Listening to: Zandee's AWESOME mixes
Believe me, being the blogger who runs this little soiree we all call mixmania! has it's advantages. Some players are gracious enough to send me copies for the troops over in the sandbox which gives me the opportunity to send those CDs along so we can all say "it's a stupid war but we're behind you." That should be enough but a few even include a copy for lil' ol' me for organizing this thing. It's win-win, as far as I'm concerned.
The hassle is dealing with the emails of those who haven't received a mix. "Be patient," I tell them and hope that the emotional adolescent who was matched to them will finally get it together and do what they were supposed to do weeks earlier. When hope plays out, I end up sending the screwed a copy of one of my sorry-ass mixes. A half dozen trips to the post office gets old when I don't really have to go had folks fulfilled what they promised.
Another thing that pisses me off is the lack of graciousness of the few (very few, thankfully) of those who get a mix and get all snotty about the mix they've received, either by not saying shit one way or the other or saying, "well, it's not what *I* would listen to...".
Getting a mix of something you wouldn't normally listen to is THE FUCKING POINT - if you wanted to get a mix of something you would listen to, you'd already have it on your hard drive, right? Isn't this, after all, an intellectual exercise, an opportunity to expand horizons?
I point to Sterfish as a positive example. Ster's a hip-hop fan (although if you get his 3-CD set as I suggested in my previous post, you'll see he's so much beyond that) but when he got a mix composed largely composed of country, he kept an open mind. Sure, he said, it's not what I'd usually listen to but man, it opened my mind to some good music I would not have normally sought out.
For myself, I was fortunate enough to have Zandee matched to me (although she's always been one of the gracious to send me disks), so I get to hear what rock/pop/altenative/hip-hop sounds like south of the border. Some of the selections on her DISKS (yes, she had to do two CDs like Mamacita, Hank, among others...) was stuff I'd heard before but oh, so much, stuff I've never heard - wouldn't seek out, normally - but so glad I have it now. How the fuck is that a problem?
My only problem with Zandee's disks are that they are not as they are as she lists them on her site... grrrrrr. AS far as I can tell with Disk 1, anyway. The entire Second disk is all in Spanish and rocks my balls off. Those of us up El Norte think that the music from south of the border is the cartoon music blasting from cherry-red pick-ups with Our Lady of Guadelupe stickers etched onto the rear window.
The tunes Zandee beats the shit out of all the stuff I usually listen to. THEY OPEN MY MIND AND MY EARS, which, IMHO, this country needs a lot more of because, after Katrina, it should be obvious we, as a country, do not have it going on in the way we figured. Time to give the rest of the rest of the world, third or not, some credit, eh?
Having given Zandee her props, and all other snark aside, I'm taking requests for the next mixmania! (including those that suggest I'm too much of an asshole to run this thing), which I will entertain until October 10 - and then, all bets are off. I'll put up another polling thing and then by October 15, we'll have our theme and then I'll keep the entries open until November 15. Lists will be due a month later. Fuck, everyone should be able to do that.
I'm going to extend the participation into November because I'm thinking we ought to go with a Holiday theme. Not "Ho ho ho" bullshit but what "the holidays" mean to you. As Bonnie would tell you - Charles Ives' "Holidays Symphony" is not about stupid nostalgia but about experience, feeling, memory - something real. Sure, I may include The Crystals version of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" but I may be more inclined to put on some Skinny Puppy. This next mixmania! will have a holdiay-extended deadline to allow all of you to come up with a theme and righteous mixes. And give me a damn rest.
My idea is a "Twisted Holiday Mix" but you can weigh in with your own idea... until October 10. One idea per day, please, don't fucking overwhelm me. This shit really is a lot of work.
And if you still haven't made a disk or posted your songlist from THIS mixmania, then please, grow the fuck up. Everyone else has played like an adult - why can't you?
Don't make me add you to the "List of Shame", you don't want that...
20 comments:
Wow, I find it hard to believe that people would be so ungracious as to complain about something they got for free from a total stranger (or relative stranger, I guess, in the world of the blogosphere). What the hell is up with that? Didn't your parents teach you to say thank you for gifts, even if they weren't exactly what you wanted?
Maybe the theme should be "Graciously Receiving Unwanted Gifts".
Someone complained? Holy scheisse, that is so UNgracious, it staggers me! I've loved every mix I've gotten from this awesome project. I consider them not only a mix of music, but also a mix of personality qualities of the mixer. We are all not only getting awesome music, we are getting an education in musical appreciation, and we are getting insight into the hearts and souls of our fellow bloggers. I would have to say that if someone only wants music that conforms to his carved-in-stone standards, he should go buy it in a store, and not sign up for this absolutely fantastic sharing of our musical tastes, and broadening of our musical exposure.
I can't believe that somebody would be so rude as to whine about a free disc in the mail. Not everybody has the same musical taste - and that's what makes this whole thing interesting to me. Hopefully the grumpy s***s won't be playing the next time.
Speaking of next time...the "Twisted Xmas" theme sounds great! Even if that's not what's chosen, I think I'll make a mix in that spirit as well.
No, Jim, no. The list is right. I checked it before I mailed the mix and before I posted. But if you still think it's wrong, then pop the cds on your computer. Each song has a name (to the beach, ilegally, to school, etc) and that title is matched with the correct song in my list. I'm 95% sure the list is right, why do you think is wrong?
My kiddos love Heather's mix so much that they keep stealing it from me. They were shocked by #1 and love to warn me, between giggles, about that.
