He’s O.K.: ‘Rocky Horror’ Creator Given Residency in New Zealand
By DAVE ITZKOFF
Richard O'Brien
Talk about your celluloid jams: at the start of the summer, Richard O’Brien, the author and composer of the cross-dressing cult classic “The Rocky Horror Show†(and its midnight movie incarnation, “The Rocky Horror Picture Showâ€) applied for residency in New Zealand, where he planned to retire to the coastal town of Katikati. But like a statuesque man-monster climbing a small replica of the RKO Pictures tower, the British-born Mr. O’Brien, 68, was shot down: New Zealand immigration officials said he did not meet the criteria, which include being age 55 or under and having a job offer.
After the decision prompted protests (and spawned a Facebook group that attracted more than 3,600 members) New Zealand authorities have reversed the decision, and Mr. O’Brien will soon be permitted to retire to that nation’s moon-drenched shores and sing and dance the Time Warp there once more. Dion Smart, Mr. O’Brien’s immigration adviser, told Agence France-Presse: “They’ve given him residency. His passport will be stamped this week.â€
Mr. O’Brien, who lived in New Zealand as a teenager in the 1950s and 1960s, and who has been honored in the town of Hamilton with a statue in the likeness of his “Rocky Horror†character, Riff Raff, did not immediately comment on the decision. But we’ll assume Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s mantra of “Don’t dream it, be it,†applies here.
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