mo' better mixtapes

even though my dj training doesn't end for another 2 weeks, i'm already indulging in playlist fantasies. without a doubt, one of my first shows will be all about trains. i recently discovered oliver east - he did all the artwork on the forthcoming elbow album and has a cult following with his trains are...mint book series. here's some of what he's done:

(featured artwork in the new elbow commercial)

(lyric sheet)

(book cover)

(a page from trains are...mint6)

so oliver east basically throws on a backpack every couple months, follows the train tracks out of town, and draws/writes what he sees along the way. i think train-inspired wanderlust and homesick blues are fantastic themes for a book series and one of my first solo radio shows. i've always had a fascination with trains and have rarely lived my life very far from them or the interruptions they bring.