A little mixology.

It’s a little known fact that I am a highly-qualified mixtape maker. This is due in large part to the fact that my beloved old car (a sporty little Mazda, known affectionately as ‘The Moz’) only had a tape deck, and also to the fact that I usually had vast distances to drive between home, college and work thanks to living in Deepest Rural Florida. If I wanted music for my hour+ car rides, I’d have to whip up a mixtape. Soon, my friends were making them for me, too, and we started exchanging them as tokens of affection and mutual awesomeness.

Now, of course, I take public transport and I don’t have a tape deck which means I don’t get a chance to properly exercise my skills any more.  If you’ve read High Fidelity, you know just how much work is involved in making a proper mix, and while it can be an extremely arduous process, it’s ultimately rewarding. While I don’t miss the long, long drives I used to have, I do miss making mixtapes.

Then I figured, hey, that’s what I have a music-related blog for, right? So, without further ado, here is a very brief Audio Visual Mixtape for your enjoyment.

Kate Bush-’Running Up That Hill’ (1985)

(Favorite line: ‘Tell me, we both matter, don’t we?’ OH MY GOD. Actually, pretty much every line in this song is gold.)

Depeche Mode- ‘Never Let Me Down Again’ (1986)

Is it homoerotic? Is it a reference to drug and alcohol addiction? Really, it’s just a great song.

Magnetic Fields- ‘Crazy For You (But Not That Crazy)’ (1999)

(Favorite Line: I pretended you were Jesus. You were just dying to save me.) I think this might be a fan video, but if it is, it’s extremely well done.

And to end on a happier note:

Pixies-’Here Comes Your Man’ (1989)

I may be weird, but Pixies make me happy. Then again, so do the Smiths. I’ve never sung karaoke before, but if I were going to, I would probably choose this song.

Wow, that took longer than I expected! My mixtape-making muscles really are out of shape. Hm. Maybe I should make the Audio Visual Mixtape a weekly thing, just to make sure I keep my skills honed.