Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore on the power of the mix tape

The first time I ever heard of someone making a mix tape was in 1978. Robert Christgau, the "dean of rock critics," was writing in The Village Voice about his favorite Clash record, which just happened to be the one he made himself: a tape of all the band's non-LP B-sides. One aspect really struck me - Christgau said it was a tape he made to give to friends. He had made his own personalized Clash record and was handing it out as a memento of his rock-and-roll devotion.