I had a tape recorder with the rewind button broken. To avoid listening to the other side I used to rewind using a pencil and a lot of patience. Turned out to be a great way of contemplating what you had just listened to, and what you were going to listen to again in half an hour or so. You should try one day.
Nice blast from the past, which also reminded me how important mix tapes were to encouraging people to go out with you in the 80s. I spent days thinking about which tracks to include, in which order, and then what to write/draw on the card insert so that some boy I liked knew I liked him ‘that way’ - but not too much. Even though, when you received one yourself, you knew that they REALLY liked you.
Oh yes! I should have featured the tapes from my friend Robert in the photo more prominently, because he always made lovely covers. And slightly shied away from talking about mixtapes specifically here because I kind of want to cover them separately: they were such a distinct work of craft and care. Always the best and most flattering kind of present.
I often regret that I was neither old enough nor cool enough to appreciate the BBC’s alternative music provision. I do, however, remember the joy of C90 tapes and exchanging music with friends. I still have a few tucked away in a cupboard somewhere.
Oh, I was always too square for it myself and had to rely on my friends to drag me along after them, giving me tapes of things. I was delighted to discover how many of them I still had, although very sad to discover that the tapes this piece was about have long since vanished. I hope Lars has them.
I had a tape recorder with the rewind button broken. To avoid listening to the other side I used to rewind using a pencil and a lot of patience. Turned out to be a great way of contemplating what you had just listened to, and what you were going to listen to again in half an hour or so. You should try one day.
Have you watched Wenders’ ‘Perfect Days’ yet? There’s a lovely sequence of the protagonist sitting, doing this, in a kind of meditative act.
Too hot today for euterpomps
So hot I hallucinated a whole new word into being
Nice blast from the past, which also reminded me how important mix tapes were to encouraging people to go out with you in the 80s. I spent days thinking about which tracks to include, in which order, and then what to write/draw on the card insert so that some boy I liked knew I liked him ‘that way’ - but not too much. Even though, when you received one yourself, you knew that they REALLY liked you.
Oh yes! I should have featured the tapes from my friend Robert in the photo more prominently, because he always made lovely covers. And slightly shied away from talking about mixtapes specifically here because I kind of want to cover them separately: they were such a distinct work of craft and care. Always the best and most flattering kind of present.
I often regret that I was neither old enough nor cool enough to appreciate the BBC’s alternative music provision. I do, however, remember the joy of C90 tapes and exchanging music with friends. I still have a few tucked away in a cupboard somewhere.
Oh, I was always too square for it myself and had to rely on my friends to drag me along after them, giving me tapes of things. I was delighted to discover how many of them I still had, although very sad to discover that the tapes this piece was about have long since vanished. I hope Lars has them.