Just so you know-this is all from memory so parts may not be correct. If you find anything wrong please let me know ASAP! Now for some semi-personal imformation!
Richard was born as Richard Smith on March 25th,1942. He was born in Cheltenham, Glouchestershire. Richard was the youngest of four children.When he was ten years old,his father,a clerk for the borough council,moved the family to Tauranga,New Zealand near the Bay of Plenty to take up sheep farming.There he enjoyed all the latest movies and films.He was constantly taunted due to his mild manner, academic mediocrity and small build.
Opting to leave school a the age of 15, he reluctantly enrolled in a 3 year dairy farming course in an effort to please his parents.He soon dropped out as he spent more time on Rock n' Roll and movies than he did on his studies.During this time, Richard watched many of the "B" movies that he would later use to leave his mark on the entertainment world. Richard veered off in search for his true vocation.He tried jobs as a barber and a trainee glazier but they didn't work out. Richard searched for a more colorful existence.
At the age of 22 he headed back to England and the psychedelia of London.There he floated from job to job driving builder's trucks.He convinced a stunt agency to use his natural horse riding skills,adopted his grandfather's ,O'Brien, and camouflaged himself into the outskirts of the entertainment world. Richard didn't mind being on the stunt line which paid much more than driving trucks.He even started to gether an impressive list of film credits.But when England required all stuntmen to be certified, he then decided that was not the career path he wanted.The job as stuntman only aroused his subliminal ambitions. He saw how the actors were treated on the other side of the camera.Richard enrolled himself in several evening "method" acting courses all being financed by a day job as a Kilbum dustman. Richard spent all of his spare time looking for any parts or backstage work in any production that wanted him.He worked as a "jobbing actor" doing any part he could to survive.One of his most important "jobs" was when he joined the touring cast of "Hair" in 1969. During this performance, he was joined with Tim Curry, his future Frank N. Furter and his future wife, Kimi Wong.
Talent and sheer determination were the only qualifications that were needed to project Richard's career.His work in more creative fields seemed to have gained greater notoriety. Writing in both song and word has been widely recognized. It is said he would escape into songwriting in the footsteps of his idols, Buddy Holly and Otis Redding. And it has always been Richard's overriding passion. "Thunderock" was the first to flow from his pen and was written during his teens.He continued through the 60's and beyond and many of his songs were piled, waiting for a suitable place.
Rocky Horror is said to be an excuse to use up some of his songs that had never been performed. Richard was invited to perform at a Christmas party for EMI studios.Thinking that they had heard almost everything, he sat down to think about what to do for the occasion and he wrote a song. That song was "Science Fiction Double Feature", Richard's tribute to the movies he grew up with. After all the laughter and applause, he realized that the song could be an oveture of sorts for a musical. He set about in his efforts and the story that arose was "They Came From Denton High" then soon after, "The Rocky Hor-Roar Picture Show" the working title for "The Rocky Horror Picture Show."
Sorry, but that's all I can remember about that part of his life. Check back later as I hope to keep writing about this wonderful man.
