A Hypothetical, Unedited Mixtape for My Students

Mp3s may have killed the mixtape, but they do make it so I can just publish a list of songs and let everyone else break copyright laws. My students only actually get to hear some of this stuff. I'd actually make this mix, but I'm a wimp and am worried that my musical tastes are too offensive to share in their entirety.

Here we go, my hypothetical, unedited mixtape for my students that I am too wimpy to actually make (OK, maybe one day . . . ):

1. "Love in Vein" - Skinny Puppy - The best opening track in recorded music. I could never make a mixtape without Skinny Puppy. Just ask my poor wife.

2. "In Bloom" - Nirvana - Grunge! I want everyone to love this song as much as I do.

3. "Time Does Not Heal" - Dark Angel - Thrash metal. Your life does not improve without your action.

4. "Man the Ramparts" - Botch - Hardcore! The world may very well not be on your side, and that is just fine.

5. "Bring Back the Apocalypse" - Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - Art metal. You may very well not be on the world's side, and that is just fine.

6. "Mind's Mirrors" - Meshuggah - Tech-metal. "The struggle to free yourself from restraints / becomes the very shackles"

7. "Wanderlust King" - Gogol Bordello - Joyous, rollicking punk. Everything that everyone does is awesome all the time.

8. "Doin' It" - Herbie Hancock - Did Herbie invent funk? Does it matter? Keep on truckin' kiddies!

9. "Draconian Crackdown" - Rasputina - Cello rock? - Fight the power!

10. "No Quarter" - Led Zeppelin - Rock'n'Roll! The approach I would like my students to take towards life

11. "Swollen Tongue Bums" - Dalek - Angry, noisy hip-hop! You cannot run from your human responsibility.

12. "Watchfire" - Neurosis - Face-melting post-metal. Humanity cannot escape you or your influence.

13. "Death Is Not the End" - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Folk rock! Nothing is ever actually over.