Okay, so I started out trying to install the banshee plugins from their website. They wanted me to install glib. I got glib from a mirror and installed it. during install I got all kinds of warnings including literally hundreds that looked like this:

gsignal.c:2365: warning: dereferencing type-punned pointer will break strict-aliasing rules
gsignal.c:2374: warning: type-punning to incomplete type might break strict-aliasing rules
gsignal.c:2374: warning: dereferencing type-punned pointer will break strict-aliasing rules
gsignal.c:2401: warning: type-punning to incomplete type might break strict-aliasing

I'm very new to linux and wasn't sure if I sohuld worry, but I continued anyway. Then I tried to install the banshee plugins. Right from the start I get this message:

checking for mono >= 1.1.13... Package mono was not found in the pkg-config search path.
Perhaps you should add the directory containing `mono.pc'
to the PKG_CONFIG_PATH environment variable
No package 'mono' found


I walk away for a few minutes and my screen saver (a blank screen) comes on. I return to my computer and the screen won't come back. I see the mouse and a black screen and that's it. I decide to reboot. It reboots and gets stuck on a gray screen and now my linux won't come up. Every time I boot it goes to the same gray screen and stops. I'm using Suse 10.1 if it matters.

PLAESE HELP!

Hello man and welcome here!
I suggest that you start all over again your SUSE Linux 10.1 installation, because it seems that you messed it up with unnecessary compilations.
You have to learn how to install packages in the SUSE distribution because it is a rpm base distribution.
YaST is the appropriate tool to use.
There already exists a banshee-plugins rpm file on the installation DVD 1
Do learn how to use YaST as a package manager, read the SUSE documentations. And search for howtos in the forums. It will be a much better path to follow for you.
Don't begin compiling things, it's not the right way especially with a distribution like SUSE.
I hope you a good start in your Linux travel.
Good readings