Two years ago, when I was working on this column’s debut, I wrote about Bruce Springsteen’s “Book of Dreams” and what the song means to Julie and me. During the first month of our courtship I created my first mixtape for her, entitled HEY, HEY, JULIE! On that tape was the Springsteen song, one that’s grown to have profound meaning in our relationship.
We began dating in August of 1992, and soon thereafter, I threw this tape together in a flurry of inspiration, wanting to give Julie something that came from my heart. I don’t recall the actual minutes spent in my parents’ basement picking the songs or laying them down on a Maxell cassette (my brand of choice), but looking back on the list of songs, I’m happy to see they still add up to 90 quailty minutes of music.
Before Nick Hornby wonderfully wrote about what makes a good mixtape in High Fidelity, I assembled exactly the right combination of hip, well known and somewhat obscure songs from my small music collection. Combining big hits like “Learning to Fly,” “What I Am,” and “All This Time” with lesser-known songs by popular artists such as “Until the End of the World,” “Shining Star,” and “Getting to Know You,” while tossing in some hard to find (at the time) songs like “Baby Mine” and “Wild Night” made this tape eclectic, but still enjoyable to listen to and quite accessible. (more…)
As was the case with many people who grew up in the ’80s, John Hughes’s films were an integral part of my childhood and coming-of-age. And on August 6, when I read the news that he’d died suddenly of a heart attack, I was deeply saddened, not only because he was the first writer and director who really inspired me, but because the chance of one last really great 
The Aut-O-Rama Twin Drive-In Theatre located in North Ridgeville, Ohio is like any drive-in you might imagine. One large parking lot with two giant screens and a snack bar and arcade building centrally located. There is a playground area for younger children and flea markets are held on the grounds every Sunday morning. Opened in 1965, I’m glad to say that the Aut-O-Rama is still independently owned and continues to screen double features throughout the summertime. During my formative years in the 1980s, my circle of friends had a pretty good routine: pile as many people into a car loaded with lawn chairs and a cooler, and pay for as few as people as possible, even hiding kids under blankets on the floor, in the hatchback or even the trunk. Cars parked to face the screen of the movie paid for, but that never prevented any of us from turning around and watching the other feature when bored. Once you tuned your AM radio to the special frequency that allowed you to hear the movie’s soundtrack, it was time to settle back in your semi-comfortable vinyl chair, or possibly the backseat of the car, open your beverage of choice and enjoy the show.
