The Art of the Mixtape

This subject is dead for a number of reasons. One, tapes are rarely listened to any more. Two, even CDs are near obsolete. And thirdly, aside from the advent of and tyranny of personal mp3 players and compressed bits of music, this subject has been treated with a great amount of writing, from Nick Hornby's High Fidelity to a number of indie-pop enthusiasts own blogs.

However, I am here to hail that the art of the mix has not been lost. And follows is a personal narrative of my own decision to build a compilation for a significant boy far, far away. In doing so, I learned how a mix (in this case on a CD) can be both personal, distant, and, lastly, largely about the person making it moreso than the receiver of the mix. However, these days, it can serve a more genuine emotional purpose than a well written letter.



I. Why

So, the first reason for making a mixtape is because there's someone who you feel deserves a mixtape. In my case, I'd met a sweet boy during my travels and only later discovered he liked me. I then felt it was appropriate for me to transfer all the songs I listened to that made me yearn in some way, to the yearning I felt for a plane ticket to go see him again. Having only an address and no money for a ticket, I set to making a mixtape. Of course, I am one of those people who walks around with an iPod wherever they go. Thus, my music collection is largely digital (though I do boast a nice collection of vinyl, if I do so defend myself). So, I paged through my iTunes and put together 19 songs that I thought were well suited to the mood I was in when I thought of him. Then I arranged them in an order that didn't create any large leaps in mood but rather a gradual crescendo. Before going into the specific song choices, I would like to defend the mixtape/CD as a form of communication superior to others.

One, I should start by saying I am a letter writer. I write letters in LONGHAND and actually mail and send them to people, wherever they may be in the world. It doesn't matter if I have two dollars in my bank account, I will go out of my way to buy a two dollar stamp so that two page letter can get to Caitlin in Taiwan, or Hanna in Berlin. That being said, there are times when a letter doesn't cut it, or calls for a supplement to the words on the page. We all know there are limits to what language can express, and certainly when it comes to emotions, music can fill this void well.

My letters are often accompanied by CDs. I will rarely send a CD without a letter, though I have done this from time to time. But the reason the mix is in there, is because it has a longer lasting purpose than a letter. Sure, someone might walk around with the ideas or stories you wrote in a letter, but a mix of music is expansive. Someone can play it at different times, and in different places. They songs will get caught in their head, and they'll hum to them or perhaps share them with others. Music is personal in that the messages contained in the lyrics usually have somewhat of a relevance to the person you sent it too, but it also has an emotional component that can't be controlled. Anytime someone listens to a song, their interpretation of it will be as unique as they are as an individual. The chords, melody, lyrics, sound of the singer's voice, will all strike them in a way that the sender can't control.

This creates the big risk in sending a mix as well. There's a possibility that the Tom Waits song that saved your life more than once will drive the recipient of the mix crazy. They will always skip this track, and excuse it when it accidentally comes on at parties. That is, if they enjoy your mix enough to play it at a party.

But the positives of making a mix usually outweigh the negative risks. At its best, a mix of music will introduce someone to something new in the context of the thought of you. I am not hiding the fact that all aspects of mixtape making are generally subjective and certainly selfish. Basically, a mix says, here's some music I like, now like me even more.


II. What

My mix CD wasn't that tricky, because I've been listening to a lot of music on repeat this summer. When I got back in touch with said boy, I kind of transferred, as I mentioned, these musical moments of nostalgia to him. That being said, I did pull out a few dead ringers, or code for, I REALLY LIKE YOU.

Below follows my mix list:


Tex Ritter - Cigarettes, Whiskey & Wild, Wild Women
Hurdy Gurdy Man Donovan
Satellite Of Love 3:42 Lou Reed
Chelsea Hotel No. 2 3:07 Leonard Cohen
The Tide That Left And Never Came Back 3:09 The Veils
A Century of Fakers 4:32 Belle & Sebastian
Midnight Cowboy 2:43 Harry Nilsson
Baby, Let Me Follow You Down 2:36 Bob Dylan
Time is on my Side 2:58 The Rolling Stones
America. 3:36 Simon and Garfunkel
Tennessee 4:10 Silver Jews
There Is A Light That Never Goes Out 4:03 The Smiths
Telephone Call From Istanbul 3:12 Tom Waits
You Beat Me to the Punch - Mary Wells
no name #2 3:35 elliot smith
You Love Me 4:02 DeVotchKa
Elephant gun 5:49 Beirut
You Shook Me All Night Long 3:30 AC/DC
All I Want 3:34 Joni Mitchell

Then, I usually proceed to play this mix to myself on repeat for a couple days before sending it.

That being said, just as there are limits to words in a letter, there are limits to making a mix tape. One, you yourself have only been exposed to so much music. You are working within your own collection of tastes, and invariably your mix will reflect said taste. Actually, mixtapes seem to have taken off so well starting in the late 70s because we entered a cultural moment where social interaction became based on what you like rather than who you are. This tradition continues today. Faced with a world where other values, such as religion and social status, have become more fluid, an entire generation of young people have formed their relationships with people who listen to, watch, and consume the same media they do. Just think of myspace or facebook. These are two "social networking" sites that rely on people profiling who they are via the books, TV, movies, and music they like.

Also, pop music ( the main idiom through which mixtapes are built) is overwhelming about love. So, even if you are making a mixtape for a platonic friend or family member, it is unlikely that it won't include a couple of love songs. But that's also the beauty of music, it becomes a metaphor for other things. "I'm just dyin' in your arms tonight" can mean something other than what the literal words mean.

With that thought, I encourage everyone to compile a mix something (tape, CD, whatever) and give it to someone you love or like or whatever. Because words just aren't enough, and they never will be.