Cassettes come back to touch the heart

A piece of plastic.

It could be anything on the outside: black with funky doodles, gray with blue clouds and batting eyelashes, plain white peppered with lazy scrawls or simply an eye-popping pink.

But the inside always remained the same: 90 minutes of unassuming magnetic tape that managed to become the soundtrack to the lives of a whole generation of teens. Nothing could compare to capturing those fresh ambitions, sweet loves and heartbreaks on a brand new cassette, letting the dulcet tones of The Velvet Underground, The Magnetic Fields and Joan Jett immortalize and express so explicitly what couldn’t be said with just words.

Cassette From My Ex, a compilation book of mixtapes and the stories behind them, gives the modern-day reader a glimpse back into the heyday of an ’80s and ’90s rock ‘n’ roll scene and romance.

Jason Bitner, editor of the critically-acclaimed LaPorte, Indiana and co-creator of FOUND Magazine — a project that specializes in collecting unearthed notes and letters — brings readers Cassette From My Ex in an attempt to reintroduce the lost era of mixtapes. Like so many of his projects, the compilation is about capturing the feelings of a fleeting moment onto something tangible.

“[Now] so much of our communication is digital, and there are far fewer physical messages sent,” Bitner said. “Cassettes are largely obsolete now, and I just can’t imagine that we’ll put out an ‘iTunes Playlist From My Ex’ in 20 years.”

While infusing readers of the digital age with nostalgia for the days of analog media, Bitner and his contributors introduced the importance of the human “voice” and the makings behind a mix.

“Cassette From My Ex is a storytelling project based [around] love and music. Music can trigger so many memories, and the handmade artwork on mixtapes can do the same,” Bitner said. “We love hearing stories about being young and crushed out on someone, and these cassettes are a great way to conjure these tales.”

With kitschy scrapbook-style art from cover to cover, Cassette From My Ex reads like a note from a best friend — unpretentious, casual and full of surprises. Each essay brings something new to the table and anyone who appreciates music will find something to treasure in this collection of rock ‘n’ roll and alternative memorabilia.

For those with less cultured repertoires that don’t delve into funky Norwegian rock or Spanish fairytales, well-known bands and songs such as Nirvana’s “Oh, the Guilt,” R.E.M.’s “S. Central Rain (I’m Sorry)” and Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” are also included.

Reading from Cassette From My Ex is often interactive, with regular “a-ha” moments at the nuances and perfect pairings of songs with the experiences shared by contributors like Jancee Dunn, former Rolling Stone writer and MTV2 vee-jay, and Claudia Gonson, pianist/drummer/backing vocalist for The Magnetic Fields.

With stories ranging in tone from the nonchalantly sweet and comical to the poignant and touching, Cassette From My Ex reads like a celebration of relationships and the great music behind them.

Although none of the stories have the typical fairy tale ending, they all avoid the expected carousel of misery and woe-is-me feeling of most breakup narratives. They instead opt for remembering the best of times and learnt lessons.

Some highlights and favorite pieces include “Ribbed … For Her Pleasure” by Rick Moody and Stacey Richter, which includes a comical exchange about an ideal mixtape; “Ken’s Corner” by David Greenberger, about the life and death of an endearing cassette critic; and “40 oz. to Freedom Mix” by Sara Strahan, detailing an unfolding romance between friends. Each story includes a corresponding tracklist and the original mixtape can be listened to online at www.cassettefrommyex.com, giving readers the chance to be there visually and auditorily for these captured moments.

“Everyone loved making tapes, and even better, receiving a tape. If someone made you a mixtape, you knew they were into you. It was the perfect medium to send messages,” Bitner said.

With Cassette From My Ex as the guide, those mixtape messages have been received. Regardless of age or interest, readers will find a story that resonates with them and reveals something new about love and music.