Ah...Charles Ives. His 2nd Violin Sonata is exquisite.
You have the gift of encouraging relationships, Jim, even within the blog community. Once our musical preferences are noted we've taken off part of our masks. Lu does this with her games--mere serendipity?!
I received Ster's great driving mix, and his AMAZING anime-related three-CD bonus. As I am not a fan of either hip-hop or anime, I would never have heard much of this music were it not for Ster's generously sending it to me. Reading his thoughts about each of the tracks when he posted his playlist added to my appreciation of them. Why would someone participate in mixmania if they had particular expectations about the music that would arrive in their mailbox? Of course, expecting that a CD would arrive is completely reasonable.
I love the idea of a holiday theme for the next mixmania. Holidays can be so emotionally fraught, and there's the whole tension between consumer culture and religion, and and and... I already have a half dozen songs in mind.
I can't believe anyone would complain... gah. Mine was great and while not something I *would* listen to it's something I do now because it was put before me, and I enjoyed it. Matt did too and has stolen it from me. :) (I think mainly because he didn't get his mix from last time - who ever that was, you are just a bad player.)
Also, Jim, I'm worried. I haven't heard from the person I sent mine too, and I'm concerned that they might not have gotten it. The postal service here sucks - we lost 20 wedding invites just a month ago, so I'm terrified they never got thier mix. Did you get it? Or am I being over anxious??
But again, thanks for this - I know several people who hope to play along next time after reading about my mix and those of others who played along. I've been enjoying everything I've gotten so far!!
Yeah, what everyone else said.
I *LOVE* my compilations and what's more, who doesn't totally get into burning their mixes?
Once again, kudos to you and Mamacita for the creative genius behind Mixmania and FWIW, (coming from me..yeah, a little biased, maybe) I think you make a damn fine host. Your passion for music is contagious and you have just the right amount of snark and bite to keep things purring.
Prince of Mixmania, you are.
p.s. i adore you-- just a little.
Not quite true. She adores you a LOT.
I'm not sure I'll be able to participate next time around since I'll be a bit busy with a newborn right about then. However, it won't stop me from weighing in. I like the Holiday theme idea, but leaving it more open because, personally, I like the HoHoHo bullshit. ;)
There is such a wide variety of holiday music out there, it's always fun to find something new. Also, with the days getting shorter and the nights coming sooner, a Nighttime Mix could be fun.
I keep checking in to see when I can participate in the next one. The timing of family matters is making it a bit prohibitive time-wise.
And geez, show some appreciation for people's efforts!
The mix I got for July was eclectic and while I don't "love" all of the songs on it, there are a few I do, and I "really like" quite a lot. Some I may have never listened to if it weren't for your efforts (and those of the participants).
I, too, am enjoying the hell out of this project of yours! I didn't receive a mix this month yet, though, but I'm hoping it'll show up! And Sterfish already received my mix, and I'm tellin ya, there's not hip-hop song ONE on it, but he was nice enough to say he enjoyed it. That's class!
Thanks for doing this, Jim. It's an opportunity to share my geeky music love with other music geeks of all origins. (Martians, anyone?)
Thanks for the compliment, Natalie!
A Holiday mix sounds like a very cool idea. That would probably be fun. Also, I think a "Guilty Pleasure" mix could be quite interesting...
The mix that I recieved and forwarded to my match (computer problem) was returned to me by the post office... the ink is all smeared and I think they couldn't read the address. I'm sending it out again. This time written in Sharpie.
This was my firt time participating in mixmania! and I thought it was a lot of fun! I had a great time making it and receiving my disk. Thanks, Jim and Evil Mommy!
A holiday mix could be exciting and season-appropriate.
Have 'covers' already been done? There are some good, obscure ones (although a lot are shite as well.)
Just a little note to say that, although I haven't yet received my mix, I really enjoyed playing and will be signing up again.
My mix went to a hip young college dude, and my music is so not hip, young, or college dude type music, but he was totally cool about it. :-) Very nice.
I can't wait to get my mix, if I don't, getting a mix from you, Jim, would be much more than a consolation prize. :-)
Thanks for all your hard work so we can have SO MUCH fun!
Gah. I forgot to "vote", sorry.
Something to do with the Holidays, for sure! Twisted even sounds good, except that I really luurrrrve the holidays (Christmas for me) and would hope to get an upbeat type mix... although I would be grateful for my mix no matter what ;-) So maybe my vote is for Twisted (Upbeat!) Holidays. LOL Sorry. Had too many cups of tea this morning.
I have to confess that I have NOT yet sent my mix out, although I have publicly abased myself on my own site and sent apologies to my recipient via Jim. It's been a really bad confluence of events this month (for starters, my 10 gig music drive in my computer is AWOL despite my best efforts to resuscitate it), but I should have something in the mail within the next day or so (am constructing something from audio CDs instead.)
But - in true karmic payback fashion - I have yet to receive my mix gift. Which is fitting, don't you think?
I'm normally not a slacker (she says, throwing herself on the mercy of the court) - but it really has been one of those shitty months beyond belief...
I want to play this time! I promise I will be good. I already know at least one song that's going on my mix.
Well, I have to confess that I was the one with the not in order song list, however, my sorry excuse is that my mother coded on the operating room table, I had to go home and my husband threw out my handwritten piece of paper that had the list on it. Terribly sorry. If you'd like to send it back I'd be more than happy to write the list, and usually I am meticulous about my documentation of tunes, but really.......If you want to shoot a copy back to me, I'll fix it right up.
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