This Is Your Mixtape

By Michael CollinsMusic Music Interviews

This Is Your Mixtape episodes

September 30, 201820. A Kind Sea Witch. [Catherine.]
Michael’s good friend Catherine would like to one day be described as a
kind sea witch. She enjoys continually learning new things and delights over
her two happy pets. She plays a few musical instruments and sings, and finds
that she is primarily drawn to beautiful and haunting sounds rather than any
sort of lyric. Michael and Catherine both grew up learning classical piano in
Newfoundland, but their experiences were different in a few key ways.
Catherine and Michael talk about unexpected lullabies, musical education,
loving classic rock in high school, the private joy of music that's just for
you, and being a powerful feminist witch.
Catherine’s Five Songs.
Enjoy the Silence by
Depeche Mode.
Waltz Opus 64, No. 2
by Frédéric Chopin.
Purple Haze by Jimi
Hendrix.
If I Had a Heart by
Fever Ray.
Megafauna by The Night
Terrors.
1 hr 5 min
September 07, 201819. More Than I Have Words For. [Peter Coviello.]
Peter Coviello is Professor of English at
the University of Illinois–Chicago, where he specializes in American
literature and queer studies. He’s the author of several books, including
Tomorrow’s Parties: Sex and the Untimely in Nineteenth-Century
America (2013), which was a finalist for a Lambda
Award in LGBT Studies. His most recent book is Long Players: A Love Story in
Eighteen Songs, out now from Penguin. He has written
about queer childhood, Mormon polygamy, the history of sexuality,
stepparenthood, Justin Bieber, Walt Whitman, and, whenever he’s had occasion
to, Prince. He lives in Chicago.
Peter and Michael talk about building love with rituals, songs as archives for
feelings, the difficulty of grief and consolation, the nature of prayer, and
punk music as the place where rage can transmute into joy.
Peter’s Five Songs.
ABC by the Jackson 5.
Twin Human Highway Flares
by the Mountain Goats.
I’m So Glad (That Trouble Don't Last
Always) by Sam Cooke.
We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed
by Los Campesinos!
The Glow by Sylvan Esso.
Show Notes.
Peter’s website, where you can find more
information about him and his writing, including playlists taken from his
recent book, Long Players: A Love Story in Eighteen
Songs.
This is Your
Playlist!
Every song we’ve featured on every episode, in order (...if they’re on
Spotify).
1 hr 14 min
August 24, 201818. The Nobility of Failure. [Angelo Muredda.]
Angelo Muredda is a Toronto-based teacher
and film critic who has written for outlets like Cinema Scope, The Walrus,
Film Freak Central, and Now Magazine. He is completing his PhD in English at
the University of Toronto. You can find him on
Twitter, listen to his Star Trek podcast
Highly Logical (co-hosted with Nicole Partyka), and catch his
screening series No Future at The Royal Cinema.
Angelo and Michael talk about radical kindness, sad weird kids, impermanence,
life in the shadow of sudden trauma, and the comforting thought that the place
you’re in is the place you’re meant to be.
Angelo's Five Songs.
Dreams by The Cranberries.
Planet Telex by Radiohead.
Sadie by Joanna Newsom.
Motorway to Roswell by
Pixies.
This Must Be The Place (Naive
Melody) by Talking Heads.
Show Notes.
Angelo’s Twitter.
His Star Trek podcast Highly
Logical.
His film series No Future will soon be showing
Firestarter at
The Royal Cinema.
This is Your
Playlist!
Every song we’ve featured on every episode, in order (...if they’re on
Spotify).
1 hr 19 min
August 01, 201817. Euchre for the Leathery Crowd. [David Demchuk.]
David Demchuk has been writing for
performance, print and digital media for nearly 40 years. He’s got a special
interest in queerness and monstrosity. His debut novel, The Bone
Mother, was shortlisted and nominated for a number
of awards, and was the first horror novel to ever be nominated for the
prestigious Giller Prize, in 2017. David grew up in Winnipeg, where he first
came out, and moved to Toronto in his early 20s.
David and Michael talk about monsters, gay Winnipeg in the 70s, AIDS, the
relentless task of mourning, and playing euchre with leather daddies while the
Hells Angels keep you safe.
David’s Five Songs
Superstar by The
Carpenters.
Don't Leave Me This Way by
Thelma Houston.
Song to the Siren by This
Mortal Coil.
Everything Must Change by
Nina Simone.
Howl by Florence and the
Machine.
Show Notes.
David’s personal website. His book’s
site, and its
publisher’s.
David’s professional and
personal Twitter accounts.
Tim Buckley’s version of Song to the
Siren.
A piece about Toronto’s steps.
Friend of the show Anthony Oliveira writes about the Bruce McArthur
case.
This is Your
Playlist!
Every song we’ve featured on every episode, in order (...if they’re on
Spotify).
1 hr 9 min
July 17, 201816. I’m Not Allowed to Be Mad. [Mikaela Dyke.]
Mikaela Dyke is an actor and writer
from St. John’s currently working as an artistic producer with Circlesnake
Productions, a Toronto indie theatre company known
for their experimental genre shows. Her solo shows, Dying Hard and Epic Pitch,
have toured all across North America to critical and audience acclaim. You can
see her online in the webseries Couchsleeps dot
com (Folkstar Productions)
coming soon.
Mikaela and Michael talk about love songs, road trips, performance, systemic
oppression, and how anger is necessary yet futile.
Mikaela’s Five Songs.
Hit the Road Jack by Ray
Charles.
Pour que tu m’aimes encore
by Céline Dion.
Breed by Nirvana.
