Mix Tape: The Art of Cassette Culture by Thurston Moore

In the age of the ipod I still cling to making mix tapes*, which is kind of an art form for me. You have to time it just right (because who wants a song to get cut off at the end), orchestrate the shifts in mood and tone from quiet to loud to fast to slow to happy to depressing, etc. And then of course there's the tape cover art, labels, etc. I've seen some spraypainted tapes, which looks cool but then you risk rendering the tape unplayable.

Edited by Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth, this book showcases mix tapes belonging to the likes of Glen E. Friedman, Richard Kern, Allison Anders, and other musicians, writers, filmmakers, painters, designers, etc. From simple track lists scrawled on Maxell tape covers, to collages to crayon drawings, etc., this is a great tribute that highlights all of the things I love about tapes.


Tobi Vail, to Slim Moon

Mac McCaughan

Cynthia Connolly

Karen Lollypop/Mike Watt

Tom Sachs

Tom Greenwood

*I will admit that lately I have been making more mix CDs, simply because my car does not have a tape player. This is a much-maligned issue for me, and I did complain to the car dealer about it. He told me I could have a tape player, it would just cost extra. Not acceptable.