Lessons from Squeeze on Making a Mix Tape

So a few weeks ago I checked off an item that's been lingering on my to-do list for, I don't know, maybe a decade or two. I finally saw the band Squeeze live in concert. Here's a not-so-great pic I took with my camera phone pic during the concert at DC's 9:30 Club.

Rob Sachs, NPR

Before the concert I had chance to interview Squeeze's front men, Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook about a topic that I've always wondered about: how do you make a great mix tape for someone without sending the wrong message. I figured Squeeze would be particularly good to interview since their songs while poetic are sometimes hard to figure out. Take the lyricsof" Pulling Mussels from a Shell" for instance:

Two fat ladies window shop
Something for the mantelpiece
In for bingo all the nines
A panda for sweet little niece

I mean what the heck is this all about? Turns out they use a lot of British colloquialisms I was not catching onto (but basically the song is about Difford's boyhood experiences on the beach).

Anywho, I have a lot more to say about mix tapes and my interview with Squeeze, which you can hear in the podcast. Look for it on Monday (just ran out of studio time today).

8:00 PM ET | 09- 5-2008 | permalink

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