My girlfriend's brother, Justin, got married this weekend and I of course attended. It was a typical small town cowboy wedding: boots, starched Wranglers and white shirts with mother-of-pearl inlayed bottoms (snaps), counrty music and two-stepping. I have no problem with that, because Justin's a rancher thru and thru, but I did have problems with the DJ.
Upon entering the reception hall, Willie Nelson was playing. No big deal, the party's just getting started, and the keg was close by. They even sprang for real beer, having driven 30 minutes to a bigger town to get two kegs of Bud Light that weren't 3.2%. Cool, finger foods and a cold frosty while waiting for the wedding party to arrive. A few more Willie songs roll thru (no-no #1), but then the tempo switches to Frank Sinatra. What? I thought the point was to get people in a party mood, not ready for bed. Sinatra is followed by Willie and then another Sinatra. I'm already thinking that my evening of breaking a sweat while dancing is unlikely and the criticism has already commenced.
Wedding party arrives, the typical bride/groom and father/daughter dances are done. Tons more country songs are played. An auction for the brides boots and wedding slip are done, each going for $80-100. This was a new one to me, but I figured it took place of the dollar dance. More country songs played mixed with a few 80's hits (Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, the 80s mix that you always hear at your local pub/club, Walking on Sunshine, and Footloose). At this point, we're thinking, okay this cat is going by year and will eventually hit the 90s, etc. Wrong assumption, more country. By this time, the DJ had already gotten the shrug and the finger, so we continued to await that one song that might make the night worthy.
Heather's cousin's husband, Lukas, and I passed the time by playing with the squash table decor (a country thing??) and making gourd towers.
A couple hours have passed now and the DJ thought it was time to have the dollar dance, mind you, several people have left, so maximizing the potential of this event was minimal. Lukas and his wife left around 9:40pm. Heather and I still awaited a song that might re-spark the night's interest, but still nothing except country. So, we got our coats on, hugged and waved our goodbyes, and headed toward the door. Uh oh, Black Eyed Peas and Fergie's "My Humps" comes one. So, Heather and I show these cowboys and girls how real booty grinding and smackin's done in the big city. Eyes-widened spectators watch as we continue our show until song's end. Then, this potential party starter is followed by another country downer. So, we bail.
What a disappointing and worthless DJ. He has the set-up like he's the next DJ Skribble, lights, big corner DJ stand, laptop, etc. Great front for such a sheisty entertainer. So, I thought about taking a dollar bill and saying this is a start at your tuition for DJ school.
Here are the rules of DJing, plain and simple, I call it
DJ 101:
1. Never play the same song twice or the same artist back-to-back, even if it's at the beginning and end of the evening, even if it's requested or part of another pre-done mix, because there are people who stay from open to close.
2. Never clear the dance floor, if you do, never play the song again that caused this, and quickly spin out and into something else.
3. Always have a pre-set list of party-starters, if you're a true DJ, you know what these are because you've been to enough parties and bars to know what's hot.
4. Always take requests, but be sensible in what you play. Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit is not a good dancing song, so don't play it, that is, unless the bride or groom request it, then play it early in the evening. Play what the people want to hear, not what you want.
5. Play music that makes people want to dance and drink. Esp. if you're a club DJ. Make 'em dance so much that they need a drink, this is where you make your money, in alcohol sales. If it's a kegger, the more they dance, the less they may drink, make that keg stretch. Boredom breeds alcohol consumption. This sounds good, but isn't because if people aren't having fun, there's no reason to stay.
6. You won't please everyone all the time, but if even one person goes home because of the crappy music, it's your fault.
7. Never follow-up a slow song with another slow song, unless it's the last 2 songs of the evening. Crunch-time for those making their selections on who they may take home.
8. Learn, learn, learn by keep a comment pad near the DJ booth so you can get the reaction of your crowd. This could be a chance to redeem yourself and revive the party (if you've made some bad selections) or a learning tool for the next gig.
Follow these simple rules of DJing and you too can get gigs everywhere. Even if your equipment consists of a mere boombox, as long as you play the right trax, it doesn't matter. Take it from someone who's given the middle finger and walked out of many of clubs because the DJ failed to read the crowd and make wise choices.
So, I will be attending 7 of the 8 films shown for this event in Spfld, MO. It took a lot of coaxing, but my girlfriend, Heather, is allowing it happen. Since we'll be spending most of our time at the theatre, I might see if they can hook us up with some cots. We're also trying to squeeze in a showing of Happy Feet that weekend; only true horror fans can roll like that!! The rundown is this:
6p-Dark Ride
10p-Unrest
2p-Gravedancers
6p-Penny Dreadful
10p-Abandoned
2p-Wicked Little Things
4p-The Hamiltons
I opted out of watching Reincarnation since I can 1) get it cheaper as an import DVD, and 2) was really disappointed with the Grudge 2 which has the same director. 
