The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Rebellion and Culture
The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Rebellion and Culture
Throughout this essay I will be considering to what extent the Rocky Horror Picture Show (RHPS) relates to both the punk and glam rock sub-cultures, which occurred throughout Britain and America during the 1970’s. To investigate the association between the RHPS, punk and glam rock sub-cultures, several aspects of the production and both the sub-cultures will be considered. Some of the aspects to be taken in to account are; the clothing, styles, tastes and attitudes of all the people concerned in both the production and the sub-cultures. In addition, the seemingly important features of the sub-cultures will be considered, such as a given definition and explanation of the term “camp” and how this has been linked with the RHPS and glam rock. Furthermore, there will be a consideration of how the film, in particular; affected, influenced and aided in creating a sense of rebellion amongst many of its audience members. There will also be particular focus given to how the Rocky Horror Picture Show relates to popular culture and how this relationship has altered over the years. For the purpose of this essay and from further research, the term popular culture will be defined as being the lifestyle and preferences of the majority of any given human population, the trends set by popular culture tend to be quite commercially orientated. In comparison to popular culture, the notion of sub-culture will be considered as, “a cultural group within a larger culture, often having beliefs or interests at variance with those of the larger [more popular] culture” (Oxford Online Dictionary, 2012, [online]). To begin, a short history of the background behind the Rocky Horror Picture Show’s production could be helpful, so as to place the RHPS into context.
The musical stage version of the RHPS, known simply as the Rocky Horror Show (RHS), premiered in June 1973 in a tiny theatre upstairs at the Royal Court Theatre near Kings Road,
Throughout this essay I will be considering to what extent the Rocky Horror Picture Show (RHPS) relates to both the punk and glam rock sub-cultures, which occurred throughout Britain and America during the 1970’s. To investigate the association between the RHPS, punk and glam rock sub-cultures, several aspects of the production and both the sub-cultures will be considered. Some of the aspects to be taken in to account are; the clothing, styles, tastes and attitudes of all the people concerned in both the production and the sub-cultures. In addition, the seemingly important features of the sub-cultures will be considered, such as a given definition and explanation of the term “camp” and how this has been linked with the RHPS and glam rock. Furthermore, there will be a consideration of how the film, in particular; affected, influenced and aided in creating a sense of rebellion amongst many of its audience members. There will also be particular focus given to how the Rocky Horror Picture Show relates to popular culture and how this relationship has altered over the years. For the purpose of this essay and from further research, the term popular culture will be defined as being the lifestyle and preferences of the majority of any given human population, the trends set by popular culture tend to be quite commercially orientated. In comparison to popular culture, the notion of sub-culture will be considered as, “a cultural group within a larger culture, often having beliefs or interests at variance with those of the larger [more popular] culture” (Oxford Online Dictionary, 2012, [online]). To begin, a short history of the background behind the Rocky Horror Picture Show’s production could be helpful, so as to place the RHPS into context.
The musical stage version of the RHPS, known simply as the Rocky Horror Show (RHS), premiered in June 1973 in a tiny theatre upstairs at the Royal Court Theatre near Kings Road,