When I was in 6th grade, my parents got me a stereo system with an AM/FM radio, a turntable, and two tape decks. For the next several years, I became obsessed with taping every song off the local radio station (local was about 20 miles away in Pipestone, MN). While KISD FM 98.7 has now become an oldies station (not that there’s anything wrong with that), when I was a kid, it introduced me to all kinds of music, including my favorite of all bands, They Might Be Giants. For a naive little kid living on a dairy farm outside of Lake Wilson (pop. 300-ish), it opened up a whole world of music. This is my love letter (and anal-retentive filing system) to the songs of my youth.
UPDATE: In addition to my obsession with blogging about my obsession of recording music off the radio, I’ve now also become obsessed with blogging about my obsession with converting my old 45s to mp3s. . .
UPDATE #2: And then, after many a year, my obsession of recording music off the radio would return with a vengeance.
This is so brilliant, I can’t even stand it … I used to do a lot of taping of a local WSTO show “Alternative Sunday Night” and wish I still had the tapes. I’m going to be addicted to this site for a long time I suspect … congrats on the Freshly Pressed on your older post 😉
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Thanks! I went to check out my stats for the day and was completely blown away when instead of the usual 1-7 views there were 300! I’m very excited!
Hope you continue to enjoy the site, I’ve got 70 tapes in all from the radio, so this is going to be a long project 🙂
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I wound up with about 7,000 for my Hugh Laurie review when I got FP’d at Hear Hear last June (5,200 in one day). I’ll be adding you to my blogroll this evening, I think your site is one my readers will enjoy … will send you a link when I have it up there 🙂
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7000!!! Wow! That’s awesome and intimidating all at once. Thanks for the add, I’ve added yours to mine as well, great site!
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Thanks … but don’t be intimidated. I average about 150 to 200 views a day. Minus that spike, and the 2500 on Christmas 2010 when Cake featured my review on the front page of their site. For the most part it’s loyal regular readers and occasional spikes when I review someone particularly current and/or controversial 🙂
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Thanks for the pep talk 🙂 Any regular reader is a gift, and today was one helluva gift.
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You’ve been added to the blogroll: https://mixedtapemasterpiece.wordpress.com/2012/04/12/radio-vii-side-a-track-2-the-one-i-love-by-r-e-m/
Scroll down to below PJ Media, but above The Midlist. You’re currently the top-ranked blog on the list that isn’t something I’ve written for at least once 😉
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You, sir, are awesome. Thanks for adding me and for the great write-up, too. For the record, I’m not actually native to Austin but from a small dairy farm in southwest Minnesota. But Austin’s been my home for almost a decade now, and if there’s one place that teaches you the importance of music, it’s this town 🙂
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That’s funny I can’t believe I posted the link to your own article 😉 At least you found it … lol!
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Well, it is a pretty great article 😉 Thanks again.
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I’m lovin’ your blog — fantabulous six ways to Syttende Mai
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Thanks!
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I feel obligated to tell you that several of the band-members of “They Might Be Giants” used to house/dog-sit for some of my friend’s parents. I’m pretty sure you want to know this even though we don’t know each other. Cheers.
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You were right! I DID want to know that! That is all kinds of awesome!
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Am I the only one who gets excited every time I see pictures or hear stories from/about Istanbul? I don’t think that I am.
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Ha! You are not alone, my friend 🙂
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As someone who grew up in Marshall, MN, I may be one of your few followers who’s actually heard of (and been to) Pipestone. Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed!
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Thanks! And welcome, fellow southwest Minnesotan! My brother and his family currently live in Marshall. As a kid, getting to go to Marshall and eat at Hardee’s was a big deal for us 🙂
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Hey Starstorm – can’t believe this is the first time I’ve registered your pic here – nice mullet! 😉
I have nominated you for the Reader Appreciation Award – but here’s the thing, I’ve scheduled the post to be published tomorrow, hence I can’t send you the link to it now… Anywho, hope you will accept it. Love your blog, as you know! 🙂
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Ha! I accept! I accept!
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Awe, MN love! The radio station that is currently shaping my “youth” (I will never grow up) is the current, 89.3 Great blog.
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Thanks for checking it out 🙂 I hope to be posting again regularly soon.
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[…] hat-tip to Starstorm over at Mixed Tape Masterpiece, whose constant stream of retro reminders will keep you flashing back to the glory days of alt-pop […]
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You made lovely-dovey mix tapes for the objects of your desire, didn’t you? Come on, ‘fess up.
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Heck yes I did. I was so proficient that I would buy a CD that had a song I wanted for a mix tape and record that song from the CD to the tape. I don’t know if there’s a term for that kind of step backward in technology. . .
