Meat Loaf was 'always loud' on 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' set
Richard O'Brien, who created 'Rocky Horror' and starred as the hunchbacked handyman Riff Raff in the beloved cult classic, opened up about the film and Meat Loaf's time on set while commemorating the movie's 50th anniversary of its world premiere on Aug. 14.
12 Meat Loaf as Eddie in 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' 1975 film adaptation.
Everett Collection / Everett Col
Advertisement
12 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' creator Richard O'Brien as Riff Raff in the 1975 film adaptation.
20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved. Courtesy: Everett Collection
'Working with Meat Loaf was always fun,' O'Brien, 83, exclusively told The Post. 'He was loud and always needed laughter around him all the time, even if things weren't funny.'
'He was a good old boy,' the actor and writer added. 'He was fun.'
Advertisement
'Rocky Horror,' which began as a musical stage production in 1973, was adapted into a feature film in 1975.
12 Meat Loaf as the motorcycle-riding, former delivery boy Eddie in 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show.'
Getty Images
12 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' co-stars Meat Loaf and Tim Curry together at an event in 1995.
Getty Images
Besides starring Meat Loaf as a raucous, motorcycle-riding former delivery boy named Eddie, it also starred Tim Curry (Dr. Frank-N-Furter), Susan Sarandon (Janet Weiss), Barry Bostwick (Brad Majors) and Patricia Quinn (Magenta).
Advertisement
Meat Loaf, whose real name was Michael Lee Aday and who went on to release hits like 'I'd Do Anything for Love' and 'Bat Out of Hell,' tragically passed away in January 2022 following a serious battle with Covid-19. He was 74.
However, the 'Paradise by the Dashboard Light' hitmaker discussed 'Rocky Horror' and his role as Eddie years before his shocking death.
12 Meat Loaf in 1979.
Getty Images
12 Meat Loaf at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, on October 3, 2013.
FilmMagic
Advertisement
'The first two weeks when we were doing the play, all we did was the music; they had not given us a script,' Meat Loaf, who starred in both the stage production and the film, explained in a 2007 interview.
'They come to me on the part of 'Hot Patootie,' and Richard O'Brien is here at these rehearsals,' the singer continued. 'He said, 'On this song, you'll never be able to get all the words in. I wrote it, and I can't sing all the words.''
'I looked at him and said, 'I can sing all the words,'' Meat Loaf recalled. 'Nobody could ever get in and just make those words fly through it. I just love telling people 'I can do that' and then being able to do it.'
12 The 'Bat Out of Hell' singer riding a motorcycle while portraying Eddie in 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show.'
Getty Images
12 Meat Loaf and Richard O'Brien during the BRIT Awards in London, England, on February 16, 1993.
Getty Images
O'Brien also gushed about working with Curry, 79, while looking back at 'Rocky Horror' after 50 years.
'Working with Tim was a dream,' O'Brien said of the 'Home Alone 2' star. 'We were actors, and we approached it very seriously.'
As for Sarandon, 78, and Bostwick, 80, being cast as Janet and Brad, O'Brien said that it was a 'happy accident' and the film was 'very lucky' to land the pair as its two leads.
Advertisement
12 Richard O'Brien and Tim Curry at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards at the Savoy Hotel in London, England, on January 22, 1974.
Getty Images
12 Richard O'Brien as Riff Raff, Tim Curry as Dr. Frank-N-Furter and Patricia Quinn as Magenta in 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show.'
©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection
'That was fascinating,' he shared. 'We'd been doing the stage show for a year and a half, and then arriving into that comes these two hapless Americans who didn't really know what it was about.'
'But they came into our world, which was perfect,' O'Brien continued. 'It was Barry who first came along, and he took Susan along with him, which was just wonderful.'
Advertisement
'Instead of looking for anyone else, looking for a Janet to go with them, there she was, and there they were,' O'Brien added. 'It was perfect.'
