Bringin' Back the 90's

My '97 Toyota Camry is endowed with what is now considered a retro tape deck, though in '97 it was standard issue. This tape player usually sits idly by as I blast the radio or chat with friends, but not this week. Two days ago I impulsively grabbed a Grisham classic on tape--The Rainmaker--at the library and threw in the first cassette. After the tape churned and moaned a few times, the player rejected the offering and spit out the crusty, white tape. I flipped it a couple times in hopes of fixing the unintelligible sounds, and finally the voice garbled briefly for 5 seconds. As if on cue, a chipmunk took over and sped through the first few paragraphs on triple speed. I rewound, pressed play, rewound again, and kept at it until I could finally hear Rudy Baylor discuss Ms. Birdy's poor choice in will allotment. The producers of this particular reading even added tacky background music during supposedly intense scenes, so if I space out on I-95, I know when to tune back in. Words like "cheap", "sticky red lip stick", "paralegal", and "instant coffee" float around my car and I relax, knowing that though the insurance company is denying the Black family coverage, and though Ms. Birdy feels familial neglect, Rudy will beat the odds in their behalf and stick it to the man for the little guy. I may be anti-hightops, I may be anti-shoulderpads, and I am vehementenly anti-Richard Simmons, but I embrace the 90's creation of the cassette. It truly is a gift that keeps on giving.