Riff Raff: all will be revealed soon

HOW HE'LL LOOK: An artist's impression of the new statue

Source: Waikato Times print edition

07 October 2004
By LUCY REED

Riff Raff will be unveiled in Hamilton at midnight on November 26 –- and his creator will be there.

The statue of the infamous character from the Rocky Horror Picture Show, celebrating its author and former Hamilton man Richard O'Brien, sparked heated debate when it was first mooted.

O'Brien played the part of Riff Raff in the movie.

The statue, primarily built with funding from the Perry Foundation, has almost been finished by Wellington's Weta Workshops –- famed for their works with the Lord of the Rings –- and will be delivered to Hamilton next month.

Hamilton City Council communication and marketing general manager Philip Burton said the midnight unveiling on the Victoria St site was chosen to create the right atmosphere for the event. It would have a theatrical theme.

Among the guests will be representatives from America's Fox movie studios.

Perry Foundation spokeswoman Marlene Julian said it believed Hamilton was a city of surprising diversity and the statue was proof of that.