The Trip

What a Trip We were the first kids on the block to own a VHS player.  There were services where you could rent, and have delivered to your door a movie, and a player (BetaMax or VCR), but that seemed too expensive.  In 1982 I plunked down $1500 (12 million in 2012 money) for a  Canon video camera, portable recorder and player. MoSup was scandalized by the cost. but I reassured her that just having video memories of  the kids growing up would more than pay for it. In retrospect, I was right.  The nearest source for videos was the public library, believe it or not.  It had a modest selection of tapes, one of which was My Dinner with Andre.  Since it was a free rental, it was shown numerous times to neighbors wanting to see this fabulous VCR device.   My Dinner With Andre.  I watched it at least 5 times. What made me think of that last night was The Trip. While not nearly as droll as Andre, The Trip is 10 times more entertaining. And funny. For the BBC aficionado I need only say " .....  starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon. Steve agrees to review six restaurants in the north of England and takes Rob with him"   The entire series is available as a single movie on NetFlix. I love love loved it. As an aside, one of our concerns with the VCR player was bringing into the house movies that were inappropriate for the kids.  To that end me and the MoSup screened every movie, using earphones, before the kids could watch.  Anyway, one of the new library movies I brought home one day was  Personal Best, a 1982 movie centered on a group of women trying to qualify for the American track-and-field team bound for the 1980 Olympic Games.  Our kids were all involved in sports, and it did come from the library, so I put it on for them, unscreened, while we made dinner.  Our kitchen reverie was interrupted however by the unmistakable sound of  pillow talk and heavy breathing.  SEX!.  I went into the den to find my kids watching slack-jawed as  Mariel Hemingway and real-life track star Patrice Donnelly engaged in, even by todays standards, graphic lesbian sex.   I watched it later at least 5 times. Then complained to the library that it ought contain a warning.