Amidst the blowing swirl of a moonlit midnight sits perched my musical mind, poised to select another melody from which my next day’s drive to work will expand. I refer to this selection of thoughts as the Mac Miller Mixtapes because Mac was one of my first guidepoints for these “mixtape” journeys. I may walk out a long way from where I start to get through my day, but Mac is among those always there to get me home.
So for tonight and this beginning, lets open things up with this North Star from Pittsburgh. My “tape” incorporates Mac’s solo career as well as his alter egos Delusional Thomas and Larry Lovestein. There’s also a strong presence from Miller’s library of unreleased work, led by hidden song gems like Submarines, Alarm, Bump Demon and Completely Transparent. There’s also the very best from Mac solo records Swimming, Circles, The Divine Feminine, Faces and GOOD:AM. Even his appearance on NPR’s Tiny Desk segment makes a cameo in this mix, which is all about proper ebb and flow.
As a rapper Mac isn’t exactly going to rip into a bunch of slow ballads, but there’s still the right way to change tempo speeds to make a playlist really “pop”. The point of music on my drives is to make time pass steadily, so when that engaging sweet spot gets hit…. the moments just melt away.
So that’s tomorrow’s musical plan, with Tom Waits waiting in the wings as part of my next trip. Specifically Waits’ album Closing Time, which is a beautifully jazzy, poetic piece that began his career in a transcendent manner. And while a rapper like Mac Miller might seem like light years removed from Tom Waits, look no further than Mac’s jazzed, slinky Larry Lovestein project. Put on the song Love Affair, then the tie together makes perfect sense!
Until next time, when we meet out on the road….
On The Back Edge Of The Beat 
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