
of the ramp, you didn't justkind of coast off like you did
before.
Now, when I went down the ramp,the wheelchair hit the edge,
flipped over and smashed thecamera.
My stand in, not my stuntdouble, leaped forward to try
and catch me in the wheelchair.
He caught his leg on the side ofthe ramp, so the camera smashed.
I think I got a little cut andthe guy broke his leg.
(32:55):
Everyone's trying to help mewhile my stand in's over there
screaming in agony going, Ow!Ow! I tell them to go check him
out.
Everyone runs over there andleaves me.
So now I'm trapped in thiswheelchair.
I say could one of you come backand help me?
Is that exciting.
Sam (33:11):
Bit rough indeed.
So yeah, Tim Curry murders him.
Janet establishes that she's nowstarting 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 offnarrator, act break, you can
definitely do act breaks betterthan this on a film you know.
Brad and Janet then get led offto bedrooms
Emma (33:50):
Janet's laying in her bed, she thinks she's visited by
Brad, because Tim Curry is anexcellent 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'sbeing 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 boneshim anyway.
Cripes.
Yeah, cripes.
This is pretty oof.
Rocky escapes, and then we seeTim Curry try to bone Brad in
disguise as Janet, repeating theprevious 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, whichhe's parodying.
And I'm not sure we're supposedto 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 postcoital fag with Tim Curry.
She goes off and bones Rockysinging a song called Touch Me.
And then she fantasises about evfantasises about everyone, the
filthy so and so.
Emma (35:24):
This is another lesson that we learn through the film.
That repression isn't goodeither.
And it'll come out eventually.
So to speak.
Sam (35:34):
My word.
This doctor they were going tomeet, who apparently works for
the FBI, is now in the building.
I'm quite keen on all thecharging through walls in this
film.
It's Dr.
Scott!
Emma (35:44):
In the original theatrical performance Dr.
Scott was played by Meat LoafAnd 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 oldman.
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 isreally, 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 forColumbia, 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 esqueworld building here.
Emma (36:39):
Just because you prefer the one dimensional world of
Streets of fire, this has got asubplot! Streets of Fire hasn't.
Sam (36:48):
She's got me there, listeners.
We go to an awkward dinnerscene.
Very Texas Chainsaw massacre inits sinister threateningness.
We have a song about how Eddiewas 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 thispoint, 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 allover the shop.
It does.
Tim Curry wants to do a murderon Janet, perhaps.
or possibly bone her, or inducther as a sex person, or all
three.
They're basically the samething.
A science machine turns Brad,Dr.
(37:32):
Scott, and Janet into statues,and Magenta as well, who's going
from sex person to straightperson, in the opposite
direction to Brad and Janet.
They all get turned into stone,but their clothes fall off,
which I did find that quitefunny.
If you're gonna make a filmabout a mega boning sex pervert
(37:53):
from space, spoiler alert, he'sfrom space, why not turn
everybody into statues withtheir 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 gangon 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 songis 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, RiffRaff 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 verydamp bone a thon And honestly
the idea of fucking in a poolturns my stomach that aside what
happens next is Riff Raff andMagenta 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'sridiculous.
This is a film about Genderfluid 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 laserand shoot Tim Curry.
Rocky does a good King Kongimpression with Tim Curry's body
and also gets lasered to death.
The whole house is about to bebeamed back to the planet of
transsexual in the galaxy ofTransylvania.
Look, it's a fucking odd film.
(39:36):
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 behemoththat was the Rocky Horror
Picture Show.
And I do have to say, I didn'twatch it in what I know to be
ideal conditions.
This is a film that people loveto go and watch
Emma (40:10):
together Yeah.
and campy I mean, people goalong to sing along versions, to
dress up versions.
It used to be popular amongststudents.
They all watch it together whilestoned.
I've seen it several timesbefore, but never in a group.
I've watched it like late nightand stuff.
When I've had a few drinks, butnothing like crazy party.
This time round though, whilerewatching 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 Loafrelated there was a bit of Meat
Loaf in it.
did really steal the show forthe 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 wasin 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'Brienwrote a full sequel called Rocky
Horror Shows His Heels In 1979.
But then nobody wanted to makeit, and Tim Curry didn't want to
reprise.
So instead, he carried some ofthat stuff over into Shock
Treatment.
Which was initially called theBrad and Janet show.
Emma (41:51):
Oh God.
