(This was inspired by Kevie's post about tapes, but it got too big so I decided to make it its own post.)

I recently "inherited" a literal, actual truck bed full of cassettes from two of my uncles, one of whom has passed away and one of whom moved into a semi-assisted living apt where he just didn't have space for them. Those two guys shaped my musical tastes more than anyone else in the world. I was listening to these tapes when I was six.

When I say "truck bed," I mean my father and I went over in a pickup with a topper and filled that bastard to the top with Rubbermaid bins, tape racks, tape cases, and cardboard boxes, every one full to the top. Then we put some in the cab.

Thousands and thousands, of every genre and era from which cassettes exist. Tapes from K-Mart, European bootlegs, tapes from truck stop dollar racks, tapes of tapes. I can't even imagine how many. Ten thousand? Seems reasonable.

I had throw the mix tapes away, pretty much sight unseen. It hurt me, because I know for a fact that there was gold in there and my uncles put years into them, but I had to draw a line somewhere.

Anyway, I have about a hundred on a rack in my apartment, and about twenty more at work, and I had a garage sale where I sold a few, but the overwhelming majority of them are in a garage right now, hardly looked at. I just don't know what to do with them. It's overwhelming.

If anyone has some ideas about how to begin to grapple with 10000+ cassette tapes, I'm all ears.

!listening