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Weirdos and fishnets unite!

David Degeest '06 takes the stage as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the annual Rocky Horror live show

Almost every year since 2000, a committed cadre of Grinnellians has donned wigs and corsets to stage an annual live performance of The Rocky Horror Picture Show to accompany a midnight showing of the film. David Degeest ?06 explained how the wild, raunchy cult classic inspires nationwide staged shows and carefully orchestrated audience interaction, inlcuding throwing items at the screen and "catcalling" jokes at the characters.

Why did you decide to do Rocky at Grinnell?

A: It's a thing that people have done since the movie came out. There are people that do the show every Saturday at midnight. It's a lot of fun for everyone. It's something people do all over the country and it's cool to know we're part of that community. The movie itself is kind of dumb and stupid, but the ethos of the people who do the show. We're all weirdos and bizarre. In Rocky, there's no limits or rules about who can do what. Anyone can do it, anyone can be a part of it. All you have to do is like Rocky and like yelling obnoxious things and that's a pretty big percentage of this campus.

The people who are excluded are the Virgins [people who have never seen the show]. They get hauled up onstage and made fun of.

Right. Cuz they don't get it. And that's just to make fun and tease. It's not serious. There's a semblance of hazing, of an initiation ritual. It's kind of a perverse silliness.

Do you remember if you were you scared at all the first time you saw the show?

The first time you go, you don't know anything about it. People are yelling and throwing things and making bad puns. It's like, "Why are people doing this? That's not even funny, why are people laughing?" But it's not about what they're saying, it's about that they're all doing it together.

At the Grinnell show last year, about two-thirds of the audience were Virgins. Do you guys have plants in the crowd?

Yeah, there are people who do know the show and know all the catcalls but who aren't in it. We try to get them to come and they always do because it's Rocky.

Has playing Dr. Frank-N-Furter changed your perception of the show?

Frank's kind of evil, when it really comes down to it. It's been hard to sympathize with him.

Evil? I always thought he was just trying to liberate others from sexual repression.

Yeah, you could see it that way. But really he's kind of just using everyone in the show for his own ends, to give himself pleasure ? Whether you see him as a tragic hero depends on whether you see the pursuit of his own pleasure as a good thing or not. He's just perverse. He does these things and he's aware of his actions, but he's very self-interested. But even though you're acting, the show is sometimes more about the heels and the whip.

Yeah, I'm wandering around in tight pants and to some extent the show is kind of about me whipping Riff Raff or strutting around in high heels. But on some level you have to sympathize with the character in order to get the right facial expressions, the right movements ? It's somewhere between acting and performance.

Is there any point where you're embarrassed?

No, I know everyone who's in the show. I'm sure there will be someone who feels embarrassed for me ? I told my dad about it and he was really excited about it. He was like, "I remember Rocky Horror, that was a good time!"

Are you afraid of what people are going to think of you Monday morning?

Not really, I can't imagine people getting upset about it. Probably someone will make a little snarky comment about my fishnets ... But that's part of the whole thing. I'll feel a little insulted, in fact, if someone doesn't at least say something.

- Interview by Sarah Mirk

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