Sam (41:52):
Shock treatment was poorly received by critics and
audiences upon release, largelydue to the absence of everyone
who was good in the first film.
But Overtime has built its ownniche following.
So I guess we have to do aspecial sequels edition to this
podcast, Emma.
Emma (42:09):
So are we gonna watch?
We're going to watch Road toHell and Shock treatment.
Sam (42:12):
So that was Rocky Horror.
Do you have anything else to sayon it
Emma (42:16):
I think it's fun.
I think it's more fun if youwatch 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 aweird song now.
There's no reason for the TimeWarp to be the song that I
thought, knowing that it was aparody of B movies, it would be
related to time time Warps.
but it's not it's just a bunchof weirdos at their weirdo
(42:53):
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 aworld of gender and sexuality,
which I haven't felt the need toawaken into, so I don't want to
be too like, aha, this film thathelped you work out who you are
(43:22):
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 areally cool film for that.
But that doesn't stop the storyfrom being shit.
Does it?
No it doesn't.
Because it's quite a bad story.
And I think both of these filmsare indeed linked by their
terrible storytelling.
(43:53):
Streets of Fire has no subploteven.
At least this has bit of Well,yeah, dammit.
do you have a rating scale forthis
Sam (44:04):
Well, Emma it's interesting you asked me that cause I did
just get an email from thepatent 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 tofill.
I cannot see myself watchingRocky Horror again, unless it's
specifically as part of a sortof, 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 forlistening to the Chat Out Of
Hell Film Club, if indeed youdid.
If you have opinions on eitherof our films, then good for you!
Share them with us!Chatoutofhell@gmail.com and as
(45:15):
ever, please do keep emailing inyour assorted Meat Loaf
anecdotes, Meat Loaf memories.
Did Meat Loaf push in line at alate night, midnight viewing of
Rocky Horror Picture Show?
Do let me know.
I had to ad lib that one becauseI've not written a version of
this for this episode.
we will be back with the regularpodcast on Monday the 12th of
(45:36):
August where, as promised, wewill 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 anawful 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!
This is Chat Out of Hell Film Club!
Sam (00:02):
Film cluuuuub! Laughter
Emma (00:05):
Where we are going to look at a couple of films that are
Meat Loaf or Jim Steinmanrelated or adjacent in this
case, tenuously related.
Sam (00:16):
If this is your first time listening to Chat Out of Hell,
please don't start with thisepisode.
It's even more niche than ourusual bullshit.
Pick something in the middle ofthe first series, give that a
go, and then come back to
Emma (00:25):
Actually, I would recommend episode number one as
a really good place to start.
Sam (00:29):
All right.
Well, we've not quite got intoour swing
Emma (00:32):
swing.
Oh, okay, okay.
Sam (00:34):
right.
Fine.
we're on our Chat out of Hellsummer break at the moment, and
like all right thinking people,we've just watched films instead
of going to the beach andthrowing a big inflatable ball
around.
We both suggested a film for usto watch, and we went away to
watch our films because our busyschedules didn't match up with
(00:55):
sitting in a room together fortwo hours.
Listeners, normally we tell youto go away and listen to the
songs that we've suggested foreach week on Chat Out of Hell.
We're not gonna do that today.
That would be four hours of yourlife pissed down the drain.
Emma (01:08):
No, I think you should do it.
Go on, do it, do it.
Sam (01:11):
Alright, well, Emma, what film would you like the
listeners to watch?
Emma (01:14):
I want them to watch Streets of Fire, because we had
to.
Sam (01:17):
to.
And then after we've discussedStreets of Fire, we're gonna
talk about the Rocky HorrorPicture Show.
And I know a lot of people aremassive fans of it, but if you
are I think less of you now.
Shall we dive into Streets ofFire,
Emma (01:32):
Let's.
Sam (01:33):
I might put a clip of it in here.
Music (01:36):
Saturday night, you're sweating buckets and it's not
even hot But your brain has gotthe message and it's sending it
out To every nerve and everymuscle you've got You've got so
many dreams that you don't knowwhere to put them So you better
turn a few of them loose Yourbody's gotta fight Feelin that
it's startin to rust, you betterrev it up and put it to use.
(01:59):
And I don't know how I'll be
Sam (02:04):
Emma, for the listeners who aren't watching what is this
film about?
Emma (02:07):
It's a rock and roll fable, That's what it says at
the beginning.
