What makes a Renthead?
What makes a Renthead?
#0What makes a Renthead?
Posted: 5/31/05 at 9:12pm
Since we have to wait until the official trailer is up before we can discuss it, I thought we should still keep a fun Rent thread alive.
One thing that always bothers me is when someone hears the soundtrack for the first time and then starts calling themself a Renthead. In your opinion:
What do you think really makes someone a true Renthead?
For me, I think it is not only knowing all the words, but doing the research to totally understand the background of the show and the characters, and all the references made in the show.
... or if you can sing Native American tribal chants backwards through your vocoder while accompanying yourself on the electric cello! lol.
Seriously though I'm interested to hear your thoughts.
"I seem to have wandered into the BRAIN load-out thread... "
-best12bars
"Sorry I am a Theatre major not a English Major"
-skibumb5290
Updated On: 5/31/05 at 09:12 PM
-best12bars
"Sorry I am a Theatre major not a English Major"
-skibumb5290
#1re: What makes a Renthead?
Posted: 5/31/05 at 9:14pm
Yeah, I think true Rentheads have to have seen the show like 3+ times, have the Rent book, etc.
Having seen the show once and having a burned copy of the CD certainly don't count.
-Anyone want to turn anarchist with me?"Bless you and all who know you, oh wise and penguined one." ~YouWantItWhen????
Blue J
Featured Actor Joined: 1/31/05
#2re: What makes a Renthead?
Posted: 5/31/05 at 9:16pmI don't think that a true RENThead necessarily has had to see the show like so many times because some people who live no where near Broadway or a touring cast don't have that option. However, definitely knowing the story of RENT, Larson's message, the music, etc I think is what makes a genuine fan.
FabalaYero85
Leading Actor Joined: 2/21/05
#3re: What makes a Renthead?
Posted: 5/31/05 at 9:19pm
Taken from an old away message and from someone's site:
You might be a Renthead if . . .
~You've "stalked" a cast member
~You know all the words to La Vie Boheme.
e.c. if you understand all the references in La Vie Boheme.
~Your friends say you're "addicted" or "obsessed".
~You've dreamed of playing a part in Rent (even if you can't sing or act).
~You can recite/sing the lines along with your favorite character.
e.c. you can without your favorite character.
~You walk to the beat of Rent songs.
~You find yourself explaining Rent to anyone around you (perfect strangers count) at any given moment.
~You can't sleep at night because the entire musical won't stop playing in your head.
~You have "No day but today" written everywhere
More reasons you are a RENThead
hmm...
#4re: What makes a Renthead?
Posted: 5/31/05 at 9:19pmI think this discussion is going to get very silly, but I'll put in my brief two cents. I don't think there should be a set list of "rules" for being allowed to say you like something. Surely there are different levels of committment to these sorts of things, but I think that, especially with RENT, being a fan is a pretty personal thing, because I think everyone finds something different in it to love. It's not about how many RENT t-shirts you own, or how much time you and your psychotic friends spend singing along to the CD, but I think it's more about feeling some sort of connection to that musical. That's personal; nobody can define it for you.
elphieisperky
Broadway Star Joined: 2/21/05
#5re: What makes a Renthead?
Posted: 5/31/05 at 9:21pm
Time to brag: I just saw the trailer! I just saw the trailer! It was amazing, gave me chills, made me cry.
Anhoo, what makes a Renthead is not just knowing the play...
You like rice and beans and (don't forget the and) cheese,
Your cow's name is Elsie,
You hate people named Benny,
You measure your life in love,
Your instrument is an empty tub of pickels,
When it starts to snow, you scream to the nearest person, "Kiss me, it's beginning to snow!"
JoeGillis
Understudy Joined: 3/28/05
#6re: What makes a Renthead?
Posted: 5/31/05 at 9:22pm
what makes a rent head?
