**Update, the 15th and final Mixtape has now been sent out.  Thanks everyone who requested one!**

This week’s assignment from the League is all about the tunes we used to jam back in our high school days, and the mixtapes we made along the way.  Basically, the deal is to construct a 12-song mixtape of what we were listening to in our cars at the time.  I didn’t get my first hand-me-down car until I was 19, but between 1991 and 1995 I was the consistent co-pilot of my friend’s run down gun metal grey Chevy Caviler.  To be honest though, I don’t remember if his car stereo even worked, so I don’t have a ton of memories cursing the back roads of our town listening to anything but each other’s dumb jokes and laughter.

me

I did, however, spend an inordinate amount of time waiting after school (like 3 hours a day) for rides from my parents as I moved outside of the district a year into high school and didn’t want to change schools.  So I was the guy curled up in a corner of an out-of-the-way hall with my walkman on full blast trying my best not to go insane while I waited.

mixtape

For this assignment, I want to do things a little different.  Instead of simply listing my twelve top tunes from that era, I’m going to make some actual mixtapes (on CD) of these songs I loved at the time.  I’ll send out copies of this Branded mixtape to the first 15 people who e-mail me!  Make sure to include your snail mail address, and put “Branded Mixtape” in the subject line.  I thought this might be a bit more fun, and a slightly more visceral way of doing the mixtape.

I will say that some of the songs should be no surprise to anyone who has read Branded for any length of time, but, especially for the time, I listened to some goofy stuff.  Anyway, lets see how this turns out.

If you have a moment and would like to see what some of the other League members put together, mixtape-wise, why not visit some of these fine sites…

Reis, The Lair of the Dork Horde, bangs his head along to some choice thrash metal

Jaime, Shezcrafti, literally parties like it’s 1999

Paxton, Cavalcade of Awesome, unearth’s one of his old hip hop mixtapes

TL, Flashlights are Something to Eat, also manages to put his hands on an actual mixtape he made while visiting his brother at his radio station gig

Eric, Toyriffic, mixes up some classic rock and hair metal on his tape

Brian, Cool & Collected, wants you to know that he’ll be there for you

Dex, AEIOU and sometimes why, gets hot for teacher while doing a bunch of scissor-kicks