Taco Fiesta - The Lost Mixtape Vol. One

The idea behind Radio Blueman was to produce an imaginary radio broadcast. I figured whenever I was inspired, I could write about stuff, and maybe post a few songs. I thought it would be like putting together a weekly mixtape.

To me, the mixtape was always much more than just a random collection of songs. I labored over the song selections. There was so much to consider. The running order, the vibe. The finished product was a vehicle of personal expression. Sometimes, it was a love letter.

Thurston Moore put together a great book on the subject last year. There is also a great passage on mixtapes in Nick Hornby's High Fidelity...

So, anyway, here's the reason I've been babbling on and on about mixtapes. We had a nice little shindig here Saturday night. Tacos, tequila, and good music. Getting ready for the party, I remembered that I'd made a bunch of mixed cds for another party a few years ago, and sought them out. It turns out that I'd made 11 full discs of music. The tracklistings are pretty arbitrary. I remember I just kept grabbing stuff from my collection and sticking on songs that moved me at the moment. Part of the idea was to not be too self-conscious or second guess anything.

Here is the tracklisting for discs one and two:

Disc One:

Bam Thwok - The Pixies
Next Big Thing - The Dictators
Queen Bitch - David Bowie
Chinese Rocks - The Heartbreakers
Friction - Television
Judy Is A Punk - The Ramones
Sexy MF - Prince
Sonic Reducer - Dead Boys
Monday - The Jam
Hang On To Yourself - David Bowie
Highway To Hell - ACDC
Color Me Impressed - The Replacements
Antmusic - Adam & The Ants
Amoeba - The Adolescents
Rats In The Cellar - Aerosmith
You Would If You Loved Me - Biblical Proof of UFOs
Sexy Bride - Air
Tipp City - The Amps
You Stupid Asshole - Angry Samoans
Dance This Mess Around - B52's
Down By The Water - PJ Harvey
Reignition - Bad Brains
Sabotage - Beastie Boys

Disc Two:

She Said - The Beatles
Devil's Haircut - Beck
Back of a Car - Big Star
New Radio - Bikini Kill
Playground Twist - Siouxsie & The Banshees
Little Fury - The Breeders
Rise Above - Black Flag
Passive Agressive - Biblical Proof of UFOs
Sex & Drugs & Rock 'N Roll - Ian Dury & The Blockheads
Another Girl, Another Planet - The Only Ones
100% - Sonic Youth
Rapture - Blondie
Picturebook - The Kinks
Girls and Boys - Blur
No Aloha - The Breeders
Why Can't I Touch It? - The Buzzcocks
Where Diamonds Are Halos - Sugar
12xU - The Subdebs
No More Mr. Nice Guy - Alice Cooper
I Am The Cosmos - Chris Bell
This Is Radio Clash - The Clash
Naked - Clawhammer
Breaking Glass - David Bowie

By the end of the evening, the party actually divided up into 2 groups... People singing karaoke in the back room, and a handful of us singing songs and playing instruments in the living room. We managed to mangle dozens of tunes, including several Big Star, Bowie, Kinks, and Who songs. You haven't lived until you've heard a guitar, mandolin, piano version of Roky Erickson's "Bloody Hammer" performed by loud, drunk people who can't remember any of the lyrics.