The lost art of the mixtape

Mixtapes are a lost art. In the old days, resources were limited. You only had 45 minutes per side on your cassette, and time was an issue since it generally took at least 2 hours to create a 90 minute mixtape. Not quite the same thing as click, drag, and burn.

However, when you click and burn, all the meaning gets lost. Since taping was usually a real time activity, you had plenty of time to read the liner notes, contemplate the meaning of the song, or look for hidden symbolism in the cover art. I doubt kids today even know what what liner notes are. When you have 40 GB on your Ipod and are limited only by the throughput of your firewire connection, you don't need to put much thought into the song selections.

I've gotten so lazy I usually buy my new music from Itunes. I've noticed the difference. I can listen to a CD a dozen times and still have no clue what most of the song titles are. I never engage that second sense of vision to make the connection with the material. I only hear it, and I think you lose something when you only experience music that way. I'm not talking about listening with headphones, which is a completely different level of listening and one I sadly never have time for either.

By the way, I never made a mixtape for a girl. Mixtapes were personal for me. I made them for myself.