Went digging through some old stuff and found this old shoe box of cassettes. YES. CASSETTES. (I know the kids are like, "wtf are those?") But these are not your ordinary cassettes my friends...oh no, for they hold the keys to the past. They have the power to unlock memories - well mine at least.

For as long as I can remember, music has been a big part of my life. Can't really play a lick of it but have always listened to it. I've got pics of me and B with toy guitars in hand performing for the family when I was 5 and I spent many Sunday afternoons sifting through my sister's 45 collection listening to 70's am radio pop tunes (Afternoon Delight anyone?). But when I finally did get a collection of my own, some of what I bought is in this box.

I took up breakdancing when I acquired the Sugarhill Records compilation (ja'mon it, ja'mon it, ja-ja-ja-ja-ja'mon it). Sure I sucked at it, but what good times we had backspinning on old cardboard boxes with the neighborhood gang. This was the first male bonding experience I had.....when you hang, discover your dad's porn magazine stash and share it, secretly listen to Prince's 'Darling Nikki' just cause he says "masturbating", and go on expeditions in the mountains. Think Stand by Me but with tropical weather. It was all great until someone's mom said she read an article saying how breakdancing leads to 'twisted testicles'. On hindsight I think she made that shit up but it pretty much put an end to our breakin careers.

Later on I was a part time skate punk with the addition of the Repo Man soundtrack to my collection. B was actually way more hardcore than I. I was doing the jock thing (6yrs wrestling believe it or not. Those were my 'buff' years but got into it originally cause I naively thought it was the same as Pro Wrestling, duh) and the band thing ("...this one time at band camp...") but still had some time to ride a few canals and go to a bunch of shows. The band skills came in handy for the shortlived ska band I was in. Back then, you'd bounce off the ceiling for your friend's band that played the Bad Brains cover songs while trying not to bash anyone's head in with your combat boots. I stopped short of the skinhead thing but some of the boys got into it and still have remnants of it today.

808 State's Pacific album threw me headfirst in the UK acid house scene around 1990. What followed was the baggy jeans, goofy hippie beads, and caesar haircuts. Became a dj around the time too but it got to be an expensive hobby that my student salary couldn't afford. There's still a bit of the raver in me buried deep inside that makes an appearance on occasion.

So, what's in YOUR box?