Mixtape
by J.A. Pak
To Mara
Hand Delivered
Hey Mara,
It was fun talking about all the love songs the other night. Here's a CD I made. Hope you like it.
See you soon,
Your Friend
p.s. If you want to add anything, or delete anything, just email me. Here's the list.
CD: Untitled
Tracks
1. Falling In Love At A Coffee Shop (Landon Pigg)
I found this one on the diamond website. You can download it for free. In case you want to download it. Directly. Sometimes I do wonder what you're thinking about but I guess I'm always afraid to ask. Maybe you'll tell me sometime. I hope so.
2. The Christmas Song (The Raveonettes)
The Raveonettes are coming to town next month. On the 13th. It's Friday the 13th. Maybe you want to come? Or maybe Friday the 13th is too freaky?
3. Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps (Doris Day)
I rented Strictly Ballroom. I liked it but I still think Moulin Rouge is better. I know. The male/female divide. I guess I won't try to make you watch the Three Stooges again.
4. What I Like About You (The Romantics)
5. I Melt With You (Nouvelle Vague)
Now I know what you're talking about. It's weird to hear it all the way through instead of in bits and pieces in commercials. I like it.
6. She Drives Me Crazy (Fine Young Cannibals)
I guess it's He Drives Me Crazy?
7. Why Don't You Do Right? (Sinead O'Connor)
8. More Than Words (Extreme)
Did I tell you I bought a guitar? A used one a friend was selling. I can only do three chords but I'm learning. I hope I can get better.
9. Heart Of Glass (Nouvelle Vague)
You were right. It is "mucho distrust". Is this a guy or a girl? Hard to tell.
10. Lovefool (The Cardigans)
You seem to really like Scandinavians.
11. You and Me Song (The Wannadies)
I had to laugh because you do hate it when I try to make you laugh. I'm sorry if I tease you too much sometimes. :)
12. Paper Wings (Gillian Welch)
This one's really depressing. Maybe you shouldn't listen to it so much.
13. Crazy (Patsy Cline)
Ditto.
14. Sweet Dreams (Patsy Cline)
Ditto.
15. Bewitch, Bothered and Bewildered (Sinead O'Connor)
Getting Better.
16. Silent All These Years (Tori Amos)
I laughed remembering what you said. No, you'll never turn out like that. I believe in you. Really. Don't laugh. I'll always hear you, Mara.
17. If You're Not The One (Daniel Bedingfield)
You're right. It's fucking confusing. It never makes any sense. But I wouldn't trade that feeling for anything in the world. It's the closest to intergalactic travel I'm ever going to get. I bet it's better. Maybe if you could just forget about #12? Maybe if you could let me try convincing you?
18. Love Is A Stranger (Eurythmics)
Maybe if you could forget this one and just concentrate on the next two?
19. Angel (Gavin Friday)
20. You Really Got Me (The Kinks, Live Version)
Hand Delivered
Hey Mara,
It was fun talking about all the love songs the other night. Here's a CD I made. Hope you like it.
See you soon,
Your Friend
p.s. If you want to add anything, or delete anything, just email me. Here's the list.
CD: Untitled
Tracks
1. Falling In Love At A Coffee Shop (Landon Pigg)
I found this one on the diamond website. You can download it for free. In case you want to download it. Directly. Sometimes I do wonder what you're thinking about but I guess I'm always afraid to ask. Maybe you'll tell me sometime. I hope so.
2. The Christmas Song (The Raveonettes)
The Raveonettes are coming to town next month. On the 13th. It's Friday the 13th. Maybe you want to come? Or maybe Friday the 13th is too freaky?
3. Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps (Doris Day)
I rented Strictly Ballroom. I liked it but I still think Moulin Rouge is better. I know. The male/female divide. I guess I won't try to make you watch the Three Stooges again.
4. What I Like About You (The Romantics)
5. I Melt With You (Nouvelle Vague)
Now I know what you're talking about. It's weird to hear it all the way through instead of in bits and pieces in commercials. I like it.
6. She Drives Me Crazy (Fine Young Cannibals)
I guess it's He Drives Me Crazy?
7. Why Don't You Do Right? (Sinead O'Connor)
8. More Than Words (Extreme)
Did I tell you I bought a guitar? A used one a friend was selling. I can only do three chords but I'm learning. I hope I can get better.
