Ransom Riggs
The Lost Art of the Mixtape
by Ransom Riggs - November 6, 2009 - 7:12 AM

The birth of the iPod era was definitely a great day for music lovers everywhere, but the non-linear, random-accessible freedom it gave listeners also brought about the death of something beloved by many — the mixtape. Traded between friends but most often between lovers (and singles pining for it), the act of making and giving a mixtape became a symbol for the awkward affection of a generation. Found magazine co-creator Jason Bitner’s new book, Cassette From My Ex, is a wistful look back at the art and craft of mixtape making — and the stories behind them, as told by a bevy of noted writers, artists and musicians — all, at one time or another, mixtape recipients. I have to admit, I’m a sucker for this kind of thing — I get nostalgic just thinking about all those dusty old tapes in my closet back home. Here’s a clip of Jason explaining how the project came about:

Radar Three – Cassettes From My Ex – Click here for funny video clips

To give you a taste of the stories in the book, here’s one from Claudia Gonson, of the Magnetic Fields, about a tape from her boyfriend, circa 1986. (You can hear the songs on the tape here, by the way.)

John was my boyfriend from age 15-19 or so, ie: my entire high school career. These of course are the years where music leaves a passionate, indelible mark on the core of your being. It’s hard for me to comment on these songs (or some of them, anyway) without wanting to shout “oh my god, this is the most amazing song EVER!!”

Which is why I am so grateful to John. I met John in the summer of 1983. I had just turned 15. A few days later, I introduced him to Stephin, my bandmate and best friend. They were both older than me, and musically precocious. I was a little doe-eyed kid who had only heard of the Beatles. The day they met, they immediately had an argument over which Lindsay Buckingham solo album was the best. I was scared they hated one another, but it turned out this is how some boys show how much they like one another.

The conversation then turned to Yoko Ono, and it went on, for months, years… Who got the latest single from Flying Nun, or Rough Trade, or Cherry Red? Who had the cool newest solo project from David Roback of the Rain Parade? (see the “Clay Allison” track below. They were then renamed Opal, and eventually morphed into Mazzy Star). We got fake IDs in Times Square, and went to see our favorite bands live, including the Bangles, Game Theory, the Chills, and The Three O’Clock.

It was clear to me that I needed lessons: “what’s the difference between the Rain Parade, The Raincoats, and Rainy Day”? These two men infused me with more information in a month than I could have gotten in years by myself. John would buy the first three Bee Gees albums and then make me a mix-tape of the best songs. All I think I discovered for him during our years together was the Smiths and REM.

Anyway, I am grateful beyond words for John and his mix tapes (and Stephin too of course). I am certain I would not be the person I am today had I not had this orthodox musical education. I’d probably be a banker or something.

John also showed me how to listen to production. He sat me down on the bed one day and put on the Archies “Sugar Sugar”. “Listen,” he said, “to the first verse. What instruments do you hear? Do you hear that tambourine coming in on the second verse? That tambourine on the second verse is the first rule of classic bubblegum production!”

Like many mix-tape artists, John worked hard to time out each song so that the tape wouldn’t have any remaining space at the end. He also began and ended the A-side of this particular tape with a song featuring the chimes of Big Ben (the Chills and Cheap Trick).

So many of these songs have stories and memories connected to them, I could write a story for each (in fact, John sent me a marvelous email in which he did just that). And, while I don’t want to sound like that person… but what the hell, I will- some of these songs are the BEST SONGS ON EARTH. EVER EVER EVER.

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Comments (17)

  1. Love the post. On “Lost” Sawyer offered to make a mixtape for Kate. I laughed out loud. The humor was probably lost (no pun intended) on the younger generation of viewers. Mixtapes are great memories. Posts like these keep those wonderful memories alive. Thanks.

    posted by Del on 11-6-2009 at 7:54 am

  2. I guess I am still of the generation of “mixtaping”. I find that iPod just makes it easier to do with playlists…and no more pesky time restraints that cassettes imposed!

    posted by Zane on 11-6-2009 at 9:14 am

  3. @ Del -

    You know, LOST was the first thing I thought of when I saw this post!

    posted by Amy on 11-6-2009 at 9:31 am

  4. Let me just say —
    Broadway musical “Avenue Q”; one of the characters sings a song about a mixtape she received from her objet d’amour.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh9hKGRR3TY

