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People used to use Cassette tapes
Before the age of CDs, People used to use cassette tapes to listen to music.
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To rewind the tape
People sometimes used to rewind the tape using the pen.
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How is it done
The pen is inserted inside one of the holes in the tape then either the pen is rotated, or the hand is moved in a circular motion to force the tape to rewind.
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The pen fitted perfectly
People used to use pens because they usually fitted perfectly inside the tap holes. After all, those pens had varying thicknesses.
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Pens were easily found
The second reason pens were used is that pens are objects that are easily found inside homes.
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The most popular use
Faulty Cassette players sometimes force parts of the magnetic tape outside the cassette tap. People used to use pens to bring the tap back in place. (See
Why do some people chew on pens?) -
When rewind button isn’t working
Some people used to use this trick when their rewind button wasn’t working.
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To play around
Some people used to do this trick to play around, knowing that they are changing the location of the pointer inside the cassette tape and so changing the song that will be heard when the tape is played. (See What are the symbols of home?)
Alex Williams
Alex Williams is a PhD student in urban studies and planning. He is broadly interested in the historical geographies of capital, the geopolitical economy of urbanization, environmental and imperial history, critical urban theory, and spatial dialectics.
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1 Comment
I used to do this to put the tape back into the casette after the player started to eat it! You could still play it but it never sounded quite the same at that section due to the creases folded into the tape. I used to buy albums and record on cheap cassettes so I could just retape when my player ate the tape!