A crash course on the mix tape (required reading)

At some point we should explain the full meaning of mad world mix tape, but today we'll start with the basics. So what is a mix tape? It can be something you make for yourself (like a workout mix) or a gift for someone else. It’s in the second case where the notion of the mix tape takes on special significance. In my experience the full meaning of the gift mix tape is not fully understood, so here is a crash course:

Image credit: PhotoGiddy, Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)

• The mix tape is more about the giver than the receiver. Although the person making the tape generally makes a nominal consideration of the taste of the giftee, what they are really doing is exposing a piece of the themselves. The mostly unrealized goal of the process is for the giftee to call the tape creator to say that some song on the tape is a new favorite, or better yet, that the combination and sequencing of the songs must be unique to world history and brings new meaning to both the songs and the life of the listener. No pressure whatsoever.  

• Although it is not always a “declaration of love” as implied by the otherwise amazing High Fidelity by Nick Hornby, a mix tape is a meaningful transaction. Let’s face it, in the era before digital recording, it was a major pain in the ass to make a mix tape. You had to really care about someone to go through the hassle.  But now that the whole process has been simplified by technology, it seems as though the notion of the customized mix has been demeaned. Yes, song mixes are posted on the internet, but I see few examples of the one-to-one effort that used to be common.

• Mix tapes are a snapshot in time. Even the most exuberant of tape makers know that it is unlikely that an entire mix is going to resonate with the targeted friend/lover/whatever. So it is made for the now, not posterity. This is just as well. Don’t let nostalgia for bygone days and technology let you forget that tapes became more hiss and less music with each run-through.  

The problem with the last point, is that occasionally a mix tape takes on greater significance and, therefore, a lasting reputation. In my case, it was the first tape I made for a girlfriend that eventually became my wife. At the time, great care went into it, though the intended subliminal message of “I love you” was so overt that it somewhat overwhelmed the intended target. No permanent damage was done and now the tape is part of family lore. We have occasionally put it back on and smiled at the collection of songs about love and devotion.

Except one.

-T