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Cars are a personal sanctuary from the rest of the world. It's the one place you have total control over the radio and can brazenly listen to the most indulgent tunes while shimmying and singing along. A wingman in the seat next to you, singing the harmony or helping mimic the perfect guitar solo, always helps the ride. So this week I invited my dear friend Carl along to help me come up with a great eclectic driving mix. Carl and I once drove all the way to St. Louis and back to see Radiohead, and I can attest to the fact that Carl is a delightful sing along in the car buddy. Below is a mix of some of our favorite songs for driving.

Cake - Stickshifts and Safetybelts - This is a great song to start a long road trip. It's about cars (duh), it's upbeat and slightly corny and the cuteness of it all will make you forget the fact you have a long drive ahead of you.

Ram Jam - Black Betty - The epitome of white trash southern rock. I'm pretty sure this song is in an actual car commercial, which tells you market research proves that people really want to drive when they hear some Ram Jam.

Rage Against the Machine - Sleep Now In the Fire - Both Carl and I grew up in high school listening to Rage. I remember being a freshman, my senior friend driving me home, screaming along with Zack de la Rocha. We'd always miss my driveway, and my friend would scream a string of obscenities, slam on his breaks and back up in the middle of the road. Rage will always remind me of the bonding between angry white kids driving around, stuck in suburbia where they don't belong.

Prodigy - Smack My Bitch Up - As Carl so poetically put it, "You put this on and start going 85 mph, because you just can't help yourself." Also you can discuss with your passengers just how messed up the music video was for this song. Carl once played it in middle school on the class computer. I can only imagine how many kids in his class had to go to therapy after the scenes their virgin eyes witnessed.

Nine Inch Nails - The Perfect Drug - When I suggested this song Carl pointed out it actually has the sound of a car changing gears in it, and then he spastically car danced around my apartment to the chorus. Thus, this song made the list.

Sammy Hager - I Can't Drive 55 - This song was all Carl's doing. I was a skeptic at first, because when it comes to hair metal cornball rock, I can think of better songs to drive around to. But then he played me the video on Youtube, and I officially announced that the next time I'm driving a car, this song will have to be put on.