Although I always thought thatfables were supposed to have
morals at the end.
Ha ha! There is no moral at theend of this fable.
Sam (02:16):
Take that
Emma (02:17):
The film is about rock and roll superstar Ellen A who is
performing at a gig in a skeevypart of town.
Town, undisclosed.
It could be any city, anywhere.
And she's kidnapped, oh no, byRaven and the Bombers gang.
And then the rest of the filmpretty much focuses on her
(02:39):
rescue and the falloutafterwards and Yeah, the film
came out on the 1st of June,1984 directed by Walter Hill.
And written by Walter Hill andLarry Gross.
And how it links to Meat LoafStroke Steinman is that Jim
Steinman wrote two of the songsfor the soundtrack.
And arguably they are the twomost important songs in the film
(03:00):
because they're at the beginningand at the end.
Sam (03:02):
Yeah, and also the best songs in the film.
the film opens with Ellen Aimand the Attackers, who are a
cool band.
They are playing in a sort of1950s auditorium to some
teenagers, and then a bunch oftough guys come in and stand at
the back, not dancing.
And that's how you knowtrouble's about to kick off.
Emma (03:22):
At the beginning of the film it states that we're in
another time, another place.
Sam (03:27):
You seem very cynical about this concept, and I would like
to return to it later
Emma (03:31):
on, Okay.
because
Sam (03:32):
one of the few things the film does well.
Yes., They're singing the songNowhere Fast, and I owe Emma an
apology at this point.
Because when we discussedNowhere Fast for the mainstream
pod the mainstream podcast?
the mainstream, oh me, if that'smainstream, what's this?
Emma (03:47):
What's this?
Sam (03:49):
When we discussed Nowhere Fast for the main podcast, I
said that I thought the MeatLoaf version was slightly
better.
Take that opinion and throw itaway.
Emma (03:57):
Yes.
Sam (03:58):
It's a very joyous opening to the film, and it's a fucking
brilliant song.
Emma (04:02):
It's glorious, I love it so much.
It's like an anthem to theadolescent fight against
boredom.
Sam (04:10):
And there's a lot of boredom to come
Emma (04:11):
yes yes there is!
Sam (04:12):
film.
So a really good song opens thefilm.
She gets kidnapped in a classicfilm kidnapping way.
The baddies pick her up, put herover their shoulders and she
sort of screams and flails,yeah, and they just walk out
with her over their shoulders.
Emma (04:27):
But of course once the kidnapping is, is over with,
that's not the end of it becausethen there's the big fight.
Sam (04:32):
A big choreographed fight.
And then they all escape onmotorbikes
Emma (04:35):
chased
Sam (04:35):
by the two policemen who live in town.
It is nice that the gang waituntil the end of the really
banging song
Emma (04:42):
I was gonna say the same thing! It's really polite of
them to wait, because, it is agood song, you wouldn't want to
interrupt that
Sam (04:48):
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 andescape, and that's the pre
credits So she's kidnapped andthen somebody, we're not sure
who they are yet, sends atelegram to their brother to
say, come
Emma (05:05):
Well, it's it's Reva.
Sam (05:06):
It is Reva.
We've not met Reva yet.
Emma (05:08):
Okay, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
I'm jumping the gun, I'm soexcited.
Sam (05:13):
Reva, who is a lady who was present and who works in a
diner, she telegrams herbrother, Tom, to come rescue.
Ellen.
And Tom comes along on a train,and my first note is, This guy
on the train has a shamefulteenage moustache.
Is he the lead?
I hope he's not the lead with amoustache like that.
(05:35):
And what's interesting aboutTom's moustache, is that it
grows and shrinks throughout thefilm Which is mostly set on the
course of one
Emma (05:43):
of
Sam (05:43):
goes up and down, but it's never not awful.
Tom comes along on the train, hegoes to the diner where Reva
works, and some greasers allpour in the door all at once.
To which Reva looks up and says,"You guys really know how to
walk through a door.
Emma (06:01):
Which is what I've been saying every time my husband has
walked through a door sincewatching this film.
Sam (06:06):
90 percent of this film's dialogue is badass quotes.
Everybody in this film is abadass, including, spoiler
alert, Rick Moranis.
Rick Moranis plays a badass! Butwe'll get to that.
that Tom beats up the guys.
He tears off his long detectivetrench
Emma (06:23):
Yes.
Sam (06:25):
To reveal that underneath he was wearing a sleeveless
denim vest.
