Today, people are putting together massive mixes for their iPod or other MP3 players. When I was in grade school, we were all about the Sony Walkman. We'd dub mixes on a cassette tape. That's right kids, a cassette tape. Here's a picture of one if you don't know what I'm talking about.
This is a story about a classmate of mine who had quite an effect on my listening habits. His name was Tim McDougall and we were in grade six or seven, I can't quite recall. I was listening to a tape I made for my Walkman and this mix was a bunch of Billy Idol with some Bon Jovi and U2 sprinkled in for good measure. Tim had his own Walkman and we got to talking about music we liked. I remember the next moment perfectly, because even though it was brief the impact it would have on me would be immeasurable. Tim told me to listen to his headphones for a bit. Tim was listening to The Sex Pistols and hearing this tape opened my ears to a sound that intrigued me. Billy Idol, Bon Jovi and U2 were fine, but this was something quite different. Remember that scene in Almost Famous when the kid listens to his sisters records for the first time? That was me.
I've never shared this story before and I don't know if Tim will ever stumble upon this webpage, but if he does I just have one word for him. Thanks.
