I'm not typically one to automatically look back with fondness on all of the cultural icons and entertainment from my past. Sure, there were some things from the 1980s that will forever bring a smile to my face, but that I also know can't be replicated.
In times of uncertainty — which we are most definitely in right now — it isn't unusual to seek comfort in happy memories from days of yore. You know, I wouldn't mind smelling the inside of a Blockbuster Video on a Saturday night again.
I chose 2005 for the headline because that was when my daughter and I began our weekly Blockbuster ritual. Her mother and I had been divorced for a few years and I had a little apartment in West L.A. that my daughter spent half the week at. Fridays were spent at her mom's and she was with me on Saturdays.
We also had a quaint little family-owned Italian restaurant a block away. Saturday quickly became movie night. We would go to the Blockbuster Video about a mile away and grab whatever family friendly fare was still available. You remember how it was, if you didn't hit Blockbuster before 5 PM on Friday, your weekend movie choices were limited.
She and I didn't care. Half the fun was just going to Blockbuster together, smelling that Blockbuster smell, and wandering around at a leisurely pace.
We would rent a movie or two, then head over to the Italian restaurant that we would frequent until it closed almost a decade later. It had a nice neighborhood feel that wasn't always easy to find in Los Angeles. The same young woman waited on us for almost 10 years, watching my daughter grow up.
Then it was off to enjoy our movie.
I never had a lot of family rituals when I was a kid, and I wasn't going to let my divorced status get in the way of creating them with my child. We also went to Mass every Sunday.
Every time I think about walking into Blockbuster with my little girl on a Saturday night back then I smile inwardly and outwardly.
Curse you, Netflix!
I actually had the good fortune of experiencing the Blockbuster Saturday night smell back late 2017. I was doing a few shows in Alaska and, as we were driving into Kenai for one of the more interesting one-nighters I've ever done, I saw a Blockbuster Video store with all of its lights on and thought I was seeing a cultural mirage.
The bookers that were escorting me to the gig told me that there were also two still open in Anchorage, so I said that we had to make sure that somebody gave me a ride over there before the show on Saturday night.
The magic was still there. The smell was still there. I wasn't there to rent anything, obviously, but I did buy a t-shirt. Sadly, all three of the Alaska stores closed not too long after that. As most people know, the only remaining Blockbuster is in Bend, OR.
Fine, I'll visit.
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