Emma (06:30):
That is not the worst outfit of the film.
not.
Sam (06:33):
Tom beats up some guys, as predicted, through
Emma (06:37):
And once Tom's finished defenestrating
Sam (06:39):
them
Emma (06:39):
Tom and Reva, his sister, steal the car, go on a joyride
and get told off by the cops ina really meaningless way.
Sam (06:47):
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 goingto cause some trouble When he's
sitting there in a stolen car.
In a stolen
Emma (07:00):
car! And then he speeds off again anyway
Sam (07:03):
And then he goes to a bar owned by Bill Paxton.
Emma (07:05):
He meets another very important character in the bar.
Possibly my favorite characterMcCoy.
And my notes here, I think sheis the concept art for Natasha
Lyonne's characters ineverything she's ever done.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha! I have thesame note.
Tom walks in, gets greeted bythe bartender who's like an old
Sam (07:27):
friend.
And for about 10 seconds, I havea very short conversation.
And McCoy gets annoyed and says,Are you two gonna shoot the shit
all night, or are you gonnaserve me
Emma (07:36):
some
Sam (07:36):
drinks?
and we're just hello.
Emma (07:39):
She's a very impatient
Sam (07:40):
And then she punches Bill Paxton out.
Yep.
Emma (07:43):
Jumps over the bar and starts serving
Sam (07:45):
serving herself.
Yeah, steals the booze, and herand Tom are just like, Yeah,
alright, let's go.
Emma (07:48):
They are best
Sam (07:49):
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 (07:59):
Very much so, yeah, it's set in a world of dirty neon and
rainy streets It's alwaysraining, it's nearly always
night.
Sam (08:09):
This might not land with you.
Okay.
But for the 40 year old nerd menwho are listening to this, it'll
really fly.
This whole setting of this filmis the Sanctuary District from
that episode of Deep Space Ninewhere 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 poorpeople and some rich people and
(08:34):
it's all a bit rough but thenStarfleet goodies have to prove
there is justice still in theworld
Emma (08:40):
So at which point are we going to meet Starfleet?
Because it's 2024 as we'respeaking.
Sam (08:45):
Yeah.
Emma (08:47):
We're holding out for that then,
Sam (08:48):
yeah?
we've got a few
Emma (08:49):
few months left.
Fingers crossed.
Yes, please.
Sam (08:52):
So yeah, that's the whole vibe.
Tom basically agrees to rescueEllen Aim because she's his ex
girlfriend and he's a verygrumpy
Emma (08:58):
He is a very
Sam (09:00):
He's perpetually grumpy throughout the film,
Emma (09:02):
I've written down little bits about each of the
characters.
Tom Cody moody man,
Sam (09:06):
who
Emma (09:07):
utterly hateful, can't cope with the idea of his woman
being successful, so leaves her.
Twice.
alert.
Spoiler alert.
Sam (09:15):
Tom is played by a guy called Michael Paré.
Emma (09:18):
Yeah.
Sam (09:18):
And, Michael Paré, the actor.
is incapable of
Emma (09:23):
acting
Sam (09:23):
the best actor in this whole film is Ed Begley who gets
a 30 second bit later on.
Tom agrees to go rescue EllenAim.
And he agrees because he speaksto a guy called Billy Fish!
Billy Fish! Billy Fish! Playedby Rick Moranis, being a prick.
Emma (09:45):
it's so good.
And by good, I mean terrible.
Sam (09:48):
yeah, Rick Moranis spends most of this film trying to be
an angry, tough guy.
Emma (09:53):
It's a weird choice.
Sam (09:55):
Billy's like Ellen's manager.
He's very rich.
He offers Tom generic thousandsof space money to go rescue
Ellen.
So we cut across to the ToughBiker 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 tothe tough biker bar.
The fuck is that villainwearing?
Black pleather fishing wadersand 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, allthese tough biker men hooting
and hollering over a non genderconforming stripper, very
androgynous.
Yes! Yeah! So that's, that's onelittle tick in this and then Ed
Begley Jr.
comes along as a kind of hobotype guy to give them the secret
entrance to the bar.
McCoy goes undercover, saysbadass things at people.
(11:01):
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 ofshooting the fuel tank on
motorbikes.
Sam (11:16):
And later on cars.
Tom has a magic gun.
Everything he shoots atexplodes.
he Only ever shoots, he doesn'tshoot people.