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Yes, there is a term: horny.
Did it work? Did women clamor at your feet? I formally request a blog post recounting the various love tapes you employed and the level of their efficacy. You know, to educate, not because I find it hilarious. You could use porno names to protect the innocent.
I was the recipient of a couple of those tapes. (Not from you, from other guys. I think.) To this day, I cannot hear “Personal Jesus” without shuddering. He was cute but misguided. I already had a Jesus but he went by his more common name, Ghirardelli. I saw the error of my ways, though, and recanted my heresy in favor of true religion: espresso.
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Horny, THAT’S the word. I don’t believe there was any clamoring, but I think a few ladies appreciated it. I have a couple mixed tapes in my collection that were put together by me and not the radio, and some that I received as well. That might be worth a post or two. . .
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Prom’s coming up for thousands of similarly afflicted young men. Your post would be like a public service announcement for the shy-yet-technologically-inclined. You could change somebody’s life, taking him from Broke From Video Games to Broke From Prom Rentals. Except the latter comes with potential actual nakedidity instead of merely simulated, an obvious bonus.
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That is a good argument for posting about the art of mix tapes 🙂 Also, I will be starting to use “nakedidity” more often.
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Really great and unique concept here! I’ll definitely give it a read! I have a radio show and I’m a music journalist, I think you’d like my blog! Check it out! http://www.stephmusicguru.com
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Thanks for checking out my blog! And yours looks really great, I’ve got some catching up to do re: your podcasts. Love your headphones, by the way 🙂
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Not a problem! Thanks again! Let me know what you think of my podcasts!
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sweet blog!
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Thanks!!!
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I just realized how close to Iowa you grew up. You poor thing, I feel your pain. I grew up IN it.
Oh, and Moo! (A code only rural Midwestern folk can decipher proficiently.)
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Ha!
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I love your blog so have nominated you for the Liebster Award!
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Thanks for the nomination! I’m glad you’re enjoying the blog 🙂
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Starstorm, are these songs from original mixtapes you made and recorded? I love this , gave me some great flashbacks, You actually inspired me to think about blogging. I have a great Love of music.
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They certainly are 🙂 I’ve even uploaded pics of all the tapes themselves on the individual track list pages. For example: https://mixedtapemasterpiece.wordpress.com/tape-deck/radio-i/ And very happy to hear that this might have set you on your own path to blogging! Keep me posted!
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I will be following your blog, and have one of my own now, my first attempt, however I am much more interested in doing something that’s a little more focused. Your Blog is awesome! I look forward to checking in!
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Thanks for subscribing! Hope you continue to enjoy it and good luck on your own blogging.
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liking the website man! as you like they might be giants here’s my review of their gig her ein melbourne, it was first time i’d seen them and they playin back home in ireland in november! http://cracklingvinyl.wordpress.com/2013/04/27/gig-review-they-might-be-giants/
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Thanks for checking out the site, and loved the review for TMBG, sounds like it was an awesome show!
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TMBG – great band!
Love the site.
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Thanks! Hope you continue to enjoy it!
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Hey, What you have created here is awesome. I’m amazed you saved all those tapes!! Thanks for the throw back memories. 🙂
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You’re welcome! Thanks for checking out the blog, I hope you continue to enjoy it 🙂
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Seriously, this site is so much fun. So many throwbacks, it’s awesome. And TMBG forever. 🙂
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Yay!!! So glad you’re enjoying it!!! Thanks for subscribing 😀
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Hey there! If you get a chance can you shoot me an email at NYSeanJohnson@icloud.com – I’d like to see if you’d be interested in a quick chat that I would incorporate in a special post I’m planning to celebrate Prince’s 1984 masterpiece.
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Ah, mixtapes. Those were the days. Timing, timing, timing. People really had to love their music in order to spend that godawful amount of time on it. Well, wasn’t awful for diehards like us, I suppose… but people not-so-musically-inclined, perhaps. 😛
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You’ve summed it up perfectly 🙂
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Why, thank you! I do my best to be relevant 😛
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I really, really love this blog. That is all. 🙂
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Yay! Thank you very much! Glad you really, really love it, it’s made my day 🙂
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Thank you and congratulations for the Blog! I just created this website in order to post about a literary project I am developing. As it is about music, I think that you may actually like it. Check it out sometime!
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Great blog! Music, music, music, couldn’t LIVE without it. And your pic is epic, lol. Kudos, Emily
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Thanks!!! Hope you continue to enjoy it, and I think you’re the only one who has ever or will ever refer to that picture as epic 🙂
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You mention They Might Be Giants….. one of my favourite bands too! I’ll enjoy keeping an eye on your blog!!
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Awesome! Hope you enjoy!
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