Letters to the Editor: 26 February 2004

Source: Waikato Times print edition
 

Plea for Rocky statue support

My name is Ruth Fink-Winter.

I edit the international Rocky Horror fanzine Crazed Imaginations.

I have never been to New Zealand, and if I'd have thought of going there, it
would probably be to see Richard O'Brien's birthplace as part of a larger
trip including Australia.

I didn't know Richard was from Hamilton; I was delighted to hear of possible
plans to erect a statue to him there. If the statue is erected, I certainly
would come to see it, and I'm sure other fans of his work would too. (We
don't all live quite so far from New Zealand as I do; there are also
thriving fan communities in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane and the Rocky
Horror fans in Tokyo have made several international trips for Rocky
Horror-related events).

I'm sure there are many other lovely things in New Zealand, but I can't say
as I would probably never make it there if it weren't for the Rocky Horror
connection. (I've been to London several times, each time for Rocky-related
reasons . . . though I've enjoyed many of the city's other attractions once
there).

I was very disappointed to read in the Waikato Times that some citizens feel
Rocky Horror is not something to be proud of. It is the longest continuously
running movie in history, and has become part of western culture's
vernacular. In addition to being a show/movie experience that many people
enjoy, it's become a cultural metaphor, and it is a real shame that some of
Hamilton's inhabitants don't appreciate the magnitude of that.

Please support the installation of this statue.

RUTH FINK-WINTER
Kingsport, Tennessee, USA

Classic film

Hamiltonian Richard O'Brien's Rocky Horror Picture Show is known around the
world as one of the most significant classic cult films of the last half of
the twentieth century.

For those of us who came of age in the 1970s, O'Brien's film captured the
zeitgeist of the times in a way that crossed the boundaries of gender,
sexual orientation and geography.

He is truly Hamiton's best-known son on the world stage. As someone who can
claim the moniker of a former Hamiltonian, I am honoured to be in his august
company. Please honour this remarkable, home-grown free spirit with the
proposed work of public art being offered to the city and make me proud to
be a Hamiltonian.

WILLIAM PETERSON
San Bernadino, California, USA