No,
Emma (11:25):
no.
Sam (11:26):
He only ever shoots vehicles which all immediately
explode.
So Tom shoots some shit outsidethe 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 outof that which I've taken a note
of, and I didn't pick it upuntil Tom pointed it out.
Tom has a gun, McCoy has a gun,none of the baddies have guns,
and there's a littleconfrontation with Willem Dafoe
as everything's exploding.
Willem Dafoe says like, I couldbeat you up right now.
(12:04):
And Tom says, look at this, I'vegot a gun.
And Willem Dafoe says Maybe Icould get guns.
guns And it's so weirdlyrefreshing to have a film about
American street gangs who arelike, it's not occurred to them
to get a gun until this point.
Emma (12:23):
Aww.
Yeah.
Aww, they're just out playing onthe
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 havedesigns 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 thelack 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 asthey're confused about, oh,
maybe guns will help us bebetter at crime, they probably
also thought, we have to kidnapgirls, and they're all sitting
around in the biker hangoutgoing, 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 thesame problems as you have
Sam (13:25):
gun shortage.
So the team escape have a lotmore arguments.
And then they go to a more 50sversion 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 stealsyour bus.
Sam (13:41):
And of course, we all know, the minute they do a lovely bit
of singing, they will be singingwith 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 tosmile because the song is just
so lovely.
It really lifts the heart, evenof Tom, who is dead inside McCoy
immediately takes over thedriving
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 escapethrough.
Emma (14:11):
So the cops know that Ellen was kidnapped and they
know who did it and what went onto rescue her, but no one is
arrested for criminal damage ortheft or anything.
Sam (14:21):
Or kidnapping.
And also Tom does not get introuble with the police in his
hometown when they get back.
police chief from home justsays, oh well done, you rescued
her.
everything's great, and thenWillem Defoe rocks up and tells
the police I am going to comebeat up Tom.
Emma (14:37):
Yep.
Sam (14:38):
And the police go to Tom and say, leave town before
Willem Defoe comes at whichpoint 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 atrain 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 guynever comes back for you.
Instead of explaining things toher like a person would, he just
punches her out and sends herout 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 morefighting.
But normally it happens with abit 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 tobring 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 thefight, it's not a fight with
guns, it's not a fight withfists, it's not a fight with
swords, it's a fight withhammers! Big
Sam (16:00):
Big Tom and Willem Dafoe have a duel with hammers.
Tom disarms Willem Dafoe, wholooks 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 likethey're about to have a go, and
that's when all the residentspull out their guns.
All in unison, all the same kindof 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 scaredto use them.
Sam (16:35):
Willem Dafoe out so.
They've lost the symbolicbattle.
And these guys are big intosymbolism.
I'm not sure many of them areinto 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 andstuff.
I reckon these guys probablywould be if they hadn't been led
astray by Willem Dafoe.
Sam (16:59):
But that's it.
The baddies are defeated andright away, and we go to a
closing montage of Oh my God!The Sorrells singing with Ellen
Aim! So while the band are allplaying, 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 drivesup, does the old beep beep, get
in, and the two go off to justfight and be
Emma (17:26):
together.
Well, What I wrote was Ellen andthe Sorrels perform another
show, and Tom leaves with McCoy,presumably to travel the country
having littlest hobo styleadventures.
Sam (17:34):
That is exactly what they're gonna do.
End of film.
I think McCoy implied she wasgay 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 bysaying, you, the male lead, are
not my type.
And it is impossible for anywoman 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 shewanted to play the role of
McCoy, which, she remembers, waswritten to be played by an
overweight male who was a goodsoldier and really needed a job.
It could still be tough andstrong and have a woman do it
without rewriting the part! Sothere you go, she suggested that
McCoy be a lady and not anothertough dude.
Emma (18:24):
I, I love that.
Because McCoy is the best thingin the film.
Yeah.
And I, I love the whole attitudeand 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 rocksup, causes shit in town, and
then goes away.
I kind of like the 50s, 80spseudo sci fi vibe.
It's set in a sort of nevertime.
Emma (19:08):
It feels like a precursor to the sort of cyberpunk kind of
vibe.
Sort of the, the kind of lead upto that, the neon and the rock
and roll and stuff.
I feel like it's, it's, If thatwas the real timeline of the
world, then that would be sortof eighties and cyberpunk would
have come through.
