Radio Free Hipster Ep. 67: The That's Entertainment Mixtape

For the benefit of those of you out there who are new listeners, and my recent feed stats indicate that there are at least a couple of you, I'll explain the original concept behind my irregular mixtape episodes. Part of it is rooted in the kinds of concept mixes my friends and I used to put together on ratty old cassettes back in high school. Likewise, part of it is also centered on the idea of connecting the songs in a given podcast without the implementation of my own hand-fisted narration.

I typically reserve these kinds of things for special occasions – PAX, the death of an iconic figure in nerd culture or the like – but this one is special because it was a request. (And, as you know, I have trouble denying requests.)

Recently my pal Matt put together a great mix of his own, and he literally challenged me to do another one, specifically to make a mix designed to fit on a standard 60 minute cassette. Meaning, of course, approximately 30 minutes of programming on each "side" with a pause in the middle for the changeover. The following podcast is what I came up with.

It's actually composed chiefly of segments from other half-finished mixes I've assembled for my own enjoyment in recent months, but that never quite panned out on their own. In retrospect , I believe that these individual components never gelled because I was being far too narrow with regard to their subject matter. Therefore this edition ended up taking on a nebulous pop culture concept that floats from reinventions of radio standards to television dialog and tributes to meditations on film and videogames to Internet memes without too much in the way of rhyme or reason.

But despite that, I think it came together pretty well. I hope you agree.

Download Radio Free Hipster Ep. 67: The That's Entertainment Mixtape [hosting provided by Antisoc] Size: 50.9 MB Running Time: 55:40

Show Notes:

Intro: Baddd Spellah – “Radio Free Hipster Theme (feat. Beefy)”
Cutting up the theme song so as to indicate that something is wrong with your regular experience is a touchstone of the RFH mixtape.

Background Music:
You may recognize this as the ambient theremin piece used in the G1 Transformers cartoon and, if memory serves, the Hitchhiker's Guide radio plays.

Track 1: Lost dialog / Will Ferrell –"Afternoon Delight"
"This song is about daytime love making."

Track 2: Lost dialog / Previously on Lost – "Hang In There - S05-E07"
Been meaning to play some PoL for a while. This seemed like a golden opportunity.

Track 3: Transformers dialog / Kyle Gabler – "The Goo Filled Hills"
From the World of Goo soundtrack.

Track 4: Metaforce – "Subliminal (style wars pt. 1)"
Metaforce always makes for a good mixtape.

Track 5: Epic-1 – Back Then (feat. The Spork)
This nostalgic joint is from Epic's recent mixtape. Pick it up.

Track 6: Tanner4105 01 – "yatexas- he actually has 4 offices"
I considered cutting this track down for a better transition, but I ended up playing it in its entirety.

Track 7: Pokemon dialog / Studged – "Bill Cosby Gangsta Rap"
Not particularly "gangsta," but a fun piece.

Track 8: Team Genius – "Illegal Donkey Kong Remix"
"Hit a mu'fuckin' bumblebee over the head."

Track 9: Xoc – "Goonies 2: Password" / "Goonies 2: Good Enough"
Even though he doesn't respond to my MySpace messages, Xoc is still a goddamn genius.

Track 10: Fensler film dialog / Party Ben – "Live Your Life Punk"
"Who wants a body massage" clip included for no valid reason whatsoever.

Track 11: Thundercats outtakes / Math the Band – "You Shook Me all Night Long"
"Intercourse!!!"

Track 12: Lost dialog / DJ Otter – "Always Needing to Bush Your Shoulders Off"
After a brief pause we resume the show with a Jay-Z vs. The Kooks mash-up.

Track 13: Superpowerless – "Dammit" / Ferris Bueller's Day Off dialog / Scared Of Dinosaurs – "Crank That Soulja Boy"
A Oliver HIndle two-for, if you will.

Track 14: K.K. Slider – "K.K. Ska"
I can't be the only Animal Crossing fan up in this piece.

Track 15: Onion Radio News – "President Obama Vetoes Mutant Registration Act"
I've actually been waiting on this one since January.

Track 16: Futuristic Sex Robotz – "If I Ruled the World"
I still have no idea what the hell this song is about. Although I reckon we can infer from the lyrics that FSR support gay marriage and hacking the Gibson, but hold a palpable disdain for furries.

Track 17: Jonathan Coulton - "Baby Got Back"
Mix-a-Lot's size-positive sex jam sounds so much sweeter when JoCo sings it.

Track 18: MadHatter And Shelshocker – "Unstoppable"
From 8Bit Bullshit, a fine album that all should own.

Track 19: Gauntlet clips / Emotron – "Bigger than JC"
Another unfathomable track. I think it's about the classical institution of marriage versus modern sexual politics, but it might just be about Britney Spears having an STD. It's important to note that Emotron starts his set with this song, and ends it by catching his member on fire.

Track 20: Golden Girls dialog / Animal Crossing Soundtrack – "Museum Insect Display Room" / The Four Eyes – "Thank You For Being a Friend"
There's nothing I can say to soften the blow of ending this edition with the Golden Girls "condoms" bit. My apologies.

And thus ends my third mixtape episode. I imagine some will respond positively to its arbitrary nature and some will not, but such is the nature of the beast.

When I first started making Radio Free Hipster, I described it as part pirate radio and part mixtape for a friend. These exercises, as infrequent as they are, really help keep me rooted in the aesthetic of the latter. Plus, they give you a break from my infernal drawl.

And I think we can all agree that this is a good thing.