the lost art of the mix tape

My friend Leah and I were discussing today how kids these days do not appreciate their newfangled music technology. Back in my day, we used to have to fast forward through a tape to get to the next song, or just listen to the whole album. I remember actually having to go to a music store to buy music.

My first casette tape was Def Leopard "Hysteria". I went in on it halvsies with my friend Marissa, because we couldn't afford the $7.99 or so that it cost on our own. Her brother convinced us that we were going to go to jail for copywright infrigement for making a copy of the tape. I loved to go to the music store and scan through stacks of cassette tapes, using my allowance to buy new cassette singles. A single was around a dollar, and I frequently bought two at the same time. Once I purchased Guns N Roses "November Rain" and R.E.M. "Shiny Happy People". Another combination was both the theme song to Robin Hood, Prince of Theives by Bryan Adams ("Everything I Do, I Do It For You") and "I Touch Myself" by The Divinyls. I think I was probably in the sixth grade and I had no idea what touching myself was at all. It was a good song, though.

But what has been lost is the art of the mix tape. A mix tape used to take hours to create, choosing the songs, stopping and starting the tapes, and you had to have a "jam box" that had the double cassette holders. Creating a mix tape for someone was a sign of true affection. There were no playlists, no dragging and dropping song titles. It was a labor of love. Still, a CD created for someone these days is a very personal expression.

I made a playlist for Cute Tony for Valentine's Day and couldn't bring myself to give it to him, it just felt too exposing. The chocolates had to suffice. A song is a personal thing, even if you didn't write it.