(19:29):
And yeah, that, that kind ofvibe.
I quite
Sam (19:31):
like that.
I like the world.
Yeah.
Absolutely nobody in the castgives 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 itperformed 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 attemptat a sequel.
Sam (19:56):
This was planned as a trilogy, The Tom Cody trilogy.
Tom Cody was gonna be drivingaround, sorting out trouble in a
weird near future land.
But, it utterly bombed at thebox office because Michael Paré
could not act.
So the planned for trilogy neverhappened.
And then, Wikipedia says Anunofficial sequel titled Road to
(20:18):
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 Valkenburgplaying his sister Reva Cody.
I don't know what makes it anunofficial sequel at that point
when they're playing thoseroles.
And having looked at IMDB, Ellenreappears, McCoy reappears.
reappears Billy Fish does notmake a comeback.
(20:41):
But I'm just gonna play you thethe 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 perfectwaves are to come.
She's all that like.
His hair is flying on in ribbonsof gold And his touch has got
(21:14):
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 filmmade 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 bearound 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 filmwithout 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 anapplication 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 anafternoon to fill.
Or Walter makes me feel ill.
Emma (22:03):
Oh, God.
It's probably Walter If I Had AnAfternoon 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 talkabout.
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 onaudio.
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 theperfume I smelled.
My hands kind of fumbled withthe wet plastic felt.
(22:55):
I tasted every piece of stickand 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 HorrorPicture Show.
This was my choice of film, justbecause I'd never seen it
before.
Yeah.
And it features Meat Loaf in hisfirst appearance, I guess, as an
entertainer to most people.
I imagine lots of people haveseen the rocky horror picture
show.
Emma (23:21):
The rocky horror picture show is based on the rocky
horror show, which was a stagemusical the The film was written
by Jim Sharman and RichardO'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 thinksometime after that in the US.
(23:41):
And the links to Meat Loaf areMeat Loaf Plays Eddie!
Sam (23:44):
It's all about an all American couple called Brad and
Janet.
So Yeah, the film opens with aweird mouth singing at us about
science fiction double bills.
To establish that this is goingto be a parody of thirties to
fifties science fiction.
That mouth is uncomfortablyclose 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 beingcredited 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 thathe would, permit his trademark
name to be used that way.
My notes say, The Mouth sings asong 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 thatchurch from the road trip
section of the first Muppetmovie.
A man called Brad appears, talksto the groom, the groom says,
You'll be next! and then SusanSarandon 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 DammitJanet, and that song establishes
(25:03):
that they are gonna get marriedtoo.
And then we cut to a man in hisoffice smoking a fag in one of
them big cigarette holders.
I guess he's the narrator, ishe?
He is.
Feels very unnecessary, thisguy.
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 lightwhile 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 thenwe go back to the action.
They're driving along in a stormto go visit a, an old teacher of
theirs.
They pass a motorcyclist goingthe other way.
And Brad says, life's prettycheap to that sort.
Because he thinks motorcyclistsare the worst.
A tire bursts, they break down,they need rescue, and then my
(25:56):
favourite line in the wholefilm, these two kids driving
across Iowa, or whatever it is,turn to each other and say,
didn't we pass a castle a fewmiles back?
Emma (26:04):
Oh my god! Which
Sam (26:06):
what a silly film.
there are so many lovely sillybits and there are so many
fucking horrible bits So theywalk back to the castle they
sing a song The narratorunnecessarily 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 generichorror 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 Britishculture when the Time Warp is
played at every single weddingdisco and work christmas do
ever.
She would be fainting like twicea 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 dancethem into the party where a
bunch of people dressed up asvampires all sing the song.
Brad and Janet are so freakedout by the very tame dance of
the time warp that they try toshuffle 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 nearbycastle?
And when you arrive, instead ofbeing greeted by someone who
says, Oh yeah, sure, that'sawful, come and use the phone,
we'll get you sorted out.
Like a person would do.
Instead, you're shuffled into aterrifying dance party.
(27:37):
Where they're singing weirdsongs at you.
I think you'd want to just tryand 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 athreatening 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 astraight man.
So I have to pretend to bedeeply 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 castleshave 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 adance.
We are surely facing a good songnow.
It's Tim Curry! He plays FrankN.
Furter.
He's King Vampire or some shit.
He sings a song called SweetTransvestite and well done to
him.
Tim Curry.
owns this film.
