After seeing the amazing Guardians of the Galaxy again this weekend, we here at GG Inc. have been waxing nostalgic about ye ole mix tapes.
 | Lauren: I remember the days where making a mix tape was waiting to record your favorite songs off of the radio - and trying not to catch the DJ talking. Or using a corded microphone to tape songs playing from my little record player. |
Later, I thought I was fancy when I got the double tape deck so I could record a mix from all the different cassettes (and ca-singles) I owned.
Making the perfect mix to fit a mood, or as a gift, was a labor of love marked with time and effort. Today, making a playlist serves the same function, but somehow is missing the soul of an old-school cassette mix tape.
Making the perfect mix to fit a mood, or as a gift, was a labor of love marked with time and effort. Today, making a playlist serves the same function, but somehow is missing the soul of an old-school cassette mix tape.
| Heather: Mix tapes used to be used for everything... ...Dating someone new? Here is a mix of sappy songs. ...Just broke up? Here is a mix of angry rock and pop punk emo songs. ...Going on a road trip? Here is a driving mix. |  |
The mix tape could be a work of art and if you made one for someone it was to convey friendship, happiness, love and loyalty.
 | Joelle: I would spend an entire Saturday listening to the radio to catch and record all my favorite songs. It was an art form. After cassettes, I remember my mom getting this pimp stereo that had a drive for CD-Rs so I could actually record songs from different CDs. For me it was the birth of the playlist. |
| Jen: I'm older (clearly) than Joelle, and my parents wouldn't ever buy me any music - but they would buy me blank cassette tapes, and I spent hours listening to the radio and recording my favorite songs so I could play them back later! It was truly a practiced art form, getting as close to the beginning and ending of the songs without ending up with commercials or DJ talk over any of it. |  |
| Meghan: I still have all of my mix tapes from when I was a teenager. The best part was waiting ALL NIGHT for your favorite jam to come on the radio so you could record it. There was one song that was my elusive "white whale." I ended up giving up and recording only the second half of it because - f* it... |  |
To this day I cherish the snippets of radio promos, DJ jokes and other nutsy things from when radio was a thing. (I'm pretty sure radio is still a thing in smaller places like my hometown.)
Lindsey:
The end of "Goodbye Earl" got cut off on my favorite mix tape - I still expect to hear "B-B-B96" at the end of that song.
The end of "Goodbye Earl" got cut off on my favorite mix tape - I still expect to hear "B-B-B96" at the end of that song.
 | Lindsey: I still have mix CDs from anonymous college guys. They are awesome. I listen to them still. Who knew that "When I Think About You (I Touch Myself)" would calm a crying baby.... Jen: Ha Ha! I loved that stupid, disturbing song... |
| Brooke: Me too... A college boyfriend put that song on a mixed CD for me, also! Lauren: What do you say to that dedication? Ummmm, thanks? ;) Brooke: Isn't that what mixed tapes were all about? A (cheap) way to delight your loved ones with your thoughtfulness? |  |
They transcended relationships, too. You could make one for your BFF, for your boyfriend, for your mom. Guardians of the Galaxy captured the significance of the mixed tape for pop culture to illustrate a more innocent era long gone, but it also used it to show the deep love and understanding of a mother for her child.
