Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Grown Up

So I have done various grown up things in life. I am married, I'm 31, I take care of two cats, I buy my own insurance, I have various bank accounts, I teach college students, I almost have a PhD, etc. But today I did something that I felt truly marked my passage into adulthood. I got rid of nearly all my cassette tapes. It was really sad and hard, but in the end I needed the case for my dissertation tapes (how sad is that?) and I faced up to the cold, hard fact I no longer owned any sort of tape player, and that I had not listened to any of the tapes since probably 2000. In fact, the last time I remember listening to any of them was when I lived in DC with Melinda and we popped Into the Woods on and proceeding to sing along with the whole thing. I believe a friend of ours who I was dating was with us at the time, and may have been mildly alarmed.

The tapes were mostly soundtracks from musicals, which I spent a lot of time checking out of the library and dubbing. I also had all of They Might Be Giants' stuff until about 1994 (John Henry was the last album I had on tape). More than anything, these tapes represented high school to me. Me listening over and over to musicals, hearing non top-40 bands like TMBG and realizing there was so much more out there than what I had experienced so far. Anyway, I'm thinking that when I am moved I need to spend some serious time getting musicals from the library again and burning them, to recreate a little of that old vibe in a 21st century kind of way.

I did keep a few tapes. And I know you are dying to know what they are. I kept: Newsies (look at Christian Bale sing and dance!), Oliver and Company (no one remembers this one! Songs by Billy Joel!), a tape of a Collegium Musicum concert from college in which I dressed in medieval garb and played the crumhorn and finally a mix-tape from my high school friend Valerie.

6 comments:

Cath@VWXYNot? said...

I left all of my cassettes at home in England when I moved to Canada in 2002, and was secretly relieved when my Mum got rid of them all. I don't think I could have done it myself.

Topher said...

Any musicals you need that I might have? (I have a lot of Sondheim.)

Laurie K said...

I wish my mom would have gotten rid of them one of the times I left all my worldly belongings at her house. It would have been easier!

Dude, I need all Sondheim musicals. If you want to send any my way after I move I would love it.

Melinda said...

I also have many burned musicals in my itunes collection, and would be happy to share.

I would give anything to have my cassingles back.

Anonymous said...

R.I.P. Harvey the Wonder Hamster

B said...

ah yes newsies! I had a friend growing up obsessed with that movie.