(28:50):
Because I don't like the film,but I do just want to reiterate
how much I love Tim Curry, andhow much I will always enjoy
watching him over act the shitout of everything.
Tim Curry is one of our greathams, of course, and I cannot
help but think that he tops thehamming here, in his appearance
in Red Alert, which again, is avideo game reference.
You may have seen this video ofhim talking about going to
(29:11):
space.
Oh.
No! you're gonna love So toprovide some context, this is
from a 90s strategy game calledCommand and Conquer Red alert.
Tim Curry appears in between allof 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 thedudes and tell them where to go,
type thing.
Hang on.
So this is, I believe towardsthe end of the game,
Laptop (29:45):
Commander, you've rained on my glorious parade.
For this, I'm sending everythingI've got at you.
But I won't let you have thesatisfaction of catching I'm
escaping to the one place thathasn't been corrupted by
capitalism.
(30:06):
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 willrecognise the character.
Right down to the voice and theaccent 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 phoneHe's very up for having them at
his party for the night first.
I'm starting to suspect thesemight 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 thathe's only got a made life, gor
blimey governor A big musclymuscle 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 isthat he might get done over.
Tim curry chases him about.
Tim Curry then sings a songabout 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 amotorbike,
Emma (31:25):
From a deep freeze.
from a
Sam (31:27):
freeze.
He sings a song Everyone agreesthat rock and roll is good.
Apart from Tim Curry.
Who murders him with an icepick.
Fuck me, Tim Curry's juststraight up murdering the lad.
Yep.
Bit
Emma (31:38):
rough.
Missed out the bit there whereMeat 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 humpingas well.
Emma (31:50):
Yeah, there's a lot of that.
So coming back to Meat Loaf'sbiography, I did read a chapter
about Rocky Horror.
In the movie, they had a stuntdouble riding the motorcycle
that Eddie rides in on.
I was on the bike, it wasn'teven running.
The stunt double crashed throughthe big ice wall and then they
cut to a close up of me.
All I had to do was coast to astop.
In one part, the motorcycle inthe movie is running down the
(32:11):
ramp.
They had to figure out how theycould get close ups of me up on
that ramp.
They took the windshield andhandlebars off the motorcycle
and put me in a wheelchair.
They tried to shoot the scene byputting the camera at the bottom
of the ramp, but that didn'twork, 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 thatwhen you got down to the bottom
(32:33):
of the ramp, you didn't justkind of coast off like you did
before.
Now, when I went down the ramp,the wheelchair hit the edge,
flipped over and smashed thecamera.
My stand in, not my stuntdouble, leaped forward to try
and catch me in the wheelchair.
He caught his leg on the side ofthe ramp, so the camera smashed.
I think I got a little cut andthe guy broke his leg.
(32:55):
Everyone's trying to help mewhile my stand in's over there
screaming in agony going, Ow!Ow! I tell them to go check him
out.
Everyone runs over there andleaves me.
So now I'm trapped in thiswheelchair.
I say could one of you come backand help me?
Is that exciting.
Sam (33:11):
Bit rough indeed.
So yeah, Tim Curry murders him.
Janet establishes that she's nowstarting 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 offnarrator, act break, you can
definitely do act breaks betterthan this on a film you know.
Brad and Janet then get led offto bedrooms
Emma (33:50):
Janet's laying in her bed, she thinks she's visited by
Brad, because Tim Curry is anexcellent 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'sbeing 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 boneshim anyway.
Cripes.
Yeah, cripes.
This is pretty oof.
Rocky escapes, and then we seeTim Curry try to bone Brad in
disguise as Janet, repeating theprevious 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, whichhe's parodying.
And I'm not sure we're supposedto 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 postcoital fag with Tim Curry.
She goes off and bones Rockysinging a song called Touch Me.
And then she fantasises about evfantasises about everyone, the
filthy so and so.
Emma (35:24):
This is another lesson that we learn through the film.
That repression isn't goodeither.
And it'll come out eventually.
So to speak.
Sam (35:34):
My word.
This doctor they were going tomeet, who apparently works for
the FBI, is now in the building.
I'm quite keen on all thecharging through walls in this
film.
It's Dr.
Scott!
Emma (35:44):
In the original theatrical performance Dr.
Scott was played by Meat LoafAnd 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 oldman.
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 isreally, 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 forColumbia, 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 esqueworld building here.