- having seen the play in well over triple digits
-seeing the tour when it pops into your town or anywhere in a 50 mile radius
-second acting it :) wink wink
- standing outside the nederlander w/ you ears pressed to door to hear an intense "goodbye love"
-having the whole obc sign your official rent book
- going to the opening of the rent "store" at bloomingdales
-seeing the angel tour in boston opening night - pre manley pope
-being at every closing night of every obc member
-being at every opening of the 1st replacement set
-recalling specific events such as freddi burping in anthony's face right after she sings "i'm feeling nautious"
-knowing the every move to out tonight
- sitting in the front row,taking the "bag" of crack off the stage post curtain call after sleeping in front of the nederlander pre lottery :)
-freaking out when glitter comes out of any given mimi's hair while everyone just looks at you like wtf!!!
umm i can go on and on for hours but that my friends are element's of a rent head oh yea who can forget jimbo's site !
#7re: What makes a Renthead?
Posted: 5/31/05 at 9:22pm
I agree Blue J. My friend Nicole has never had the opportunity to see the show, but she knows everything about the story and the characters, as well as the history of the show and Jonathan Larson. She knows more about the show than my friends who have seen the show multiple times.
And excellent point Emcee. Amen!
"I seem to have wandered into the BRAIN load-out thread... "
-best12bars
"Sorry I am a Theatre major not a English Major"
-skibumb5290
-best12bars
"Sorry I am a Theatre major not a English Major"
-skibumb5290
BEKA531
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/4/04
#8re: What makes a Renthead?
Posted: 5/31/05 at 9:23pm
something else that bugs me -- when they call it a SOUNDTRACK. the movie soundtrack isn't out yet, only the CAST RECORDING for the musical.
anyway, i consider myself a renthead because i'm obsessed with the show, know every line, every song, jump at any slight information about the movie, alumni, and the show itself, and have listened to the CR more than 600 times since 1997. also, i've been a fan since the VERY beginning. lastly, i appreciate, understand, and stand by jonathan's enduring message.
kitkatgirl54
Leading Actor Joined: 5/19/04
#9re: What makes a Renthead?
Posted: 5/31/05 at 9:25pm
someone who is obsessed with the show about covers it, i think.
i think i was a renthead about the 2nd or 3rd time i saw the show, and then, boy, was i ever one. actually one of the reasons i'm excited for the rent movie is so i can sell all my boxes of old flyers, playbills, memorabilia, etc. so i guess i am no longer a renthead and have now officially 'sold out'. ah well. :)
#10re: What makes a Renthead?
Posted: 5/31/05 at 9:28pm
Ah, all the rentheads I have known in my life...
kitkatgirl, glad you can finally make a profit off those silly renthead years :0)
-Anyone want to turn anarchist with me?"Bless you and all who know you, oh wise and penguined one." ~YouWantItWhen????
#11re: What makes a Renthead?
Posted: 5/31/05 at 9:28pm
I agree with Em...
But I don't think you have to know all the words. I call myself a Mizzie - but forget words - then again, they change the show so damn much and I find myself beaking out in some other damn language and don't understand what the hell I'm saying and then I can't get back on track and I get so pissed off.....
As I was saying, you don't have to know every word. There shouldn't be rules. I think there are different degrees of Rentheadedness.
Updated On: 5/31/05 at 09:28 PM
MatureDignity
Broadway Star Joined: 10/31/04
#12re: What makes a Renthead?
Posted: 5/31/05 at 9:29pmI think the meaning has changed. That's probably a good thing. *flashbacks*
BEKA531
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/4/04
#13re: What makes a Renthead?
Posted: 5/31/05 at 9:31pmyes, the meaning has DEFINITELY changed. no more campouts... the lottery has quieted down.
kitkatgirl54
Leading Actor Joined: 5/19/04
#14re: What makes a Renthead?
Posted: 5/31/05 at 9:32pmdo you guys remember some girl who faked having a terminal illness to get closer to the cast? god, those were the days *gag*
#15re: What makes a Renthead?
