The Inadequate and Underwhelming digital, Internet 2.0 era claimed another victim (officially) today. Not to wallow in schadenfreude but it couldn’t have happened to a more deserving company. I only wish they were still an albatross around Viacom’s neck, take that media empire down a few pegs.
For those under 30-35, before Blockbuster Video, America had scores of mom n’ pop stores since there was only one HBO and Showtime channel each and I recall it was pretty expensive to own a copy of a movie (this changed by the Nineties). Sure it sucked when the couple copies the store had of a particular feature were often checked out yet I don’t recall being too obsessed with wanting to see a flick that was in theaters within the last year; I could be wrong. There were numerous “older” things to check out because you wanted to get re-acquainted with it or you’d never seen it. Again, it was a crap shoot depending upon where you lived. Dinky town in North Dakota? Good luck. Near UW-M in Milwaukee, more art-house stuff and porno than Ah-nold action stuff.
Then Blockbuster exploded across the country in the late Eighties. By the decade’s end, practically everyone had a VCR and everybody craved content when they weren’t taping soaps. During the Summer of 1989, there was a franchise near my girlfriend’s apartment on Milwaukee’s east side. The masses thought it kicked ass thanks to it having 30 copies of 1988’s schlocky hit. They carried “oldies,” if they were mainstream. Slim pickings for foreign or controversial fare. Plus they rented games for my Nintendo. You quickly learned to stay away from Blockbusters during holiday stretches; families stormed them to find something to keep themselves entertained after the big meal.
I’m guilty of patronizing Blockbuster too. It was the McDonald’s of video rental. I just realized the loss of the more dedicated, daring places’ demise too late. Austin has endured better than many cities its size though: check out I Love Video and Vulcan Video, both sponsor events at Alamo Drafthouse Theaters.
I could blather and reminisce further over the many expeditions to Blockbuster in 1989 through early Aughts. I’ll just close with only one memory, the general sense of thrill Jose and I had whenever Phil drove us there during the Summer of 1989. Jose bought a new VCR (long story why) and he was generous enough to host with it.
Maybe Jose can regale us with his experiences. One comes to mind but I’ll let him tell it in his own words.