This one is tough.
I was never close with Cory Jacobson, but he had been a constant figure in my life. When I was fourteen years old, and our family moved back to Sioux Falls from a few years stint in San Antonio, Cory was the "guy at the video store" recommending and renting a mighty fine film or two to this young man. His knowledge of film, particularly cult and hard-to-find films, was monumental. His influence on me during those early years of film discovery was beyond what I could have imagined.
He was always weird. Bizarre, even, sometimes, but always wonderfully very weird in the best ways possible. He carried that weirdness with pride. Something I very much applaud and think we all could do more of. It'd make this world of ours a better place if we were all more like Cory.
He was never pompous, full of himself, or acted better than anyone else around him. He was always a friendly, honest, and genuine person.
We didn't see much of each other over the years, other than at Best Buy or Barnes and Nobel, the only real places left in town to buy films from (and Best Buy is drying up - a constant source of frustration for Cory and myself).
More than likely, I would find him hanging at the State Theatre, which had recently opened back up in the last few years. He loved that place a great deal, and I wonder if he ever missed a film shown there.
We never had much in the way of in-person conversation, even when I did see him there. We always seemed content with a nod of acknowledgment that we were in each other's company.
I wish I would have said more.
One thing I'll miss a great deal, as is no doubt true in these times, are his social media posts on Instagram detailing his recent film acquisitions in which he would photograph his purchases in front of local landmarks. They were always neat to see, and I was always envious of what he would pick up. To this day, I have no clue how he had so many movies on his shelf.
I, like many, will miss him a great deal.
Cory was one hell of a guy.
One that Joe Bob Briggs would call a "Drive-In Kinda Guy."
One of a kind, and kind.
A rare breed.
- Jake Martin, July 03, 2023
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