9. Heart Of Glass (Nouvelle Vague)
You were right. It is "mucho distrust". Is this a guy or a girl? Hard to tell.
10. Lovefool (The Cardigans)
You seem to really like Scandinavians.
11. You and Me Song (The Wannadies)
I had to laugh because you do hate it when I try to make you laugh. I'm sorry if I tease you too much sometimes. :)
12. Paper Wings (Gillian Welch)
This one's really depressing. Maybe you shouldn't listen to it so much.
13. Crazy (Patsy Cline)
Ditto.
14. Sweet Dreams (Patsy Cline)
Ditto.
15. Bewitch, Bothered and Bewildered (Sinead O'Connor)
Getting Better.
16. Silent All These Years (Tori Amos)
I laughed remembering what you said. No, you'll never turn out like that. I believe in you. Really. Don't laugh. I'll always hear you, Mara.
17. If You're Not The One (Daniel Bedingfield)
You're right. It's fucking confusing. It never makes any sense. But I wouldn't trade that feeling for anything in the world. It's the closest to intergalactic travel I'm ever going to get. I bet it's better. Maybe if you could just forget about #12? Maybe if you could let me try convincing you?
18. Love Is A Stranger (Eurythmics)
Maybe if you could forget this one and just concentrate on the next two?
19. Angel (Gavin Friday)
20. You Really Got Me (The Kinks, Live Version)
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Author's Note
This short was published in the lovely Verbsap a few years ago and is sort of dedicated to all the sweet, shy boys of my youth.
Other stories by J.A. Pak
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I love mix tapes. I love love. I love this.
I'd love to have this one!
I love mixtapes too, Misti, especially as gifts. So glad you enjoyed the piece. Thanks for commenting.
Wish I could send you a copy, Jeffrey!
You have a gift for dialogue J.A., sounds so natural. Love the speaker in this. And of course, the tracks.
Fave.
Quirky and original. Like how the tracks themselves tell their own story. Different and good.
I like this. It reminds me of how, I really don't want to talk to people anymore. I just want them to hand me their iPhones so I can see what music and what podcasts they're listening to. Do they have OK Jazz, La India Canella? Eric Clapton? YoYa Ma. I want to know. Maybe I'll riff off your piece and try something like that. That's probably wrong though. Good one. It makes me think, and it's amusing. I think I'm going to fave it.
Thanks so much, Roberto. Some of my earliest memories are of listening to my mother gossiping with friends and family. Conversations have always riveted me.
Sally, thanks so much!
Steven, you're tough. I'm definitely not going to let you see my music collection. Thanks for commenting!
Great piece J.A.! Origina. Like Sally says, I love how the tracks tell a story. Great choice for the final track, too. *
Oops, that should say "original". Fictionaut ate the "L".
This is great. I'm not sweet, or shy and definitely not young, but I still make "mix tapes" (playlists) all the time, give them as gifts and always hope that the songs have the same effect upon others as they've had on me. I don't think they ever do though. Music is so evocative and provocative- so hooked into emotion and memory and so personal....I like this as a piece of writing and insight into someone else's head and a relationship...*
This has all the right elements to make it have lots of appeal, and timeliness and kooky freshness that had me nodding, humming, spiraling, etc. Love it!
Fave.
Thanks, Chris! You know, I rather like "origina"!
Thanks, Michael! Since you're not shy, I hope you tell girls you like them directly instead of slipping them a mixtape. Keep mixing!
Robert, love it that "Mixtape" had you humming and spiraling. Thanks so much!
Such a cool & quirky dazzler. *
Thanks so much, Penny!
LOL at "Live Version." I so thoroughly enjoyed reading this.
I mean, who DOESN'T like mixtapes, both compiling them and receiving them? I no longer have a tape deck, but construct a CD-length mp3 playlist every Sunday for my blog. I guess that's progress, or maybe just a slight shift in cultural evolution. At any rate, nothing beats sharing music to try to get a message across to someone (paraphrasic Bee Gees reference).
Totally agree, Fred. Thank god technology has made things simpler. I'll never forget the mixtape I received when I was in college. Guy had one of those nifty machines that transferred music from vinyl to tape so the result was really professional. I think he must have spent about 6 hours hunting down the songs I liked. Now that's a crush... ;)