ROCKY HORROR 10TH ANNIVERSARY &

CHEECH AND CHONG

Many of you know that Cheech and Chong are doing a national reunion tour currently after a 20 year hiatus. The famous “stoner” act is once again scoring big in concert venues across the U.S.

One of the most unusual pairings of shows I’ve ever produced in one night at the Paramount Theatre in Austin was Cheech and Chong followed by Austin’s 10th anniversary of the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” film.

Cheech and Chong were the first part of the evening. We had a sold out house of 1300 raucous fans roaring to the many skits by the famous comic duo. My favorite skit was the “Eskimo” skit involving “dog shit”. The bit goes like this: the guys are playing two Eskimos. One says, “Looks like dog shit”. The other says “Smells like dog shit”. The other says “Tastes like dog shit”. Chong says “Sure glad we not step in it”. There were many more skits including the standard repartee about “weed”. You all know that train of thought.

Outside the theatre – on Congress Avenue – were another 1300 people dressed up as characters in the “Rocky Horror Picture Show”. Tim Curry (the British actor who made the role of Dr. Frank-N-Furter famous – was on hand for the anniversary with producer Lou Adler.

So, we had the Cheech and Chong audience leaving while the Rocky Horror audience about to come inside. The owner of the film theatre which had been showing the film for 10years to sold out audiences at the midnight showing took the stage. “Dick” Chick, the managing partner of that theatre, came on stage as a giant penis. Tim Curry then revved up the crowd which didn’t need much ooching. And, then the climactic moment of the start of the film followed by the decibel level increasing exponentially from the wildly, enthusiastic and loyal fans in all their regalia. Rice pounded the screen from hundreds during the wedding sequence. The audience sang all the songs dead on and parroting the famous lines in the script as though they had rehearsed in mass in the street prior to the show. The theatre looked like a combination drag show and Halloween party all in one. That was my first out of body experience. I laughed until I got the hiccups while belching all in one act. Thankfully, I didn’t have a date.

I had always strived to promote great diversity in our programming so as to attract every possible patron from across the city no matter that many of them had never been in a legit theatre setting. We booked Broadway plays and musicals, John Prine, Leo Kottke, the Los Angeles Ballet, a national magicians association, Rodney Dangerfield, Martha Graham and the world premiere of “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas”. But, the Cheech and Chong/Rocky Horror night was the crown jewel of off the wall combo show with Austinites being the ultimate featured attraction.

To this day, Austin sports the most rabid music and arts culture in the nation with hundreds of events coming to the “World Music Capitol”.