Mix Tape
Music is my life. I remember my dad letting my listen to vinyl copies of ‘Another One Bites The Dust’ and ‘Godzilla’, and asking, no, begging for him to move the needle back to square one when the song finished. I remember my mom putting on Chipmunk Rock, and I’d enjoy squeaky renditions of ‘Jessie’s Girl’ and ‘Hit Me with Your Best Shot’.
When I got my first radio/cassette player, I wore out Hank Jr’s ‘America, The Way I See it’ and AC/DC’s ‘Who Made Who’. I knew the lyrics to ‘Under The Bridge’ and ‘Money For Nothing’.
In the sixth grade, I started to record songs off of the radio. Mostly, because it is cheaper for 5 blank tapes, than for 18 new cd’s. These tapes piled up, and sometimes, I’d record over them with newer songs.
On one with a poorly drawn lizard, I compiled a true mix tape.
Ozzy’s Mr. Crowley, Outlaws’ Ghost Riders, Ratt, Kiss, Kid Rock, GnR, NRG, and others all copied from their various formats and sequenced to magnetic tape, and played at high volumes so many times that I can’t listen to ‘Heavens on fire’ with out wondering where the warble and fading went.
Nowadays I Burn cd’s. Some of these mixes are just mixes that fit a mood or attempt to draw out a different mood. Some are memories.
Mix #6, Class of 2006.
1. Man In The Box, Alice In Chains
Blaring from my Jeep after a showing of ‘Sandlot’ at the Kelso Pub.
2. Learning To Fly, Pink Floyd
Winterball with Helen, not knowing if I wanted to chaos I was causing.
3. Redneck Gigolo, Terrell
Shooting Pool at Pokey Joes with John and Dustin.
4. Dare, Gorillaz
Sitting on the roof of my jeep at one of Gray and Colby’s bonfires.
5. Crazy Bitch, Buck Cherry
Roofing That summer with Tim and Namm. A little bit of Katy in their somewhere too.
6. Foxey Lady, Jimi Hendrix
It always reminds me of Brandi and her party.
7. Rip out The Wings Of A Butterfly, HIM
My 18th @ Whitneys, and the loss of 2 different friends that weekend.
8. Strutter, The Donnas
The redhead I met at the concert.
9. Last Nite (Live), The Strokes
Skipping Autoshop
10. Welcome Home, Coheed and Cambria
The Night four of us drove to Portland to See Coheed Live.
11. I Will Refuse, The Ministry/Pailhead
The Joshes Stealing a flag from the golf course @ 3am.
12. Mob Goes Wild, Clutch
Hanging out with Gray, BOB, and Luke on Skip Day.
13. 12:51, The Strokes
Fwooosh.
14. Blitzkrieg Bop, The Ramones
For mine and Du’cks Ringtones.
15. Scotty Doesn’t Know, Lustra
Flying Down Pacific/The night with Katy, Chris, & Chubbs.
16. Cowboys From Hell, Pantera
Arriving At school to early with Brandon.
17. Burn, Burn, LostProphets
Failing to start ‘Reclaimed’.
18. Swing Life Away, Rise Against
Greg’s Basement.
19. Sunday Morning, Maroon 5
Driving home the next morning, windows down, stereo up, and shirtless.
19 songs, 71 mins that sum up an entire year of my life, preserved on plastic.
