As digital distribution becomes increasingly dominant, I find myself appreciating brick-and-mortar stores, especially resellers with an ever-changing inventory of media. I'm the target age for downloadable content, yet I prefer collecting physical media. Movie Exchange is a media collector's dream, with a huge stock of music (mostly CDs but a few vinyl records, too), movies, and video games. I seldom visit this location due to its proximity to Peter Piper Pizza (screaming ADHD children and drunken parents are my kryptonite), but I've found several great deals here over the years.
The decor takes me back to the late 80s/early 90s when the building was occupied by HEB Video Central, a long-defunct VHS rental chain. I was a tot, but I remember ogling the dust-covered VHS clamshell boxes for Z-grade horror filth such as "Erotikill" and "Headless Eyes." The walls remain plastered with pop culture imagery from the era, including posters for "Terminator 2" and "Bull Durham." Retail archaeologists will find much to savor just by stepping foot into this place.
Though my tastes are admittedly abstruse, I've stumbled upon a few amazing finds on every visit. About a year ago, I was ecstatic to find pristine DVD copies of several European art trash horror movies with amusingly lurid titles (e.g., "Your Vice is a Locked Door and Only I Have the Key" and "Nude for Satan"). A few weeks later, I picked up a copy of David Bowie's 'hours...' on 180-gram vinyl. $50 for a vinyl record is usually more than I'd be willing to spend, but this particular album is personally significant to me*.
The video game section is limited to disc-based games from the last several generations (PS1 and beyond), so Atari and NES fans should look elsewhere. Over the past several years, I've found roughly a dozen bargain-priced Wii games and several good deals on Dreamcast titles. The Game Over at Bandera and 1604 remains my go-to place for used video games, but the selection at Movie Exchange is decent and worth perusing.
The demise of physical media is imminent, but stores like Movie Exchange, CD Exchange, and Half Price Books are keeping the dream alive. Movie Exchange is by far the largest used media store I've visited in San Antonio, so I'm sure I've missed several treasures. If you're passing through Leon Valley, treat yourself to a heaping bowl of sinus-clearing lamb soup at Kungfu Noodle and spend a leisurely afternoon browsing the aisles at this used media mausoleum.
_____________________________________________
*In the late 90s, David Bowie held a "Cyber Song" contest on his website/ISP BowieNet. He provided the instrumental track to a tune called "What's Really Happening?" and fans submitted lyrics. The winning lyrics would be featured on Bowie's forthcoming album and the winner would fly to New York to watch Bowie record the song.
Like any teen with arty inclinations, I fancied myself a brilliant lyricist and poet. I also felt that I'd absorbed enough of the man's discography to compose a song in the Bowie mold. I took a few days to polish my contribution prior to sending it, but I expected nothing. After all, I was competing with thousands of diehard Bowie freaks, including several prominent artists (**cough cough...Marilyn Manson...*cough cough**) who allegedly contributed submissions.
A few days later, I opened my email and saw a message from "davidbowie@bowie.net." I assumed it was spam or perhaps a troll. After doing a bit of sleuthing, I realized it was from the man himself! I shuddered to open the message for fear that Dame David would disapprove of my adolescent attempt at songwriting. To my relief, he not only praised my contribution but claimed that the themes mirrored those on his forthcoming album.
He also expressed curiosity about me: who I was, my background as a writer, etc. Over the course of several email exchanges, he learned much about me and encouraged me to pursue a career in the arts. I wasn't sure what to expect from a pen pal correspondence with David Bowie (a lecture on Thelema, a debate on gender fluidity, rock star ennui?), but I was ill-prepared for his favorite topic: SpongeBob SquarePants. Yes, the man responsible for the nihilistic, cocaine-addled Thin White Duke was obsessed with SpongeBob SquarePants. I feigned mutual enthusiasm because...well...he was David Bowie.
The fans ended up selecting the winner. I lost. I was disappointed, but the words of encouragement from the man himself were more than I could have ever hoped. Much to my elation, however, I later discovered that he had recorded an alternate version of the song with my lyrics. I've been dying to hear it for almost twenty years now. Interest in Bowie's oeuvre remains strong, so perhaps the song will appear on a future compilation. In the meantime, I can gloat that I share something in common with John Lennon: we both wrote a song that David Bowie recorded! read more
