Paul Smith 0 Posted July 22, 2003 Report Share Posted July 22, 2003 Earlier this evening I received a list of questions from Chris. I am currently working on suitable answers to these probing questions and I will post them later today. I also believe that I get to choose the next 'subject'. At present I have several in mind but please post/PM your suggestions and reasons for someone else or even why you should/should not be the next choosen one. All replies will be considered but my decision will be final and binding (where have I heard that before?) PaulS PS Sleep well. I'll be burning the midnight oil. http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/042.gif Link to post Share on other sites
mobile_dj_crooks 0 Posted July 23, 2003 Report Share Posted July 23, 2003 hehehehe.......plz try to not to pick me....i'm camera-shy! http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif I think whoever (and that includes me) should suffer the conquescences of the interview (i can't spell....) by the present interview-ee! <font color="#008000">laterzzzzz :blink:</font> <font color="#0000ff">DJ_CROOKS </font> mobile_dj_crooks@hotmail.com <marquee behavior="alternate"><font color="#008080">Heh, I was a moderator :S</marquee> Link to post Share on other sites
Paul Smith 0 Posted July 23, 2003 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2003 Pre-amble (or Pre-Ramble) by Paul Smith. During the last 10 years I have been interviewed twice; by the local constabulary following a traffic accident and by HM Inspector of taxes. In both cases I could tell by their body language (repeatedly looking at their watches) that they’d heard enough and wanted me to go but for me it was all or nothing and they just had to work overtime – so be warned – just get yourself a nice cup of tea, beer or brandy. (as appropriate – I don’t want to encourage underage drinking) Firstly, in common with my other interviews the caution “You do not have to say anything but if you don’t we’ll assume you have something to hide and you’ll be found guilty. If you do say something we’ll edit it as necessary so that you’ll appear guilty” It was along those lines anyway but by the time I’d finished rambling on it was ‘case closed’ – we don’t want to see you again – ever! How long have you been DJ'ing? 15 years. I did my first disco at age 15 (which was 30 years ago!?) but I ‘retired’ in the 80s when a promotion at work required me to be available to travel overseas, sometimes at short notice, so I couldn’t therefore guarantee I’d be available for a gig. 3 years ago I came out of retirement and started 5 Star Disco. What inspired you to become a DJ? In my early teens I played bass guitar in a rock band but my own musical interests spanned more than Black Sabbath, Deep Purple etc so I left the band and started a disco where I could play a wider variety – at that time I was more into soul and Motown. What type of "Do" was your first gig? Local youth club How much did you charge (Mikeee please convert this from Shillings and pence to decimal when its your go.) £0.00 (L0.0s.0d) Yes if I remember correctly it was common to use an ‘L’ instead of £ making it Lsd What equipment did you have to begin with? 2 domestic turntables, a Marshall 100w valve amp and 2x Fane twin 12” speakers (from my band days), no mixer (the decks plugged straight into the mic input of the amp) For lighting a bank of spotlights controlled by a record deck fitted with micro switches around the sides. A lump attached to the edge of the turntable activated each switch and the speed could be adjusted to suit the music. The problems were: clicking through the speakers and the whole thing was live. A borrowed slide projector with some jazzy effects scratched onto blank slides and a fuzz light powered by a car battery The set-up was abandoned when I met another DJ (Wally) who had 2 rigs, so I worked for him and later in nightclubs. It may however appear one day in a DJ museum. What’s the worst/most embarrassing thing you've done in front of an audience? The worst event for me was at age 17 when Wally booked me for a wedding reception. Amongst other things playing Donny Osmond & David Cassidy was not good for my street cred and I vowed never to do a wedding reception again ever. (Never say never). There have been several embarrassing moments but the most recent is, dressed in a kilt; I was doing the Highland fling on the dance floor with both the bride & grooms fathers when I felt as if one of them had kicked me in the back of the leg. I had to hop for the rest of the night and next day at A&E was told that I’d ruptured my Achilles tendon (ouch) What is your favourite type of function now? EG: Wedding, 18th Birthday party, funeral wake.. The next one…..I always look forward to a gig with an optimistic attitude. Sometimes by the end my optimism has waned a bit but I still try and remain upbeat. I used to enjoy working at a night club 3 times a week but same crowd, same music – it even got to the stage when I could see a punter approach the DJ booth and have their choice of record in my hand before they even said anything. Now what was the question again? Oh yes I think that as a DJ there is nothing more satisfying than a full dance floor so it doesn’t matter what the function is – if they’re dancing I’m happy and its my favourite function for the day. Is there anything that you include in your show now, that you wish you'd done/known when you started? (Not equipment, but in human/performer terms) I think I’m more versatile & confident as an entertainer. I use the radio mic to get out in the crowd and when I finally decided to do wedding gigs I put together a games package and later karaoke because that’s what people wanted – a far cry from being locked in a DJ booth with just a small opening for people to talk to you. What do you feel you offer your public, that