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Rose Tint My World
I was just thinking about what a wonderful philosopher Richard O’Brien was — who, as a very young man, penned all the lyrics to The Rocky Horror Show. Now in my dotage, scenes from the movie keep replaying in my mind — especially those in which all of the characters reveal their own inner angst and confess what tricks they use to “Rose tint my world, keep me safe from my trouble and pain.”
I mean, crap, Man — it’s brilliant. It’s a modern reflection of Shakespeare’s Richard II who says that he will people his mind with Thoughts — and, like the people of this world, no thought is content. It doesn’t matter who the character is, from the sexiest to the most educated to the one who seems most in charge of things, nor how crazy and over-the-top their “acting out” solution is — every single one of them is trying to stay safe from their trouble and pain.
Each time a different character shares his or her secret side, I hope that one will finally reveal that they have it all together. Nope. Not a single one.
They are us. None of us is alone in this situation, yet each of us must cope alone with our own personal issues.
I think this is the reason for the show’s popularity throughout the years. It’s not just a pop-culture sex romp with hilarious societal in-jokes and fantastic songs. It is serious. It lays bare the basic loneliness and lostness of human beings. As I said before, it is brilliant.
I just want to say Thank You to Richard O’Brien for having had the courage and insight to share it with us.
