I remember spending hour after agonizing hour crafting the most perfectest mixed tapes when I was thirteen, fourteen and fifteen. The art isn’t just in finding an ear-pleasing, brain-loving flow, but timing and sequencing every song in such perfection that not only is there not too much gap between the ends and beginnings but there wasn’t too much wasted space at the end of side A or side B. Now, that took some doing, because nothing killed a groove like having to fast forward through 30 to 60 seconds every time you flipped.
I had mixed tapes for every mood from heartache to aching for Duran Duran. I mixed and matched to my hearts’ desire.
And sometimes when I’m making a playlist for my iPod, I feel a little nostalgic, but it’s really not the same. Oh, you still get the feel of the art of putting together the ultimate mixture of just the right sounds, those audio carresses that can bring you to that special place…but these kids today don’t know what real challenge is. They don’t know the limitation of a 60 minute cassette that you have to flip half way through; they don’t have the skill to time the gaps between songs “just so” or plan the whole 60 minutes so that there’s no wasted space on the ends. They probably can’t even fathom the concept of listening to 60 minutes of music that is the same 60 minutes of music every time, in the same order every time — no shuffle! Gasp!
I love my iPod. I’m grateful I don’t have to relive the days of 60 minute music that’s the same every time, in the same order every time. However, some days I get nostalgic for those good old days. So when I saw these clever USB memory cards disguised as Mixed Tapes, I couldn’t help but giggle. Totally cracked me up.
Comments on this entry are closed.