Riff Raff does Time Warp back to beginnings

PETER DRURY/Waikato Times

ROCKY HORROR REVISITED: Richard O'Brien shares stories of his life in Hamilton last night.

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Hamilton's famous son Richard O'Brien, creator of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, entertained a crowd of about 250 people in Hamilton last night as he talked about his 30-plus years in showbiz.

The event was held at the Wel Energy Trust Academy of Performing Arts and hosted by television presenter Mark Sainsbury, a close friend of O'Brien. Organiser Fiona Jackson said London-based O'Brien was still a master storyteller and kept the audience enthralled.

"Richard is just amazing; the stories he shared and the way he told them had everyone in hysterics," she said.

"He's so elegant and he hasn't lost his Kiwi sense of humour."

The evening also saw O'Brien perform a medley of original songs, including musical items from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The evening was filmed and will be packaged for release on television.

Ms Jackson, a Wintec Media Arts student, is currently working on a documentary about O'Brien's life.

"Richard has to be one of Hamilton's most famous sons," she said. "Even if people haven't heard of him, they all seem to know about The Rocky Horror Picture Show."

O'Brien said the off-beat musical and cult movie had been inspired by his time spent living in Hamilton during the 1960s. A statue of Riff Raff was erected in his honour in November 2004.

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