Love Is A Mix Tape - Rob Sheffield (Three Rivers Press)

 

Just recently reprinted and issued in paperback, now is the time to get your hands on a copy of "Love is a Mix Tape" by notable Rolling Stone writer Rob Sheffield.  Rob is known to many of us for his rock journalism, not just in Rolling Stone but in Spin, The Village Voice, etc, and for being a commentator on many a MTV and VH1 show.  But many of you probably didn't know that before Rob moved to New York in the late 90s, he had a whole other life in Charlottesville, VA with his beloved wife Renee, who passed away in 1997 at the age of 31 of a pulmonary embolism.  This book, subtitled "Life and Loss, One Song at a Time", is Rob's goodbye elegy to his wife, done by sharing the personally warm anecdotes about their deep love of music, and their even deeper love for each other.  Making mix tapes was a big part of ther relationship, and Rob uses some of these mix tapes to set the stage for the stories he wants to relive for himself and for us, the readers.  There are lists of these songs at the start of each chapter, and one has to wonder if anyone has gone ahead to create their own Rob n' Renee mix.  While most of the compilations are filled with lots of 80s and 90s alternative tunes (like REM, The Smiths, and lots of Pavement), there are also a lot of classic rock, country standards, Motown, new wave, hip-hop, and dubious top 40 tunes.  This was a sigh of relief, for everyone secretly wants to put "Mmmbop" by Hanson on their mix tapes but no one wants to admit it or actually do it!  So it is quite admirable and very sincere of Rob to wear his heart on his sleeve for his gal Renee and not care about the consequences.  The book opens with a lyric from Pavement, "I wasted all your precious time, I wasted it all on you" (from the song "Perfect Depth"), and this sets the tone for the poignant story Rob is about to tell.  Part nostalgia for a time lost, and part hope for a new future, one can't help but to feel sincere empathy for the guy as he deals with his agony and loneliness.  But in the end, the music gets him through and this is something we all can relate to.  The book isn't all doom and gloom, though, and for the first two thirds we are treated to all the magic and excitement that their burgeoning relationship and mix tapes offer.  And even though we know Renee's fate before we crack open the spine, the actual event comes as a tremendous blow.  Definitely read this with tissues in hand and time to gobble the 224 pages in one sitting, as you won't want to put it down.  And then dig out your Pavement records, or Cheap Trick, or Blondie, or Big Star, or......

Love Is A Mix Tape - website