Posted: 5/31/05 at 9:34pmI agree Thernardier... it just bothers me when little 12 year old fan girls say, "OMG! Like I just listened to Rent yesterday, and like OMG! Now I am soooo a Renthead!" If you haven't been to the Rent movie board on imdb.com.... go there and see for yourself. It drives me nuts but I can't help but laugh. From what I can tell the only reason the even listen to Rent is because Idina is on it. That just bugs me, because they have zero emotional investment in the show. I agree, being a Renthead is about the emotional attachment you feel for the show and the way the show's message makes you feel. I'm sorry, but Idina (as much as I love her) is not the theme of Rent.
"I seem to have wandered into the BRAIN load-out thread... "
-best12bars
"Sorry I am a Theatre major not a English Major"
-skibumb5290
-best12bars
"Sorry I am a Theatre major not a English Major"
-skibumb5290
BEKA531
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/4/04
#16re: What makes a Renthead?
Posted: 5/31/05 at 9:36pmoh gosh, the IMDB rent movie thread is HILARIOUS. i go on periodically just to laugh. lots of sissy little cat fights.
#17re: What makes a Renthead?
Posted: 5/31/05 at 9:36pm
In response to the subject of this thread, the answer is:
A mixture of opium and alcohol known as laudanum
BSoBW2: I punched Sondheim in the face after I saw Wicked and said, "Why couldn't you write like that!?"
playbill_signer_05
Leading Actor Joined: 1/23/05
#18re: What makes a Renthead?
Posted: 5/31/05 at 9:37pm
I agree with Blue J, but I definitely qualify for most of FabalaYero85's list. 
#19re: What makes a Renthead?
Posted: 5/31/05 at 9:43pm
Idina's not the theme of Rent?
Psh, totally missed that one.
#20re: What makes a Renthead?
Posted: 5/31/05 at 9:44pmApparently not.
"I seem to have wandered into the BRAIN load-out thread... "
-best12bars
"Sorry I am a Theatre major not a English Major"
-skibumb5290
-best12bars
"Sorry I am a Theatre major not a English Major"
-skibumb5290
#21re: What makes a Renthead?
Posted: 5/31/05 at 9:50pm
The IMDB message boards are mind-boggling. You know those kids are going to freak out when the movie comes out and they discover that Maureen isn't the main character, and doesn't even appear until halfway through.
The lottery at the Nederlander has quieted down, but the tour has reached cult-like proportions. When cast members in the last leg of the tour knew the people in line in DC by name, it's a sign that the obsession is merely progressing all across America, as opposed to being concentrated in NYC.
Like a firework unexploded
Wanting life but never knowing how
Wanting life but never knowing how
#22re: What makes a Renthead?
Posted: 5/31/05 at 9:56pmI know orangeskittles! I can't wait to see those boards on November 12th! lol
"I seem to have wandered into the BRAIN load-out thread... "
-best12bars
"Sorry I am a Theatre major not a English Major"
-skibumb5290
-best12bars
"Sorry I am a Theatre major not a English Major"
-skibumb5290
#23re: What makes a Renthead?
Posted: 5/31/05 at 9:57pmYeah I don't think that there should be guidlines and specific rules to being a true RENThead or not. I think its just a name for those who deeply love the show and its storyline and characters/casts. Like for example, I consider myself a RENThead because I'm in love with the show, the OBC cast and that cast recording hasn't left my CD player in about 3-4 months (And yes I know all the lyrics..:-P) but I've never seen the show live because I don't live near NYC and I missed the tours. But I don't think that would necessarily mean I'm not allowed to call myself a RENThead.
I wanted to get something that an "ex"-junkie like him would really appreciate and cherish....it's a brick of heroin shaped like a heart.
-Scrubs
#24re: What makes a Renthead?
Posted: 5/31/05 at 9:59pm
While I want to say I agree and say that there should be no rules to someone saying they can like something, I still secretly get annoyed when someone claims they're a really big fan of something but have only some small knowledge of it, as opposed to someone who was a fan of it from the beginning and knows everything about it...
just a thought :0)
-Anyone want to turn anarchist with me?"Bless you and all who know you, oh wise and penguined one." ~YouWantItWhen????
Videos