A Trip Down Amnesia Lane...

Well about a million years ago (ok, maybe like almost 25 years ago) there was an entertainment mecca where every child wished to go. It was called Showbiz Pizza place. I was lucky enough to live down the street from a Showbiz in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Because it was kind of on the expensive side at that time, we only were able to go there on special occasions like birthdays, etc.

During my entire lifetime, I can remember having only 1 birthday party and it happened to be hosted at Showbiz. I remember that it was my 11th birthday only because I got a rockin' cassette tape of Starship - Knee Deep In The Hoopla (1985)(Insert sarcasm here.). I also remember that someone bought my brother and I a glass collectors mug. My brother got the Billy Bob mug and I got the Mitzi Mozzarella mug. After about 10 years, my brother broke his mug and was very upset about it. I on the other hand, still have mine which I proudly flaunt to him. I use mine to have a cold brew from time to time (that's probably wrong on so many levels!)



Anyway, for some reason that place held a certain magic for us kids. On the main stage there was an animatronic band called the Rock-A-Fire Explosion that consisted of Mitzi Mozzarela (Vocals/Cheer Squad??), Duke LaRue(Drums), Fatz Geronimo (Keyboard), and Beach Bear (Guitar). There were also two side stages that showcased Billy Bob Brockali and his little sidekick Looney Bird (Billy Bob was supposed to be the star of the show) and Rolfe DeWolfe and Earl Schmerle (who were like the comedy act I guess). We would always try and look under the curtains to see what was really going on back there...



Looking back, the animatronics are pretty choppy and horrible, but back then it was state of the art. I recently read in a copy of Rolling Stone magazine of all places that since Showbiz went out of business (it was bought out and replaced by Chuck E. Cheese), individual collectors have been aquiring the Rock-A-Fire Explosion band sets and re-programming them to play whatever music they want them to play. The person the article spoke about actually programmed the band to play a song by Usher which is just sacrilege to me! I prefer to remember them back in their prime...



To read more about the magic that was Showbiz Pizza Place, check out this hard core fan's website.