It's good to be back!
I've brought with me a pile of rummage!
First off I’d like to thank all of my patient and encouraging readers, especially the ones of you who reached out during my break! My mom had a much harder than anticipated recovery from a brain surgery, and is now, thankfully, nearly recovered 100%. As I mentioned in my most recent Note, I’m back with a full month of fun stuff for y’all, including next week’s post about my time in Ohio observing and documenting the 2024 full solar eclipse!
During the time I spent away on break from writing and sharing here, I have been collecting and creating lots of stuff that I’ll be able to share, and this week I have a big ol’ stack of tapes for you just like old times.
These were all obtained at a church rummage sale about a month ago now. This early spring brought us some really wonderful and sunny mornings to be outside, and while I was on my way to breakfast with a friend we spotted a catholic church parking lot full of tables of stuff for sale, so we decided to stop.
Some of these tapes are pretty typical of what I might find at a church sale, though one of them does stick out a little. Inside a blank red hard plastic clamshell, I found this tape labeled “Snuff Video” (not listed below). It’s the kind of unnerving and tasteless depravity you might expect from this kind of bootleg release. As far as I can tell, the publisher of this material, Shock X-Treme, put out a handful of garbage tapes like this throughout the 90s, none of which hold much value in their contents. Viewer discretion advised.
The rest of these tapes are, however, far from trash! We’ve got a behind-the-scenes look at one of the most popular Christian straight-to-video releases of it’s time (something I watched growing up several times over), a wedding home video interspersed with television recordings and an advertisement for a retirement home right on the grounds where the wedding took place, a travel / art doc that will take you from Finland to Mexico and much much more!
In addition to these tapes, at the sale I managed to grab another video head cleaning cassette to add to my collection, which has one be the most perfectly gaudy early 2000s box art designs I’ve seen so far.
Some video head cleaner cassettes have a video representation of the cleaning process that plays back as the tape runs, much like the 3M one featured in this post, and while this one just has a blank screen as the cassette does it’s job, this Trisonic head cleaner more than makes up for it with it’s maximalist box art and tape labels.
Well, sit back and relax! Let’s get right into these tapes!
The Villages Of Orange Blossom Gardens:
Sandy and Larry's Wedding Video (February 1995)
1995 | Runtime: 1 Hour
It is with a great deal of pleasure that I send you this videotape on The Villages of Orange Blossom Gardens. If you are interested in retiring in Central Florida, I'm sure that this video will be of great interest. It shows you first-hand what it's like actually being here. We hope to see you soon.
The Making Of Left Behind: The Movie
2000 | Runtime: 40 Minutes
An Insider's View of the Most Anticipated Christian Movie Ever Made! Join Janaya Stephens (Chloe Steele) as she takes you on a behind-the-scenes tour of the Left Behind: The Movie set. Based on the phenomenal best- selling novel by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, it promises to be a landmark in Christian filmmaking. In this video you'll get an exclusive insider's view of not only the magic and glamour that goes into making a major feature film, but also the sheer hard work and dedication of the cast and crew. Through exclusive interviews, film clips, and thrilling behind- the-scenes footage, you'll experience a sneak preview of what some are calling the most momentous event in Christian entertainment.
Sevierville BiCentennial 1795-1995
With Special Guest Dolly Parton!
1995 | Runtime: 1 Hour
Sevierville was established in 1795 as George Washington was serving his second term as president of a young United States. Sevierville (originally known as "Forks of little pigeon") was named for Colonel John Sevier, military hero of Kings Mountain and the only governor of the short lived State of Franklin. In 1796 he was elected 1st governor of the State of Tennessee. The last Sevierville courthouse was completed November 10, 1896 and its many arches and columns relates this building to the New York Public Library and the Grand Central Terminal in New York. A statue of Sevierville and Sevier County's favorite daughter, Dolly Parton adorns the courthouse lawn. Cities of Sevier County include; Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and Sevierville. Sevierville is the county seat. We but merely scratch the surface of Sevierville's history in this bicentennial video. It is highlighted with sketches, old photos film clips and interviews with some of our citizens. We are indebted to the authors and historians that have helped us in this cause.
Chihuly: River Of Glass
1998 | Runtime: 30 Minutes
Biomorphic glass forms floating down a Finnish river, transparent green and amethyst spears leaning against ancient Irish dolmens, exotic iridescent blossoms blooming in a Mexican factory, and an extravaganza of faceted crystal reaching upward in the Doges Palace in Venice are all part of the Chihuly Over Venice project chronicled in River of Glass. The 30-minute video tape begins with the first blowing session in Nuutajärvi, Finland, and follows Chihuly and his team to Waterford, Ireland; Monterrey, Mexico; and finally to Venice. The beauty of the glass works installed in each venue is sensitively and evocatively documented by Michael Barnard as director, chief photographer, and editor. Through interviews with the artist and many of those involved with this project, River of Glass reveals Chihuly's creative process as he draws, directs, and demands the best of his team.
Books Without Borders Presents:
What The Bible Teaches About Life After Death
1992 | Runtime: 20 Minutes
Books Without Borders Ministry is reaching the world for Jesus Christ through the distribution of the book, What The Bible Teaches About Life After Death. This important work is being translated into many languages and being dispersed throughout the world. It takes only fifteen minutes to read, and costs only 30 cents to produce. People from around the globe who have never heard of Jesus Christ are reading this book, and getting saved! Founder and author, Dr. Carolyn Diemer explains what the Bible teaches in very simple terms, about what happens to us when we die, and presents the Gospel of Jesus Christ clearly and concisely. This easy to understand book is authoritavely based on God's Word. She clearly illustrates heaven and hell through Biblical quotations and pictures. What The Bible Teaches About Life After Death can be translated into any language, relate to any country, speak to any age, and be just as effective 100 years from now. Help Books Without Borders send the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to the world with God's love.
Well, that’s it for this week! I hope you enjoyed the tapes! If you’re looking for more, please check out my page on Archive.org for the full list of digitized media. If you have any questions, feel free to send me a message right here or drop a comment below. If you haven’t already, please check out the one of my previous posts below, or all of my other previous posts here. Thanks so much for checking out this week’s edition of Diptych!
See you soon!
—Forrest
Oh we are so back!
Foaming At The Mouth For Those Eclipse Pictures!