Emma (36:39):
Just because you prefer the one dimensional world of
Streets of fire, this has got asubplot! Streets of Fire hasn't.
Sam (36:48):
She's got me there, listeners.
We go to an awkward dinnerscene.
Very Texas Chainsaw massacre inits sinister threateningness.
We have a song about how Eddiewas 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 thispoint, 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 allover the shop.
It does.
Tim Curry wants to do a murderon Janet, perhaps.
or possibly bone her, or inducther as a sex person, or all
three.
They're basically the samething.
A science machine turns Brad,Dr.
(37:32):
Scott, and Janet into statues,and Magenta as well, who's going
from sex person to straightperson, in the opposite
direction to Brad and Janet.
They all get turned into stone,but their clothes fall off,
which I did find that quitefunny.
If you're gonna make a filmabout a mega boning sex pervert
(37:53):
from space, spoiler alert, he'sfrom space, why not turn
everybody into statues withtheir 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 gangon 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 songis 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, RiffRaff 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 verydamp bone a thon And honestly
the idea of fucking in a poolturns my stomach that aside what
happens next is Riff Raff andMagenta 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'sridiculous.
This is a film about Genderfluid 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 laserand shoot Tim Curry.
Rocky does a good King Kongimpression with Tim Curry's body
and also gets lasered to death.
The whole house is about to bebeamed back to the planet of
transsexual in the galaxy ofTransylvania.
Look, it's a fucking odd film.
(39:36):
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 behemoththat was the Rocky Horror
Picture Show.
And I do have to say, I didn'twatch it in what I know to be
ideal conditions.
This is a film that people loveto go and watch
Emma (40:10):
together Yeah.
and campy I mean, people goalong to sing along versions, to
dress up versions.
It used to be popular amongststudents.
They all watch it together whilestoned.
I've seen it several timesbefore, but never in a group.
I've watched it like late nightand stuff.
When I've had a few drinks, butnothing like crazy party.
This time round though, whilerewatching 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 Loafrelated there was a bit of Meat
Loaf in it.
did really steal the show forthe 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 wasin 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'Brienwrote a full sequel called Rocky
Horror Shows His Heels In 1979.
But then nobody wanted to makeit, and Tim Curry didn't want to
reprise.
So instead, he carried some ofthat stuff over into Shock
Treatment.
Which was initially called theBrad and Janet show.
Emma (41:51):
Oh God.
Sam (41:52):
Shock treatment was poorly received by critics and
audiences upon release, largelydue to the absence of everyone
who was good in the first film.
But Overtime has built its ownniche following.
So I guess we have to do aspecial sequels edition to this
podcast, Emma.
Emma (42:09):
So are we gonna watch?
We're going to watch Road toHell and Shock treatment.
Sam (42:12):
So that was Rocky Horror.
Do you have anything else to sayon it
Emma (42:16):
I think it's fun.
I think it's more fun if youwatch 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 aweird song now.
There's no reason for the TimeWarp to be the song that I
thought, knowing that it was aparody of B movies, it would be
related to time time Warps.
but it's not it's just a bunchof weirdos at their weirdo
(42:53):
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 aworld of gender and sexuality,
which I haven't felt the need toawaken into, so I don't want to
be too like, aha, this film thathelped you work out who you are
(43:22):
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 areally cool film for that.
But that doesn't stop the storyfrom being shit.
Does it?
No it doesn't.
Because it's quite a bad story.
And I think both of these filmsare indeed linked by their
terrible storytelling.
(43:53):
Streets of Fire has no subploteven.
At least this has bit of Well,yeah, dammit.
do you have a rating scale forthis
Sam (44:04):
Well, Emma it's interesting you asked me that cause I did
just get an email from thepatent 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 tofill.
I cannot see myself watchingRocky Horror again, unless it's
specifically as part of a sortof, 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 forlistening to the Chat Out Of
Hell Film Club, if indeed youdid.
If you have opinions on eitherof our films, then good for you!
Share them with us!Chatoutofhell@gmail.com and as
(45:15):
ever, please do keep emailing inyour assorted Meat Loaf
anecdotes, Meat Loaf memories.
Did Meat Loaf push in line at alate night, midnight viewing of
Rocky Horror Picture Show?
Do let me know.
I had to ad lib that one becauseI've not written a version of
this for this episode.
we will be back with the regularpodcast on Monday the 12th of
(45:36):
August where, as promised, wewill 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 anawful 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!
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