Those of us who lived through the '80s and '90s may have nostalgia for cassette tapes, but many of you will also remember that they were a complete pain in the ass. For those that don't remember or weren't alive for the experience, tapes occasionally decided to get completely sucked into the gears and mechanisms of the devices that played them, and unless you caught it quickly, were very careful with it, and were handy with a screwdriver, that tape would be destroyed permanently. It's this truth that brings us to the video above: a tribute to Guardians of the Galaxy made out of LEGO... that happens to point out that the film has a pretty gaping plot hole when it comes to music technology.
As this video by the Brotherhood Workshop points out, it is at least a little hard to believe that the "Awesome Mix Vol. 1" cassette that Peter Quill got from his mother at a young age would have actually been able to survive its 20+ years of existence. It would be one thing if the tape were just sitting on a shelf on Star-Lord's ship as just a piece of memorabilia, but the reality is that the rogue-turned-hero spent years not only playing the music, but also switching it back and forth between a Walkman and a console in the Milano. Given this behavior, it's rather miraculous that the mix has survived as long as it has.
This is obviously a very silly plot hole that you're not really meant to think about for the sake of entertainment, but that just leaves it open for an equally-silly no-prize explanation. For example, I think we can all agree that the Milano was probably not originally built with a cassette tape console included. Knowing this, is it too hard to believe that Peter and/or the Ravagers used more advanced alien technology to truly perfect cassette tape technology? Whatever changes made to the console could also presumably be done to the Walkman as well. That tech could also be responsible for making all of the songs sound as crystal clear as we hear them, counteracting against the natural aging of the mix. If that's the case the only remaining liability is in the cassette itself, but those things are mostly just plastic outer casing and, as mentioned, you can always respool the tape with a screwdriver.
Is this a reasonable enough explanation to make you feel better about the existence of the perfect-sounding, seemingly eternal "Awesome Mix, Vol. 1"? Do you have a different explanation? If so, put it in the comments below. Also, let's be happy that "Awesome Mix, Vol. 2" is a brand-new, never-before-played tape, which will allow Guardians of the Galaxy 2 to avoid this silly plot hole.
