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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Chris Wiegand, Lucy Knight, Kate Abbott, Simon Hattenstone, Alexi Duggins, Alex Needham, Keza MacDonald and Hollie Richardson

‘I threw it in the bin with everything else he gave me’: the mix tapes that defined our lives

Thanks for the memories … Mix Tape.
Thanks for the memories … Mix Tape. Photograph: BBC/Subotica/Leanne Sullivan

‘I’d forgotten it ends with a secret bonus track!’

At 18 my go-to albums were Dog Man Star, His ’n’ Hers and a mix tape called Really, Basically, In a Sort of a Way, Volume 1. Named after the mutterings of a particularly long-winded lecturer, it was the first of many TDK D60s – always the same brand! – from my mate Pat. We had met at our university’s registration day a few weeks earlier and would be friends for more than 20 years until his death in 2018. By then he’d not only been on staff at the NME – teenage Pat’s dream job – but also written a book about its history.

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