First, the title of this post doesn't come from my own clever brain, rather, it is the title of an actual book by Rolling Stone writer Rob Sheffield. I haven't read it yet, but it comes highly recommended and I'm hoping to pick it up soon. The artwork at left comes from this book.
With the slow demise of cassettes, I have been contemplating the phenomenon of the mix tape in my own life and in our culture. I still remember the first mix tape I made for my husband, back in 1996. He was on vacation in Maryland, I was preparing to leave on a (separate) trip to Florida, and his birthday was approaching. We hadn't been dating long enough for me to send anything too expensive or too romantic, but I wanted him to know I was thinking of him. The perfect solution? A mix tape, of course! Between packing my suitcase and the arduous process of casette-to-casette recording, I stayed up all night making that tape. I mailed it the next morning, and I suppose the rest is history. He did marry me, after all.
While CD's and other new-fangled technologies make it easier than ever to create a personalized music mix for yourself or your friends, I can't help feeling that we're missing out somehow. Back in the day, a mix tape was the perfect gift, because the recipient understood the amount of thought and effort that went into its creation. Today, you spend a few minutes plugging the songs into your computer, hit the "burn" button, and you're done.
I guess what I'm really pondering here is nature of gifts. As children, we start out by making things with our own hands and anything we can stick glitter onto. As we get older and wealthier, we can afford to buy more elaborate and expensive gifts for our loved ones. But I can't help wondering if those pricy gifts, which take just minutes to select and purchase, are really a better representation of our affection than the time and energy invested in the creation of a mix tape, or even a macaroni necklace.
4 comments:
I just have to say, it takes me a long time to make CD mixes.
Maybe it's just me.
But I get your point, and totally agree.
I'm all about the collage cards...do you think three year olds appreciate those more than the store-bought sticker cards? It had dinosaurs, I got sucked in.
Happy B-Day Ella!
The challenge as adults and the non-handmade gifts is to raise the bar to theme packages. If you really take the gift idea to the next level, packages can be the most thoughtful and even useful gift out there. I hate to say it, but besides mixed cds (especially yours), I generally don't care for handmade gifts. Unless someone has a talent for what they're making, handmade gifts can suck. I realize that's a horrid thing to say, but I had to throw it out there.
MF
Hi! I just wandered over from Eric3000 (he's great, isn't he?) and will bookmark you 'cause I like you!
Mix tapes. As an old punker now married 15 years, I really miss no longer making and receiving mix-tapes. Of course, my husband made me one right about the time of our third date... That bit in "High Fidelity" is good, huh?
-- desertwind
Sweet! Thanks, desertwind. I had intended to quote from "High Fidelity" in the post but felt that it might be too obvious. Or something.
You other ladies bring up an excellent point, I'm certainly not trying to say that store-bought presents are bad or that I want to receive only handmade gifts for the rest of my life. In fact, I had intended to talk about the demise of the cassette. You see how easily I get distracted? I guess I'm just feeling envious of people who have the talent to make lovely things with their own hands. And I do think that the amount of thought that goes into a gift is almost as important as the gift itself, whether one is buying or crafting it.
Post a Comment