Rocky Horror Picture Show

 Where to begin...

I was maybe 16 or so, time escapes me, my first boyfriend was a football player for a high school I did not go to. He was on the defensive line so use your imagination. He was not a small guy, probably 6'3", maybe 240 lbs. I think he was 19 or so. Everyone we knew, played football, built muscle cars, had great house parties, and we cruised the hotrods down 18th Ave because it was the longest piece of road where you didn't have to turn around. (muscle cars are built to go very fast in a straight line, for those of you that don't know how that works.)

We were a very tight knit group, all 23 of the boys + girlfriends. We were always together. Movies, cruising the strip, football, High School Drags at the old race track downtown, and did I mention
football?.

One night, some of the older brothers of a team member were going to the Roxy Theatre to see the Rocky Horror Picture show with a group from their Fraternity at U of A.  They invited us along. I ended up being the only girl in the group. Had my parents, grandparents, sisters, aunts and uncles known back then, I would have been in BIIIIGGG trouble, but they didn't and I was safe from punishment for the night of debauchery!

So we get to the Roxy, it's maybe 11 p.m. We're a bit early as we all wanted to sit together, all 24 of us. We take the two middle rows stage right ( that's left for you non-camera people). The U of A frat crowd shows with another 47 or so people and fills another 4 rows. On the other side, that would be stage left, is seating 2 more rival frat houses with girl friends and alumni in tow, from U of A. In the middle of the theatre, sit the innocent general public, quiet, unassuming, well ... except for all the drag queens with assorted hotdogs, toast, and various other party favors. Imagine me, serious little farm girl, never exposed to a big city RHPS audience. I would bet I was staring slack jawed at the costumed crowd. Little did I know what was about to transpire.

There was a slight delay in getting the picture started, the house lights are still up, the crowd is of course restless but talking quietly within their groups. One of our football crew passes around a message that at the count of three, we're all going to get up and yell something at the far side of rival frat houses.
So the signal comes through, we all stand in unison, and yell and point..... "THE OTHER SIDE SUCKS!" and sit in unison. With 70 or so in our group, doing this in unison, unrehearsed, was a spectacular thing to behold. The gauntlet had been thrown down, it was now game on!

A few minutes later, movie still delayed, the other side gets up, and yells back the same phrase. Now to the little wide eyed farm girl, this was a whole new twist in life to experience. The cascading up and down and taunting went back and forth and then, with excellent secret battle plans that would have done Napoleon proud, both outer sides stood in perfect unison and pointed at the quiet innocent general public in the middle and yelled as loud and theatre shaking as possible "THE MIDDLE SUCKS!" The entire theatre finally burst into helpless fits of laughter and the theatre grew dark immediately and the picture show began to play.

To be truly honest, there was so much going on, I don't even remember the plot lines of the movie anymore. I actually had to rent it when it came out on VHS to see what it was all about. I know I've heard this from many people that did the same. The movie is really silly on it's own, but I will remember that experience forever as one of my great firsts.

The football player, he was long gone to university the next fall. The relationship didn't last of course. We've since reconnected and talk every few months by email.
We all moved on, grew up, got married, got careers, had children, traveled the world, joined the peace corps, played pro football, joined the military, became writers, lawyers, doctors, bakers, butchers, photographers, got divorced, lived, laughed, loved, cried, and laughed some more.
Slowly, we are all finding our way back to each other, thread by thread.

I of course, am remembering this story to you all because this evening I am heading to Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Palace in Kensington. I'll let you know how it turns out. :)

Don't forget to check your Compass!
Cole