Imagine me in third grade, a rare cancellation of a Cub Scouts meeting resulting in extra nighttime TV viewing. I think it was 1986 when MTV began airing reruns of The Monkees , a television comedy series of which I’d never heard or known. My parents, though, had very amused looks about their faces, the types of warm smiles you’d see on people as they greeted familiar friends. It was the episode where The Monkees inexplicably wound up in a ghost town, which, (if I remember correctly), was being used as a hideout by some crooks. The humor was slapstick, perfectly suited for a 9 year old. I thought the show was funny and that was pretty much the extent of it. My record collection began with this tape. As time went on, I wound up really getting into the show, which developed into an obsession with the music. Once I discovered my father had some Monkees records stacked in his hard rock treasure trove of 60s/70s vinyl on our third floor, I camped out in front of the turntable...

A week or so ago, I received an anonymous comment regarding my last "mix tape" entry that made me laugh out loud and simultaneously go "wha?" Read, consider, react: I have a confession. I made this mix and it got me laid. Apparently, I am cooler, thanks to your site. Did it get your brother laid too? Don't get the Monkees track - but I kept it in. Response: Honestly, I don't know how this playlist got you laid because there's NO Al Green , NO Barry White ...this is an unsexy mix of songs. If it offered you some kind of cred, that makes me happy and I'm glad that I could assist you in your carnal endeavors. As far as whether or not this mix got my brother laid, I would guess not. I could always ask, but it's really none of my business. Now, the Monkees track: "Writing Wrongs" was one song that, as a kid, I could not stand. Mike Nesmith pouring his lungs out over a back-and-forth piano combo just didn't sit well with me and the...