Once in a while , I like to make myself a sandwich . I don ’ t just mean I haphazardl y slap together something of the peanut b utter and jam v ariety ; I ’ m talking about an epic culinary creation . Enter the garlic aoli . Break out avocadoes and assorted greens . A little pesto for that freerange chicken ? And the bread — oh , the bread ! It ’ s so far from that horrible sugary white stuff that shares part of its name with the much more desirable Wonder Woman , that it might as well be from a different food group entirely . A sandwich like this takes time , thought , and effort , and the result is , well , delicious .
editor ’ s note
Once in a while , I like to make myself a sandwich . I don ’ t just mean I haphazardl y slap together something of the peanut b utter and jam v ariety ; I ’ m talking about an epic culinary creation . Enter the garlic aoli . Break out avocadoes and assorted greens . A little pesto for that freerange chicken ? And the bread — oh , the bread ! It ’ s so far from that horrible sugary white stuff that shares part of its name with the much more desirable Wonder Woman , that it might as well be from a different food group entirely . A sandwich like this takes time , thought , and effort , and the result is , well , delicious .
This lunchtime delight is a lot like something else that takes time , thought , and effor t — a mixtape . How ? Well ... The bread is your opener . It has to be substantial , yet it also needs subtlety . The first tune on a mixtape , whether you ’ re making it for a fr iend , a relative , a lover , or , best of all , a prospective lover , sets the scene for the rest of the mix . It ’ s the first bite and it had better be a good one or your listener will be chucking that tape down next to the sprouts and lemon .
Next , you ’ re crunching into cool lettuce , a refreshing cleanse , a tune tha t hints a t what ’ s coming while not g iving away too m uch . It ’ s a neutral song , a moment of hesitation . It br ings you down slightly from the substance of that first tune , but doesn ’ t let you go . It ’ s fresh , clean , crisp .
But the middle ma tters most . Here ’ s the meat , the mustard , the veggies , juxtaposing and complementing flavours , the content and context for everything your listener has already experienced and for all that they ’ re about to hear . This is the cohesive centre , where the tunes reach backwards and forwards , simultaneously connecting every element together . Choose car efully . Maybe you shouldn ’ t put pineapple into a roast beef sandwich , but you can put it in with pork . These songs tell y our story , and they are oh so tasty .
As the tape comes to a close , the final few tunes reflect the beginning and leave an aftertaste that has your listener wanting more . It ’ s the bread all over again .
Mixtapes , unlike gourmet sandwiches , are slowly becoming extinct . As tapes disappear , so do their progeny . If there was one thing that cassettes did well , it was being a medium for the mixtape . Now , it ’ s too easy to put together a playlist and because it ’ s so easy , the end product suffers . The time , thought , and effort has gone . A playlist is a peanut butter sandwich .
But while mixtapes might be fading into history , radio is still here . Radio has all the elements of a good mixtape and a great sandwich , wrapped up in a neat little packet of airwaves . Even better , radio is like having the chef sit with you while you eat , describing the distinct characteristics of eac h ingredient and telling y ou why they all work so well together .
Last year , the sand wich celebrated its 250th birthday . This is the fir st anniversary of [ sic ] magazine . Love live the sandwich , long live the mixtape , and long live our little magazine .
– Matt J . Simmons
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