    [i][b]-”BB”-[/b][/i]

    posted by Bicycle Bill on 11-6-2009 at 10:17 am

  5. I met a guy on vacation in high school and for a year we kept in touch via phone calls, e-mails, and mixed cd’s. (yes, cd’s count) It was really fun waiting to see what new jems he would have put on the next cd. and it was fun arranging the songs in just the perfect order. i remember i put the theme song to our favorite cartoon growing up on one cd and i cound almost hear his laugh. ah…the magic of creating the perfect mixed mediums!

    posted by megan on 11-6-2009 at 10:22 am

  6. Apparently, Claudia and I have the same taste in music. Probably unwittingly bumped into one another at a number of concerts in the ’80s, too! Ah, for the halcyon days of Game Theory, Rain Parade and The Three O’Clock!

    posted by loripop on 11-6-2009 at 10:35 am

  7. Ransom Riggs you are the best writer on this site. i love everything you post :) I still have mix tapes and CDs from old boyfriends and fellow zine makers. good times.

    posted by ka on 11-6-2009 at 11:08 am

  8. “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist” has some wonderful bits about mixtapes (well, mixCDs actually), including the inadvertent pre-romancing of Norah who rescues and listens to the CDs Nick’s ex has been throwing away.

    posted by VM on 11-6-2009 at 12:45 pm

  9. I had tons of mixed tapes. I would tape songs from the radio and even off MTV! They were dubbed “Missy’s Greatest Hits”. For a while, they were one of my most prized possessions!

    posted by Michelle on 11-6-2009 at 12:48 pm

  10. ..gotta agree with megan… the mix tape and the advent of writable CD’s gave birth to the mix CD…. even now, I know people who’s kids or students have been given a mix drive (jump drive or thumb drive).. but, yeah, mix tapes were awesome and only the truly gifted or love lorn could make a really good mix tape

    posted by greg on 11-6-2009 at 12:52 pm

  11. Great post. There’s this fairly new blog along a common thread, centered on mix CDS: sundaymixing.blogspot.com.

    posted by Mike on 11-6-2009 at 1:18 pm

  12. my fave mix tape was from before they called them that. right after they came out with radios with cassette recorders in them (way before they actually sold musical tapes and before 8 track)i recorded songs off of the radio.

    i had a cassette that was nothing but the song There’s got to be a Morning After from The Posideon Adventure. i used to play it when i did the dishes and drove my mom nuts.

    posted by ricky on 11-6-2009 at 1:31 pm

  13. Ah yes, fitting songs onto the 45 minute sides of a C-90 tape – that last song often being chosen mostly because of its length. I’d make tapes mostly to listen to in my car tape player.
    I still have a Pavlovian response to certain songs, When I hear them I expect them to be followed by the song that came after them on the tape.

    posted by PartiallyDeflected on 11-6-2009 at 1:33 pm

  14. I still make mix cds all the time, but there is something infinitely better about mix tapes…still have notebooks from high school and college where I made lists of potential tracks…cds and tapes spread out around me on the floor. You have to me more alert to stop the tape at the right spot and you really listen to it while it’s being created. I used to like to make tapes with number names like ‘Cloud 9′ and then each song on the tape would be track 9 from a different album. I love project playlist because searching through other people’s playlists is like eavesdropping on thousands of mix tapes.

    posted by vegebrarian on 11-6-2009 at 2:53 pm

  15. I still make mixed tapes (and I’m 22)! And cds, sometimes, if I’m lazy. And the thing is, years later, I still have people saying “I found that mixed tape you made me… I forgot how much I loved it…” Oh, the mixed tape. There’s nothing better.

    posted by Leah on 11-6-2009 at 3:48 pm

  16. My favortite had songs from, “The Last of the Mohicans,” on it…it was perfect for writing my Masters thesis to, so I named it, “The Wes Studi Mix.”

    posted by Helenann on 11-6-2009 at 4:46 pm

  17. Mixed CDs are a whole new art form. Now we can choose from any song in history to suit a feeling, an occasion, a roadtrip, etc.

    No longer do we have to ‘catch’ the song as it hits the top 40 station.

    No longer will one song randomly follow another. Tracks can be artfully arranged for maximum impact.

    Maybe the best part? You can make tons of copies with no sacrifice to sound quality.

    I’ve sent entire stacks of identical mix CDs to friends up and down the west coast, hand-delivered as one friend visits another. It’s so rare that we can all get together at once, but we can all enjoy the same music together!

    And no, dumping your entire folder of music on a thumb drive doesn’t count. There’s no love there, no artful collage of songs, no laser-etched permanence.

    ALL HAIL THE MIX CD!

    posted by Brammi on 11-6-2009 at 10:15 pm

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