12 Richard O'Brien performing at the Playhouse Theatre in London, England, on September 17, 2015.
Getty Images
12 Richard O'Brien at Picturehouse Central in London, England, on September 17, 2015.
David M. Benett
'Rocky Horror' first premiered at the Rialto Theatre in London, England, on Aug. 14, 1975.
Advertisement
Directed by Jim Sharman with a screenplay by him and O'Brien, the musical comedy horror film is still in limited release 50 years later, making it one of the longest-running theatrical releases in movie history.
'We were all happy,' O'Brien said while looking back on shooting the 'Rocky Horror' film. 'It didn't matter how cold it was. We were all happy.'
'We understood what we were doing, and we wanted to make this as good as possible,' he concluded.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
3 hours ago
- New York Post
Megadeth announces retirement with farewell tour, final album: ‘The end is near'
Call it a symphony for dissolution. American thrash metal giants Megadeth have announced their forthcoming album will be their last. They will also embark on a farewell tour in 2026. 'There's so many musicians that have come to the end of their career, whether accidental or intentional,' Megadeth founder and frontman Dave Mustaine shared in a statement Thursday. 4 Megadeth's Dave Mustaine performs in concert at Resurrection Fest Estrella Galicia 2024 on June 29, 2024 in Viveiro, Spain. Redferns 4 James LoMenzo, Dave Mustaine and Teemu Mäntysaari, members of the of the American thrash metal band Megadeth, perform during the Megadeth 'Destroy All Enemies' Tour at the Toyota Music Factory in August 2024. Eyepix Group/LightRocket via Getty Images 'Most of them don't get to go out on their own terms on top, and that's where I'm at in my life right now. I have traveled the world and have made millions upon millions of fans and the hardest part of all of this is saying goodbye to them.' Mustaine and the band have yet to reveal the final album's title, release date or the band's remaining tour dates. His statement continued, with the frontman writing that now is the perfect time for the band to release a final album and embark on their final tour. 'Don't be mad, don't be sad, be happy for us all, come celebrate with me these next few years. We have done something together that's truly wonderful and will probably never happen again,' he wrote. 4 Guitarist and lead vocalist Dave Mustaine gestures to the crowd during a concert in Spain. AFP via Getty Images 4 Megadeth announced a farewell tour and a final album ahead of their retirement. Redferns 'We started a musical style, we started a revolution, we changed the guitar world and how it's played, and we changed the world. The bands I played in have influenced the world. I love you all for it. Thank you for everything.' The statement arrived after the band shared a teaser post on Wednesday that read 'The end is near…' Megadeth was founded in 1983 after Mustaine was kicked out of Metallica, a band he co-founded. Megadeth released their debut album in 1985, 'Killing Is My Business… and Business Is Good!'
New York Post
3 hours ago
- New York Post
Prominent SF chef Luke Sung says viral scandal with influencer has tanked career and family, blasts TikTokker for not doing her homework
A celebrated San Francisco chef claims a viral TikTok scandal with an influencer who visited his restaurant for a collaboration video has shattered his career and left his family needing to 'heal' — while still blasting her for being 'unprepared' and not doing her 'research,' according to a report. Luke Sung, 52, shared his side of a tense exchange at Kis Cafe in Hayes Valley, where 'micro-influencer' Karla Marcotte, @itskarlabb on TikTok, claimed she was belittled by the James Beard award-nominated chef over her follower count last month, according to a video posted to her platform. 3 A celebrated San Francisco chef claims a viral TikTok scandal with an influencer who visited his restaurant looking for free food has shattered his career and left his family needing to 'heal.' San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images Advertisement 'She came in at 5 p.m. on a Tuesday, when the dining room was empty. My partner didn't tell me she was coming until she got there, and I didn't know anything about her,' Sung told the San Francisco Standard of the moment Marcotte walked into his restaurant last month. 