Monthly Mixtape: Blowup Pools and Tambourines

June tuuuuunes! Hey that rhymed.

A week ago I started putting together this mix. Before everything that happened happened. And on Friday I gave you all a poll on what you’d like to listen to in June, and the resounding answer was underground Motown. So I kept with it.

I didn’t want to shy away from posting this playlist, because at first I thought, “Well it’s not even connected.” But it IS connected. Of course it’s connected. I read a quote last week that I can’t stop thinking about. It was, “I wish white people loved black people as much as they love black culture.”

Wow. Yeah. I’d never thought of it that way before.

I’ve always been attracted to black culture in music. You know that already, if you’ve followed these Monthly Mixtapes for the last five years. Jazz, hip hop, lo-fi, soul, and of course Motown. But this mixtape won’t have the super popular Motown songs on it that we’ve always heard. I wanted to show you the unheard. These songs aren’t billboard, aren’t in movie soundtracks, aren’t on the radio. But they’re just so wildly fantastic. Fresh on the ears, but giddily familiar. Breezy, soulful summer tunes at absolute perfection.

I won’t even pretend to have the right words for all of this. Like a zillion others, I’m listening and learning. But maybe as we listen to this mix, we think about that quote, “I wish white people loved black people as much as they love black culture.” Something to marinate in, for sure.

I give you, “The Blowup Pool and Tambourines” mix.

For all my other mixtapes, you can just pop right here and scroll back!

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6 Responses to Monthly Mixtape: Blowup Pools and Tambourines

  1. Lynn June 2, 2020 at 6:19 pm #
    Can't wait to listen. And also, thank you for the words that go with this playlist post. Hard, but important, I believe, to search for and feel and speak the difficult truths.
    • Bev Weidner June 3, 2020 at 7:39 am #
      Thank you so much, Lynn. I was hesitant to post, because it's so hard to figure out what's too little and what's too much, even when your heart is completely in the right place. Music speaks to and for me. So thank you for listening.
  2. Nan June 5, 2020 at 9:46 am #
    I'd love it if you could find black-owned design businesses and cookbooks/blogs to highlight. You have such a great sense of taste! Takes more work because people don't seek them out often enough, but I would love to hear what you find. I hope you don't feel pressure to become wise on race issues overnight, but maybe just boost others' hard work for now so we can support them. Also, have you read "The Cooking Gene"? SO GOOD.
    • Bev Weidner June 5, 2020 at 9:57 am #
      See, I love this idea!~ And YES - there's no way I will become a race issues expert. Overnight or at all. But my support, work, and love is what I CAN do. I'll start working on a roundup soon. Fabulous idea. :)
      • Nan June 5, 2020 at 10:19 am #
        Oh yay!! And it's so cool that you wrote back - I love following you on Instagram etc. :) This is so exciting. Also: what if you did like a black author book club series? Doesn't have to be about race issues per se, but just read books by black authors. Or buy all the books from black-owned bookstores.... ANYway. Sorry I wrote this on an older post! I just saw your more recent one.

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  1. Friday Flotsam | Bev Cooks - June 5, 2020 […] this week, if ya missed it!: Some delicious underground Motown tunes for your June, and a simple but classic Broccoli Cheese Soup, inspired by one of our book […]

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