Cassette From My Ex: Stories and Soundtracks of Lost Loves [Hardcover]

Jason Bitner (Editor)

Book Description

Release date: October 27, 2009

An art form combining the skills of a DJ with the intimacy of a letter, a good mixtape was the ultimate audio valentine. Today, when the iPod and playlists reign supreme, the cassette has been rendered obsolete, and the art of crafting these sonic calling cards has been relegated to back-of-the-closet, thirty-something nostalgia. Now, thanks to Jason Bitner, we can relive our lost youth and lost loves.
In Cassette from My Ex, sixty noted writers and musicians wax poetic about their own experiences with these charming artifacts and the relationships that inspired them. Contributors include:
Maxim editor Joe Levy
Author Rick Moody
Former Rolling Stone writer and MTV2 veejay Jancee Dunn
The Magnetic Fields’ Claudia Gonson
Stories range from the irreverently sweet, such as the doomed love affair between a Deadhead and a Goth, to the touching, such as the heartbreaking discovery of a former love passing away. Everyone will find a story or a song to relate to. Just hit play.

 

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for CASSETTE FROM MY EX:

"Anyone who understands the obsessive attention to detail, the time it took to collate, select, and edit the content of a perfectly executed mix tape, or just someone who appreciated the rhythms and nuances of such extraordinary artifacts will treasure this collection of stories, comfortable and secure in the knowledge that such exquisite efforts were not made in vain and indeed there was a time when a humble cassette tape was perhaps the greatest gift of all."

- Shirley Manson, lead singer of Garbage

 

"...I think that Cassette From My Ex: Stories and Soundtracks of Lost Loves is going to be the gift book of the season."

--KEXP radio

 

"I challenge any mix-maker to look at these glorious Maxell, Fuji, and TDK cassettes without feeling the past’s dizzying tug.... This collection of nervously-written liner notes and carefully wrought playlists recalls the thrill and anxiety that came with making a tape, and by extension, with falling in love."

--The New Yorker's Book Bench

"Few things induce nostalgia more than obsolete technology, especially obsolete technology associated with romantic crushes, like the analog mix-tape. For his new book, Cassette From My Ex, Jason Bitner—co-creator of Found magazine—asked more than 60 writers, artists, and others to share their most memorable mix-tape experiences. What results is a bittersweet look at a phenomenon uniquely suited to a format that no longer exists."
--The A.V. club

 

"Groovy-looking book for music geeks from Found magazine’s Jason Bitner. Check out the magnificent contribution by The Magnetic Fields’ Claudia Gonson from her high school boyfriend, John, who – along with friend and bandmate Stephin Merritt – she thanks for her musical education."

--Merge Records

"Cassette From My Ex: Stories and Soundtracks of Lost Loves is a wonderful, nostalgic, charmingly obsessive ode to the mixtape — in particular, to mixtapes made by ex-lovers."
--Flavorwire

 

 

About the Author

Jason Bitner is the creator of CassetteFromMyEx.com and the cocreator of FOUND magazine, an internationally acclaimed show-and-tell project celebrating found notes, letters, and other ephemera.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1 edition (October 27, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312565526
• ISBN-13: 978-0312565527
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #352,491 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Pop Anthropology at its Best November 18, 2009

By R. Elder

Format:Hardcover

Yet another piece of thoughtful pop cultural anthropology, unearthed by the professionally curious Jason Bitner ("Dirty Found," "La Porte, Indiana"). Though cassettes have gone the way of 8-tracks, Bitner defends the format and explores the tradition of making hand-tailored soundtracks for loved ones (and those we want to love us back). I read every page.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars the sweet sounds of heartbreak November 17, 2009

By Jesse Cruz

Format:Hardcover

While I'm more of the iTunes generation (never made a mixtape, but I love music), I can't get enough of these stories of crushes and breakups. Having been through a disastrous relationship last summer, I really appreciated hearing how similar my story was to other peoples breakups. It turns out we're all going through the same thing here.

Beyond that, each story shares the playlist to each mixtape, so it's a great book to help discover new music. Definitely a great gift book!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Love In The Time Of Tape Hiss November 18, 2009

By mike

Format:Hardcover

Jason Bitner understands that our memories are more intimately tangled up with our music than anything else. It's an idea that's so right, so clearly and intuitively true, that I can't believe this book hasn't always existed. In Cassette From My Ex, Bitner enlists stellar contributors to show that that the most personal and evocative artifact of any relationship is a good mix tape. In stories indelibly linked to the mixes in this book, each author shares with us the good times and the bad that were preserved through the soundtracks they gave to their relationships. A great read--guaranteed to send you digging up your own old mixes and reminiscing.