Back in like 1988, my friend Laura made me an awesome mix tape of Alternative/Underground music. The tape was awesome and got a lot of playtime in my tape deck. The last time I remember having this tape was in the fall of 1990 when I drove from Devine (Hell) to San Antonio with a friend (whose name I think was Stephen) to drop some stuff off for his dad, who worked in some high security area of the base.
We jammed all the way to SA and back. For years I thought I had left that tape in his truck and never got it back. I loved that damn tape!
Flash forward to today, almost 22 years later and out of the blue, a random post on my facebook wall that was actually a link to a reporters video of his journey inside North Korea, and PRESTO!, I learn what became of my favorite mix tape.
It turns out, that my BFF Kris (R.I.P.) "borrowed" it. Now, I very well might have lent it to him to make a copy and forgot about it, after all, it has been over 20 years, but I'm gonna stick with "borrowed".
It would not have been the first time he "borrowed" a tape. In Spring, 1990, we had gotten into a fight (over a girl, long story, Hi Kristi!) and one day when my back was turned during Astronomy finals, he helped himself to my Shenandoah "The Road Not Taken" cassette tape to make a mix tape for his girlfriend (again, Hi Kristi!). He knew that tape had been a present from another good friend of mine Paul Bullerman, so while I had suspected him, I didn't quite believe it was him. In 1992, he fessed up and returned my tape on one of his visits. So it's not like he didn't have a history of "borrowing' things.
Flash forward to today. The intro the the aforementioned video just happened to include a song called "Warm Leatherette" by The Normal, which coincidentally was the first song on the lost mix tape. Finding it amusing that such an obscure, underground London punk song from the 70's had made it's way onto CNN, I posted a link on my FB Wall and tagged the creator of the original mix tape in 1988, Laura for a quick trip down memory lane.
Another beloved friend from that time period, ironically, also named Chris, happened to spot said link and commented on how he and Kris used to cruise to that song down Walzem in his red Hyundai and that he thought he still had that old mix tape somewhere.
Hmmmm, now my curiosity has been peaked. Could it be, after 20 years, my favorite mix tape thought to be long lost? I responded to Chris with the question "Does that tape also have 'Harley David' by the Bollock Brothers?" if so, IT'S MINE!!
So it turns out after over 20 years, I finally solved the mystery of "What the hell happened to my awesome mix tape?"
It was an unexpected, fleeting trip down memory lane.
Here's to the memories!!
