It's hard for me to fathom, but Retro Injection has been kicking for five years. It's been an incredible ride thus far: We've gotten to chat with celebrities, take a few road trips, and scored some awesome perks. What's next, another book deal? Bring it on!
Seeing something in me to which I was oblivious, my wife encouraged me for months to blog. I fought it with all my being; the prospect sounded too much like an unpaid job. I've always been a hard worker, but like anyone else, I want to be compensated. Then something unexpected happened: I discovered not all pay is financial. However, if anyone wants to toss me a few bucks for the seconds of joy this site has given them, feel free to buy something from my sponsor! (I'm living on ketchup sandwiches here.)
Retro Injection grew a lot faster than I'd expected. I soon realized I had a lot of menial, silly stuff to share, as well as some things which hold places of prominence in my heart. Admittedly, there's a big crossover on that Venn diagram.
While I enjoyed expressing my thoughts on everything from payphones to breakdance movies, I had my doubts anyone would care to read them. The stats prove otherwise, and I'm grateful. It doesn't feel like I'm wasting my time here. (What a glowing endorsement.) Of course, I've had help from my incredibly-supportive wife Adrienne and essentially-lifelong friend, contributing writer Luke Worle. More than once, Luke and I have collaborated from across the Atlantic!
I firmly believe in honoring your roots, and the purpose of this blog is to have fun by rekindling memories. Here are some of my favorite Retro Injection features. It was tough to select just a handful, but (spoiler alert) I did. While I put great OCD into everything I write, the following six articles are particularly special to me.
A Tribute to Defunct Video Stores will probably be read at my funeral.
My tribute to Kay-Bee Toys delves back to the early '90s when I was thirteen and roamed the mall freely during school days for months on end. This piece has been met with great feedback from readers, and they weren't even bribed!
Our trip to 2018's New York Comic Con features a slew of photos and a couple of videos which highlight this excursion into geekdom.
The Incredible World of Cassette Tapes details audio and video cassettes, as well as LaserDisc (my personal favorite format). Check out an example of high-definition video, recorded on digital VHS. You'll also learn about cassette-based toys, like a talking teddy bear and a video camera which recorded on audio tape! Who would have guessed low tech could be so impressive?
This Tiger handheld LCD games article is another reader-acclaimed feature. If you have a few of these babies gathering dust, take solace in the fact that you're not alone.
Finally, Theater Memories and Mold Removal details some of the demolished movie houses in my small town. I saved what I could, and it was more than this brick!
Thanks for visiting Retro Injection, be it for the first time or as a repeat offender. Stick around, because even though the '80s and '90s are long gone, we're not finished talking about them! In fact, we're upping our street cred with the following commercial, highlighting the site's great content. (It's here somewhere.)