Do you remember the last drive-in movie you went to? For me it was in the summer of 1991, although I would have bet real money that it was during my senior year in high school. This is one of those instances where my timeline is off and my memory has failed me. If I hadn’t checked when I started writing this post, I would be here now insisting that this took place sometime in early-to-mid 1990. As it is, I’m a year off.
As I remember it, me and a bunch of my friends headed out to the one remaining drive-in theater in the Valley to take in the recent Kevin Costner film, Robin Hood. We didn’t really go to see the movie, but to hang out in an interesting environment. The movie kind of seeped in through osmosis. The drive-in we went to no longer exists and hasn’t for a very long time. I may have been there a few times to see a movie now and then, but this most definitely marked the last time I was ever at a drive-in movie–now more than 20 years ago.
Of course, Bryan Adams had a big hit with the theme song for Robin Hood, “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” and whenever I hear that song, I’m reminded of that night at the drive-in, hanging out with my friends. It wasn’t quite like that scene in Grease, no one was wandering in front of the screen singing “Stranded at the drive-in / branded a fool / what will they say / Monday at school?” But I think the associations are similar. We had a good time watching a mediocre movie.
And I still think that this happened in high school, despite all of the evidence to the contrary. The only explanation I can come up with is that during high school, we did go see a movie at the drive-in and there was a similar association and the two have been confused in my aging brain. If I concentrate really hard, I can vaguely recall going to see Young Guns II at the drive-in. In that movie, it was Bon Jovi singing and not Bryan Adams, but a quick check online tells me that Young Guns II was most certainly in that senior year in high school time frame. Maybe that’s what I am really thinking of, but I’ve never been reminded of the drive-in when I hear “Blaze of Glory” and I’m always reminded of it when I hear Bryan Adams’ song. Go figure.
RSS - Posts