Surf Wax America by
Weezer.
Mad by Solange.
Show Notes.
Find Mikaela on Twitter and
Instagram.
The teaser for Couchsleeps dot
com, a forthcoming webseries
featuring Mikaela.
Céline Dion becoming emotional
about the crisis following Hurricane Katrina.
The trailer for Closet Monster
(2016), which Mikaela believes
to contain the most true-to-life depiction of the St John’s scene she grew up
with.
This is Your
Playlist!
Every song we’ve featured on every episode, in order (...if they’re on
Spotify).
1 hr 20 min
June 28, 201815. My Love Is Better Than Your Love. [Anthony Oliveira.]
Anthony Oliveira is a writer, cultural
commentator, and trash raccoon with a PhD. He can be found on Twitter at
@meakoopa, where he tweets (incessantly) about
the arts, politics, and LGBTQ culture, or on his podcast, The Devil’s
Party, where he's giving Milton’s Paradise Lost
the queer reading it has long been wanting.
Anthony and Michael discuss the ideology of the Muppets, liking ‘girl music’,
Catholic school, the superiority of queer love, and the value of kindness.
Anthony’s Five Songs.
I Don't Want to Live on the
Moon by Jim Henson [as Ernie].
Total Eclipse of the Heart
by Bonnie Tyler.
Lost Cause by Beck.
The Origin of Love from
Hedwig and the Angry Inch.
Stronger Than You by
Estelle [as Garnet].
Show Notes.
Anthony’s website, including links to his
writing, and his must-follow @meakoopa twitter
account.
Anthony’s essay “Death in the Village”, about the serial killer who targeted gay men over the past decade
in Toronto's Church and Wellesley Village.
“Failed Mystics”, episode 114 of The
Sewers of Paris podcast, on which
gay men talk about the culture that shaped them. Anthony talks about Buffy the
Vampire Slayer, X-Men, He-Man, and Lwaxana Troi.
This is Your
Playlist!
Every song we’ve featured on every episode, in order (...if they’re on
Spotify).
1 hr 20 min
June 28, 2018 15. My Love Is Better Than Your Love. [Anthony Oliveira (@meakoopa).]
Anthony Oliveira is a writer, cultural commentator, and trash raccoon with a PhD. He can be found on Twitter at @meakoopa, where he tweets (incessantly) about the arts, politics, and LGBTQ culture, or on his podcast, The Devil’s Party, where he's giving Milton’s Paradise Lost the queer reading it has long been wanting.
Anthony and Michael discuss the ideology of the Muppets, the closet, vampires, liking 'girl music', Catholic school, the superiority of queer love, and the value of kindness.
1 hr 20 min
June 18, 201814. Jane Goodall and a Marshmallow. [Vivian Kotila.]
Vivian Kotila is short, round, lives in Toronto, and loves her trash.
She’s basically a raccoon that's not as proficient at opening jars. Her two
main vices are decaf coffee with too much cream and antique cookbooks. She
owns a fighting fish named Cato the Elder.
Vivian and Michael discuss discovering your identity, the joy of bad movies,
dealing with grief, what makes humanity redeemable, and the fun side of
nuclear holocaust.
Vivian’s Five Songs.
Under the Bridge by Red
Hot Chili Peppers.
Spoonful by Howlin’ Wolf.
A Little Bit of Everything
by Dawes.
Peopleand People II
(The Reckoning) by Andrew
Jackson Jihad.
We Will All Go Together When We
Go by Tom Lehrer.
Show Notes.
Tom Lehrer’s Full 1959 Copenhagen
Concert.
This is Your
Playlist!
Every song we’ve featured on every episode, in order (...if they’re on
Spotify).
1 hr 19 min
June 02, 201813. Queen of the Dandom. [Libby Cudmore.]
Libby Cudmore is the author of the
novel The Big Rewind (William Morrow), a murder
mystery where a mixtape is the key to unlocking whodunnit. She has written for
Paste, Albumism, Vinyl Me Please, the Captain’s Blog at YachtRock.com, and
Inspirer magazine. Her short fiction, essays and poetry have been published in
PANK, The Stoneslide Corrective, The Big Click and the anthologies Welcome
Home, Mixed Up, and Hanzai Japan. She hosts the weekly
#RecordSaturday live-tweet on her Twitter, @libbycudmore.
Libby and Michael discuss Star Wars, being a goth before Hot Topic,
discovering crime fiction, friend breakups, and vinyl addiction.
Libby’s Five Songs.
I Can See It in Your Eyes
by Men At Work.
The Queen Is Dead by the
Smiths.
New Coat of Paint by Tom
Waits.
Searching for a Heart by
Warren Zevon.
The Second Arrangement by Steely Dan.
Show Notes.
This is Your
Playlist!
Every song we’ve featured on every episode, in order (...if they’re on
Spotify).
1 hr 15 min
May 17, 201812. A Really Happy Time. [Austin Wong.]
Austin Wong is a lifelong pop
culture junkie. His mom once lamented how much knowledge he could have in his
head if he stopped filling up his brain with song lyrics and movie trivia. Now
that he works as an entertainment lawyer, and as a producer, writer and
director, those skills are now coming in handy. He’s married with a baby girl,
but it doesn’t stop him from going to every diva concert that blows through
town. He can’t wait until his daughter is old enough to join him—unless she
turns out to be into metal, in which case he’ll try to send his husband.
Austin and Michael discuss gay conversion therapy, being friends with football
jocks and art nerds at the same time, the career trajectories of Gaga and
Madonna, falling in love, and dancing until you hurt yourself.
Austin’s Five Songs.
Grease by Frankie Valli.
Bizarre Love Triangle by New Order.
Don’t Look Back in Anger by Oasis.
Just Dance by Lady Gaga.
Vogue by Madonna.
Show Notes.
This is Your
Playlist!
Every song we’ve featured on every episode, in order (...if they’re on
Spotify).
1 hr 17 min