Have you ever made a mixtape? We’re sort of willing to guess that if you’re listening to our show, at some point or another you have. But… did you actually do it on “a tape” or was it a mix CD? Was it a playlist in the cloud? Does this matter? Are all of these things mixtapes or is the mixtape something special? Two weeks ago, Mav had this fleeting thought and posted it to Twitter at 3am before going to bed. When he woke up, he learned that someone had written a whole book just to answer this question. On today’s show, Mav, Hannah and Wayne welcome Jehnie Burns, author of Mixtape Nostalgia: Culture, Memory, and Representation to talk about the history and cultural significance of the mixtape, the playlist and the artistry of collating your own musical experience.

Why does the idea of mixtapes give us such a feeling of nostalgia? Why does it feel like a special artistic and creative experience? Why are they so personal? Is there a difference between a mixtape and a playlist? Listen and let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Citations and Links:

* This episode’s Call for Comments* Mixtape Nostalgia by Jehnie Burns* Love is a Mixtape by Rob Sheffield* High Fidelity by Nick Hornby* Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn* Mix Tape: The Art of Cassette Culture by Thurston Moore* Phonographic Memories by Njelle W. Hamilton* “This Doritos bag plays ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ music” by Mike Sorrentino* Mixtape: The Song and Scenario Card Game* “Fish is Biodegradable” by Wayne Wise* “e160. Remembering Thought & Thinking About Memory” of VoxPopcast* “e109. Scores & Soundtracks” of VoxPopcast

* Thank you to Maximilian’s thoughtForm Music for our theme* Follow Jehnie on Instagram: @mixtapehistory* Follow Hannah on Twitter: @