'I thought she'd say, 'Hey, Mr. Sung, I read about you, and I am so happy to be doing this with you.' But she showed up and sat down and didn't say hi,' the chef said. 'My high expectation for professionalism has failed me again and again — it just brings disappointment.' Advertisement The chef — who once helmed the beloved Cal-French restaurant Isa and trained under SF culinary legends like Roland Passot and Sylvain Portay — admitted to then scrolling through Marcotte's social media, which she later described observing in her viral account of the incident. 3 Marcotte's follower count has since skyrocketed to more than 475,000 since she shared details of the incident, which left her 'in tears.' itskarlabb/tiktok 'I wanted to see what she did, so I started to look at her TikTok. Right away, I saw creamy spaghetti in a pan with sliced, overcooked New York steak on top that she had made,' he told the outlet. 'That night, I was running a special with this beautiful coho salmon. I didn't want to be misrepresented by someone who doesn't understand the difference between Atlantic salmon and king salmon,' Advertisement Sung then claims he told Marcotte to do her 'research' after she allegedly admitted to him that all she knew of the restaurant was that it was a 'wine bar,' he said. The influencer then left the restaurant, stating she felt disrespected by Sung's attitude toward her. 'She left. But before she left, she said, 'The restaurant world is really small. There will be consequences,'' Sung recalled. What followed the interaction was an alleged digital hate campaign that Sung claims has devastated his family and livelihood. Advertisement Overnight, Kis Cafe, which was doing 100 covers a night, was bombarded by thousands of one-star reviews on Yelp, he described. The wine bar serving small bites, which opened in May, announced shortly after that Sung had left as a chef and co-owner, later clarifying he had done so of his 'own accord' and was not technically fired. 'Our chef's behavior was unacceptable, and he is no longer a part of the team,' Kis Cafe wrote in an Instagram post on Thursday. Sung even had to step back from working at a sushi spot, Domo, after a separate TikTokker sent people to leave 'hate comments all the way from Copenhagen, England, Malaysia,' he told the outlet. 3 Overnight, Kis Cafe, which was doing 100 covers a night, was bombarded by thousands of one-star reviews on Yelp in an alleged digital hate campaign. FOX The incident has also left his influencer daughter, Isa Sung, and son 'traumatized.' 'My daughter stayed up all night watching everything go down. She got 20,000 hate comments, and my son, who's a musician, also got a ton of hate comments. They were traumatized,' Sung said. 'My family is going to therapy together soon. Everything is broken into pieces. I have to try to pick it up and glue it back together. I have to just let it heal,' he said. Advertisement Marcotte's follower count has since skyrocketed to more than 475,000 since she shared the story of the interaction — which left her 'in tears' — on TikTok. The influencer said she wants to 'be an advocate for micro influencers' who don't receive as many handouts. 'You don't need to have a million followers to be respected or feel like you're making a difference,' she said. Though he admitted he could've used more grace, Sung said the incident proves how fast a viral moment can tank a career, even one that requires an abundance of 'pride.' Advertisement 'It really takes pride to be a chef. Which is why I had that tone [with Marcotte], I guess. When you don't have pride, maybe you won't take the tone that I did with Karla — but the pride is the part that keeps you going,' he said. 'I mean, why would a young chef go and learn how to cook today, if some inexperienced anybody can come in and close your restaurant? They don't even need to hear what you have to say,' Sung said. Marcotte did not respond to a request for comment at the time of publication.
