Is the Art of the Mixtape Dead?

If you’re like me, you’ve wondered whether the iconic “Boombox Scene” from Say Anything would’ve been quite so dramatic if John Cusack was holding up an MP3 player instead of a boombox that housed a mixtape.

Or can you imagine High Fidelity without the series of mixtapes recounting the breakup songs of countless loves? Forgive me for the abundance of John Cusack references, huge fan here.

The Art of the Mixtape

[Video] Peter Gabriel – In Your Eyes via Peter Gabriel’s YouTube channel.

But yet, mixtapes could be on the verge of a comeback predicts Michele Catalano. In an article titled,“The Lost Art of the Mixtape,” Catalano remarked, “The art – and make no mistake about it, it is an art –  of making a mix tape is one lost on a generation that only has to drag and drop to complete a mix.”

I have to agree with Catalano. I mean, is it the same to say, “Hey man, I dragged and dropped this awesome playlist for you, it’s super rad.” Of course, most people aren’t using antiquated colloquialisms like super rad in the first place, but you see my point.

There was something fulfilling in gathering a collection of favorite songs, cueing them up on the stereo, and writing things on them like Best Mixtape Ever across the front of the cassette with a black marker.

Catalano isn’t alone in her lamentation of the death of such a critical part of our Lo-fi childhoods. Ransom Riggs over at Mental Floss shared a similar sentiment in an article celebrating the nostalgia of the mixtape.

I also have fond memories of recording a late night punk rock show called Interference on KWOD 106.5 out of Sacramento, CA. It was that show that cultivated my interest in 80’s hardcore punk, much to the displeasure of my mother. I’m sure it was much too loud for her taste. But I remember having several cassettes with my favorite songs all in a row, playing many of them until the ribbon snapped and I had to splice the tape back together.

Nowadays, a CD is just as good in my opinion and can be a welcome gift for any music lover. A friend of mine recently made me a CD, including Belle and Sebastian, The Smiths (A mixtape staple for any occasion), and Iron and Wine.

I consider it a thoughtful gift. It gave me the inspiration for this blog post, actually. When is the last time you put together a CD of favorite songs for a friend?

If a resurgence of mixtapes and cassette culture continues to spread across the web (it already has), I’ll be glad to join in the fun. As someone who sadly watched the tape disappear from music store shelves, only to be replaced by CD’s, and then subsequently watched the CD give way to the Napster generation, the era of the mixtape is one which will be remembered fondly.

Vinyl and cassette tapes are mostly gone, but not forgotten, with many new fans discovering them for the first time. Much like the Ebook, which calls into question whether the book will go the way of the dinosaur, the mixtape teaches us that if there is a niche audience out there, anything can survive. So there may be a mixtape in your future after all.

What memories do you have of mixtapes? Tell us about your tape collection in the comments section below.