In loving memory...

The compact disk.. arch-nemesis of the cassette tape. It appears that the battle has been fought and the CD has won. But I ask you: have we traded in this old friend for laziness or convenience? Perhaps both, but for the purpose of this blog entry I venture to say that the mix tape is a mark of true friendship and yes, even true love.
For many of us sharing our music is sharing a piece of yourself with someone. If this is the case, shouldn't the process of creating a mix-album require more time, thought and effort? I remember painstakingly mapping out the content of a mix tape (a nessecary process back in the day because you wouldn't waste an hour or two on something that was mediocre at best). I then remember having to sit on the floor by my parents' stereo with the other cassette tape (and later CD) carefully cued to the song I'd chosen... push play... and then sit and wait as the song worked its way through.
Folks, I fear those days are gone. In less than 5 minutes I can compile a list of songs and burn you a disk with little effort required. It says "here i am. i burned it for you. Hope you enjoy this music." But the mix tape: I spent at LEAST an hour as I sat with my tape recorder, unable to leave so as to push "pause" and then "record" at the end of each song. Everything about the process of making a mix tape is incredibly intentional. This recording process says "Here I am. I took the time to make this for you. You're worth sitting on the floor by my parents' stereo for."

I'm guilty of making mix CD's-- i make them like mad. I'm also guilty cirrculating music that I later decided wasn't all that it was cracked up to be. I'm going to put out a challange: Let's bring the mix tape back. It's that time of year again (Christmas n' what-not) What better way to show you care?