Chicago Tribune
8 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Donna Vickroy: Tribute to the tribute troubadours who help us stay forever young
Bravo! An evening of 'almost' Linda Ronstadt, 'practically' Warren Zevon and 'as good as' Jackson Browne had me on my feet, singing, dancing, fist-bumping the memory of my 20-year-old self. 'Desert Rock Show: A Tribute to the Laurel Canyon Music Scene' at The Lyric Theater in Blue Island featured the work of more than a dozen top-tier artists performed by the tribute band Soundtracks of a Generation. The evening was a musical explosion of nostalgia, all for about what it had cost us to park a few months earlier at a concert by the 'real' Four Tops. Don't get me wrong, the Four Tops, who were joined by The Temptations, put on a great show, a veritable time travel back to my mom's Motown record-spinning days. There's something very special about seeing your musical heroes in the flesh. But at more than $300 for a pair of tickets, it was not the kind of event one can spring for every weekend. Plus, we had to travel almost an hour both ways, wait in line to drop $50 on parking and be understanding when the 80-year-old performers needed to be seated on stage. Of course, as fellow aging Boomers, we're a forgiving lot. Which may be why tribute shows have become a growing trend. They give us the heart-pounding bass, the emotionally-charged lyrics, the incredible guitar riffs and, perhaps most of all, the sensation of being 25 or even 50 again. At the Lyric, which offers a steady flow of tribute music in addition to other kinds of entertainment, we can roll into the free parking lot 10 minutes before showtime, be escorted to our seats, signal for our preordered dinner to be delivered, select a cocktail and then jam to some of our favorite music — performed by the next best thing, which often enough sounds like the real thing. Is it compromising on authenticity? We prefer to call it getting all the feels of our favorite music when all of us were at our best. It's not just affordability driving the growing popularity of tribute bands. It's convenience, atmosphere and the acceptance that while music may be larger than life, its superstars are only human. Tribute artists keep us all forever young. Pat Disabato, live events manager for the Lyric, said tapping into feelings is exactly what the Lyric is all about. 'What helps us stand out from the crowd is our unique spot. We offer a 1930s-'40s cabaret feel, with servers and a state-of-the-art sound system. The look is cool. The service is fantastic,' he said. The Lyric books both national tribute acts as well as original acts, he said. 'All of that plays into a good experience. There's nothing else quite like it. The acts are good. There's free parking and our price point is good.' It is not just Boomers selling the place out, he said. It's also teens and families and young couples who, after feeling closed off from the world during COVID, just want to get out and clap along. Tribute musicians are not a new thing. Just ask Elvis and Beatles fans. Today, some of the most popular tribute bands pay homage to Pink Floyd, Queen, Grateful Dead and Bon Jovi, according to but the pool is growing. 'There's never been a better time to be a musician,' said Ron Onesti, founder of Onesti Entertainment, which provides live entertainment at Arcada Theatre in St. Charles and Des Plaines Theatre in Des Plaines. And there's never been a better time to be a fan of live music. 'People hunger for it these days,' Onesti said. The challenge for venues, he added, is in differentiating yourself from a growing field of locales, which vary in atmosphere as much as they vary in price. Like the Lyric, the Arcada and Des Plaines venues are iconic theaters that exude atmosphere. 'We strive for quality, value and ambience,' Onesti said. 'The responsibility is heightened to make these events more experiential because expectations are different,' he said. 'Lighting has to be different, there needs a lot more multimedia, such as videos of the band and psychedelic backgrounds. We're doing more lasers. It's more experiential and it's more festival style,' meaning the music of two or three groups is presented in the same show. Even with growing demand, Onesti said, competition is fierce, especially when towns such as Elk Grove Village, Addison, Hillside and Tinley Park are offering concerts in the park for free. Disabato said, within a few miles of the Lyric are several venues competing for the same audience, from Gaelic Park in Oak Forest and CD&ME in Frankfort to City Winery in Chicago. The Lyric pulls in acts from across the country, including a Jimmy Buffett/Neil Diamond performer from Las Vegas, a Stevie Ray Vaughn act from Texas and a Motown group from Ohio. Tribute acts, Disabato said, are not necessarily cheap. Some command $4,000 to $6,000 a show, he said. Popularity, Onesti added, crosses all genres. 'Country is huge. Rock is huge, Disco is becoming huge.' Bands playing original music are also finding their niche, he said. 'Open the papers any weekend and there are a hundred options to see live music.' The biggest winners in the battle of the bands are the fans, of course, who for a brief moment in time, get to relive their glory days.
