thurston moore of all people (you were expecting maybe nick hornby?) has written a book on the mix tape called mix tape: the art of cassette culture. i have not read this yet (it's been out less than a month and sometimes things are slow to reach australia) but i'm curious to know why, now, we have a book about a phenomenon (probably not the right word) that was over several years ago. not that i'm complaining - i'm very curious to know what sort of book moore has in him (his posts on chugchanga were always worth reading), and god knows i made my share of tapes back in the day. this quote from amazon captures the heyday nicely:

“Ask any ex of yours from the early ‘90s about the amorous mix tapes you once made, and chances are, Sonic Youth appears somewhere among the track listing. So, perhaps it’s fitting that Thurston Moore is working on a book that takes a nostalgic look at that most humble vehicle of adolescent expression. Mix Tape: The Art of Cassette Culture explores the sound mixes and art we created in our bedrooms long before iTunes and Photoshop.” - Michael Dougherty, Blackbook Magazine, Fall 2004

as if any of your exes still has anything you gave them.... i don't recall much sonic youth in there, though one ex-girlfriend suffered through my guided by voices obssession - there must've been 2-3 songs a side on most of the tapes i made for her.

i began making tapes for myself around 1978 or 79, when i managed to convince my mother to get me a receiver, a tape deck and speakers. i taped my favorite songs off of stations like KTIM and KOME - sort of an early audio Tivo. i didn't start making comps from my own collection until i had a record player - and a decent vinyl collection, which hitherto had been almost entirely cassettes. i can't remember which girl got the first one, or what was on it; at any rate i don't recall making any before 1990, when i got my first serious indie rock girlfriend.

the cd compliation has taken its place, the key differences being the ease of composition - no more worrying about equalizing the volume, or catching the beginning and/or end of tracks that started and/or ended 'hot', or the tape running out before the last track - and the length. nearly all the mixes i made were on 90-minute tapes; with CDs you get 70 minutes: it makes a difference.

they're still fun to do, they're still great vehicles for flirtation, great gifts, excellent time-wasters, outlets for frustrated DJs. and with photoshop, cd labels and a printer you can spend hours putting a single comp together. i recently did a two-disc comp (including artwork) of the fall for a couple of friends that took days. it can be a very satisfying hobby. gospel for a coworker, powerpop for a cousin. i'm on the verge of getting an iriver, which opens up whole new worlds for sharing playlists, podcasting, etc. so i look forward to reading moore's book. i'll keep you posted.

here's a piece moore wrote for wired last year.

someone's put up this discography (complete with artwork) of their mixtapes.

outsource the tracklist.

the mix community.