Goodbye, Old Video Store.
A little over a week ago, me and Jay visited what had been one of New Jersey’s last remaining movie rental shops. Located in the city of Brick, Bob’s Video Time was closing its doors after 27 years, finally conceding defeat to an increasingly digital market.
And yeah, we did kinda go there to pick the bones, but it was impossible not to feel badly for the owners, too. As told in this article, they certainly didn’t want to close. People are forced out of their professions all the time, but it must be extra wild to watch your profession itself be forced out.
This was never “my” video store. I’d never even heard of Bob’s Video Time until it was almost TAFKA Bob. Still, it was strikingly similar to many of the video stores that I grew up with, right down to its placement within a modest strip mall, flanked by pizza place and a Chinese takeout joint. So perfect!
Even though they were now in fire sale territory, it still looked like a normal enough day inside of Bob’s Video Time. Most of the promotional posters were still hung, and there was still a little shelf full of oddly-priced candies.
The store opened in 1990, and it still looked like 1990 in there. The place was cramped, full of charm, full of competing colors, and it smelled faintly like a mix of sheetrock and boxed chocolate. It killed me that I’d never heard of Bob’s until it was too late. So what if I’m 45 minutes from Brick? It’s easier to drive for 45 minutes than time travel. Read More…
Purple Stuff tackles Friday the 13th!
Today is Friday the 17th. That’s gross. Let’s pretend it’s Friday the 13th.
The Purple Stuff Podcast is back with a 75 minute tribute to Friday the 13th!
This week, me and Jay from The Sexy Armpit run through a dozen memories of the franchise, covering everything from the weird 3D effects in Part 3 to the time Jason Voorhees was a guest on The Arsenio Hall Show. It’s a party, dudes.
Give us a listen by clicking the giant, ugly play button down below!
You commuter types can also download this week’s episode by right-clicking here.
Thanks as always for listening. And for telling your friends to listen. And for subscribing to us on iTunes. Yeah, all of that.
If you’re new to the series, almost every Friday the 13th movie is currently streaming for free if you have Amazon Prime.
Even if I’m most fond of Part 2, I’ll stick with my stock recommendation for newcomers: Start with Friday the 13th The Final Chapter. That’s the one with Corey Feldman being a creeper, and Crispin Glover dancing. Sooooo goooood. Read More…
Dino Drac’s February 2017 Funpack!
Hooray! I’m finally ready to debut Dino Drac’s February 2017 Funpack! Took me long enough.
(AVAILABLE IN THE UNITED STATES ONLY!)
Obligatory spiel: I create and sell monthly Funpacks, stuffed with old and new nonsense. Without the profits from these boxes, I wouldn’t be able to run Dino Drac. So on top of getting cool boxes filled with neat stuff, you’re also ensuring another month’s worth of… I don’t know… Doritos reviews.
The Funpacks are $25 per month, and that includes shipping. Subscriptions are handled via Paypal. For as long as you choose to stay subscribed, you’ll be billed automatically every month and continue to receive Funpacks! Of course, you can cancel at any time without penalty.
If you haven’t hopped on the train yet, thanks for considering it. Your support means everything, and I’ll remember it the next time I spend a weekend writing about mummy-themed wrestlers from 1995.
Let’s see what’s in store for the February 2017 Funpack! Read More…
The Complete History of WCW’s Yeti.
Let’s talk about the Yeti. Even if you’ve never watched wrestling, you might’ve heard of him. (Maybe from me, come to think of it!)
The Yeti is widely considered to be one of pro-wrestling’s worst-ever characters, and through an objective lens, I can’t disagree. He was a seven foot dude covered in so much gauze that he could barely walk. His one wrestling maneuver was best described as a dry hump. He was also very obviously a MUMMY.
He was easy to make fun of and everyone did, but I loved the Yeti, and in fact once ordered a high-priced PPV event specifically to see him. The monsters of wrestling always fascinated me, and I can’t throw too much shade at one that pushed the envelope this far.
Below: The history of wrestling’s infamous abominable snowman, in WrestleCrap GIF style. (Hi, RD!)
Before we get to the Yeti’s stunning debut, I need to set the stage.
In 1994, Hulk Hogan joined World Championship Wrestling. That probably wouldn’t have happened had Vince McMahon not believed that Hulk’s best days were behind him, but even if they were, Hogan was a huge score for a wrestling company that had long been #2.
A year or so later, a new stable of monster-themed wrestlers was introduced. Led by “Taskmaster” Kevin Sullivan, the Dungeon of Doom’s entire reason for being was to destroy Hulkamania. In storyline terms, at least.
Behind the scenes, the Dungeon of Doom was conceived to ease Hogan’s transition and make him less paranoid about his new wrestling home. It was no coincidence that the stable was filled with wrestlers that Hogan was already familiar with from his WWF days. Some he considered outright friends. These were safe guys to wrestle and none of them posed any threat to him.
I won’t pretend that the Dungeon of Doom wasn’t hokey. The stablemates included a headhunting cannibal and a human shark, after all. It wasn’t a critical success, but I’d have to call it a commercial one: WCW got a lot of mileage out of some pretty cheap tools.
Now let’s get to that damn Yeti: Read More…