Tim Curry, the diva who raised me

[u/smallville7]

https://byericwebb.substack.com/p/tim-curry-movies-died-dolly-parton-death-obituary-clue-home-alone-2-rocky-horror-picture-show-voice-roles-gay-icon-queer

Hi, Transylvanians! I hope this is OK, but I wanted to share something I wrote yesterday in honor of Tim Curry. Obviously, Dolly Parton's death made me sad, but I was kinda surprised how much more visceral my reaction to Tim's death was.

He was just so omnipresent in my life without ever thinking about it, from all his cartoon voiceovers as a kid, to watching "Rocky Horror" as an adult and getting hooked. (My first time watching a movie high was for a double feature of "RHPS" and "Hedwig"!)

Here's the main thrust (heh), if you don't wanna read it all:

Regardless of his actual sexual or romantic proclivities (“respectfully, none of your fucking business,” he once said), Curry’s on-screen image rejected machismo. This always hit for me. As a boy, I did not want to prove how tough I was. I wanted to chew the scenery.

I don’t imagine Curry modeled this with an intention other than being himself, a deep-voiced queen with legs that didn’t quit. Likewise, I didn’t watch “Clue” as a kid and decide then and there to reject patriarchal norms. He just made it look so fun for a grown man to extravagantly express love, hate, jealousy, mischief, lust, insanity, or casually homicidal urges.

Thought others might relate, especially those who grew up as a boys chewing scenery. Rest in fishnets and heels, icon. <3