makes you a better DJ than "the next guy/girl"? Whenever I have the chance to see another DJ in action I always see something that they do or say that I wish I’d thought of first. I don’t copy but sometimes adapt what I see and hopefully improve the concept. What I do offer is 100% commitment from turning up early to ‘giving it my all’ til the end of the gig. I play the music they want (even if it is Donny Osmond now), I don’t blast them out of the room with sound even though it’s available and I make sure that my rig always looks smart. The last thank you letter I received ended with ‘….you were so friendly and professional’ so if that’s the way I’m perceived it’ll do for me. Have you ever bought something for your show that you wish you hadn’t? and why? I’ve bought a few cheap lighting effects in the past by mail order – all sold on – some never used. It’s the old adages: You get what you pay for and try before you buy (or at least see it in action) What’s your next DJ purchase likely to be? My wife says if I keep buying equipment we’ll soon need a lorry (correction – she’s just read this and reminded me what she actually said was a double decker bus!) but I’m always on the lookout for new effects to keep the rig up to date and looking fresh. I also like the idea of a dual MP3 player and will watch development with interest. If you could get someone to invent a new piece of disco equipment for your show, what would it be? Picture this: You arrive at the gig with 2 suitcases. The lid of the first splits in 2 and they become flat panel top speakers complete with stands. Inside the case is a dual MP3 player, mixer, 2 transducers that attach to the dance floor by suction to provide the bass, lightweight amplifiers and a mic. No connecting wires as it’s all done by RF. The lid of case 2 is a LCD screen for karaoke or can be used for messages. In the case is a 4-lens projector, computer controlled, to give any effect required from mirror ball, strobe, moonflower, scanner etc. There’s also a star cloth for the front. With just 2 mains leads to plug in, set up takes 5 minutes and it’ll all fit into the boot of a standard saloon car. Well they do say that what the mind can conceive can be achieved!! What do you think is the best thing about DJ’ing? Playing great music and being in control. I relish the responsibility of being in a position to give people a good time. A round of applause at the end of the night or a few thank you’s is always an added bonus. What do you think is the worst thing about DJ’ing? Hanging around waiting to start or in some cases even to set-up. The worst one for me recently was we were booked from 8-1 and eventually started at 12.10. I know the money’s the same whether I play for 5 hours or 50 minutes but I’d rather be playing than waiting. What would make you stop DJ'ing (if anything)? Being physically or mentally incapable (careful). In the extremely unlikely event of winning the lottery (I’ve probably got a better chance of having a record in the top 20) I would honour my contracts but employ more roadies and have the best room in the hotel after the gig (the bride & groom can have the next best one). That would use up the disco fee but in those circumstances who cares! How do you think DJ'ing will change, in the next 5 years? There will be fewer DJs using a mic (sorry if I’m quoting someone else here) When I started the mark of a good DJ was to talk over the intro and time it so that you would finish at the first lyric – things have moved on of course – and now that intro is used for mixing but it’s still nice to hear some chat as well as some good mixing. DJs United will be a multi-million pound corporate enterprise sponsored by all the record companies and manufacturers who want its members to play their latest releases and use their products. Chris will be in a tax haven, using his laptop to stay in touch with events and issue the odd boll:cense:ing to anyone who flouts the rules. You’ll all be a bit wiser (I say ‘you’ because it’s in my genes to go the other way) and we’ll all be using the kit I envisaged in an earlier question. Most stupid thing anyone's ever said to you at a gig? If I give you £20 and a joint will you do an extra hour (only £20)? (For the record, your honour, I don’t do drugs unless you count aspirin, alcohol & nicotine) Best advice you were ever given by a fellow DJ? Don’t under-price yourself And worst advice you were ever given Discos won’t survive another 5 years (that was in 1977) Name 3 songs that 95% of the time will fill you dance floor!! Love Inc – Superstar Hermes House Band – Country Roads DJ Otzi – Hey Baby Age 45 Location Newtownabbey, (a cluster of villages 6 miles north of Belfast), Northern Ireland Martial status Married to Beth for 25 years. We met at one of my gigs 27 years ago. 3 offspring David (24) an accountant lives in Dublin, Debbie (23) back home after 4 years at Uni, Paul Jnr (16) waiting for his GCSE results, currently in Texas (USA, not the DIY store) for 1 month. If he were here now to type this in for me I’d have been in bed hours ago. Education level 7 ‘O’ levels (like GCSEs only harder) City & Guilds in Electronic Servicing: Level 1 Core Studies and Level 2 Radio & Television. Mode of transportation 1999 Vauxhall Vectra Estate 2.0l Tdi (for the gender that’s interested it’s silver) Box trailer What equipment do you currently use? I give clients the option of 3 set-ups dependant on size of room, number attending, budget etc. To give you an idea of size the smallest fits into the estate car, the medium one into the trailer and the largest uses the trailer & car. The largest set-up uses everything, for the others it’s mix & match. Sound: 2x mini disc players, twin CD, 3 amps (1.2KW, 1.0KW and 600W), 3 way active crossover, 2x 15” 600W bass bins, 2x 15” 400W tops with 400W horns, 6x 150W 12” with tweeters. SM58 & radio mics. Karaoke: CDG/VCD/DVD player, 2x cheapo mics and all the TVs I could ever need Lighting: Ultimax DJ stand with dual lighting bar, 2x barrel scanners, 2x goboflower, 2x twisters, Broken Swing (as centrepiece), sound/light/chaser unit for 2x spot boxes that fit into DJ stand along with a strobe, 2x 8 spot banks, light screen for bottom of DJ stand, 4x 2’ U/V tubes. Effects: 2x twin red lazers, flame, smoke, bubble & snow machines. How much have you "invested" in equipment? Apart from the blood, sweat and broken finger nails? When I designed my rig I gave myself a budget of £5,000. Looking back over my accounts I have actually spent £10,446 (it’s just surprised me that’s the first time I’ve added it up). This includes all equip, leads and CDs, but not vehicle costs, admin, insurance & advertising which would add another few thousand (it would be hard to calculate these as they are totalled in with my other business). I think at this point a note of explanation. When I started 5 Star I aimed straight for the top end of the mobile disco market because there was an obvious demand and insufficient providers to meet it. I also had the money to invest in a new business venture. Those just starting out should not be discouraged if they have a small budget. There’s always room in the industry. Starting small and re-investing your income to build up your rig as you gain experience is a good road to travel, but I’d been there, done that, so in I dived. What was your reason for becoming a DJ? This time around? Well I’d always missed doing them especially when I was at someone else’s gig. At 40 I thought I was a bit old for the night clubs and I didn’t relish doing weddings, but opinions change and when I saw the gap in the market I put my money where my big mouth was and went for it. My experience of weddings was attending quite a few as a guest and doing one 25years prior (which was an absolute disaster) so I suppose I did jump in at the deep end (if only this forum was around then it would have helped) but it was a calculated gamble that has paid off. Of course my previous experience and working with other local DJs helped but it was still nerve racking for the first one. Approximately how many gigs have you done to date? Oh at last the final question – I’m sure you’re all relieved but I did warn you that given an audience (is there anyone still there?) I do tend to go on a bit. Quick answer 2071 (that’s 12 years @ av 3 per week and 3 years av 1.5 per week). Time for a quick ramble I’m actually now doing half the work (in terms of bookings) but twice as much (in terms of having to set-up etc) and making four times the money (taking into account inflation at ………I give up. Thanks for reading and please, don’t have nightmares PaulS http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/042.gif Link to post Share on other sites
Dj SBD 0 Posted July 23, 2003 Report Share Posted July 23, 2003 Well done Paul, sum interesting read. http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/thumbup.gif http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/thumbup.gif Hi everyone ;-) Link to post Share on other sites
mobile_dj_crooks 0 Posted July 23, 2003 Report Share Posted July 23, 2003 niceeeeeee work http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif! <font color="#008000">laterzzzzz :blink:</font> <font color="#0000ff">DJ_CROOKS </font> mobile_dj_crooks@hotmail.com <marquee behavior="alternate"><font color="#008080">Heh, I was a moderator :S</marquee> Link to post Share on other sites
ChrisPointon 0 Posted July 23, 2003 Report Share Posted July 23, 2003 QUOTE 1999 Vauxhall Vectra Estate 2.0l Tdi (for the gender that’s interested it’s silver) Wayheyy Another Diesel Vectra owner (has your clock / temp display gone dyslexic yet??) Must admit that it cheers me up reading these after a hard day http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/smile.gif - I think you make a good point with regard to the mic work - I wonder if we'll all be the last generation of Mic using D.J's or are there a few aspiring young Mic users out there??? http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/kid.gif Thanks for that Paul - you also get to choose next weeks candidate http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/thumbup.gif Link to post Share on other sites
fenix842 0 Posted July 23, 2003 Report Share Posted July 23, 2003 Nice interview! .....lots of quality reading! http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif ---Alex Link to post Share on other sites
Paul Smith 0 Posted July 24, 2003 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2003 Thanks for your comments. I didn't appreciate how long something like that would take to complete although I think it would have helped me if I didn't go on so much but when you have something to say.... QUOTE Wayheyy Another Diesel Vectra owner (has your clock / temp display gone dyslexic yet??) Not yet. I removed the original radio & fitted a minidisc player so I don't get the lower half of the display anymore. QUOTE you also get to choose next weeks candidate I've narrowed it down to 4 and will sleep on it - a little bit of suspense should keep people on their toes - be nice to me be very nice!! Link to post Share on other sites
Paul Smith 0 Posted July 24, 2003 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2003 Ok decision made - it was tough because I think there are a number of members whose answers I await with interest. I'm gonna go for the forum agony aunt before her computer goes on the blink again http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/kid.gif So Karen, I pass the baton to you and good luck http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif PaulS Link to post Share on other sites
Dj SBD 0 Posted July 24, 2003 Report Share Posted July 24, 2003 QUOTE So Karen, I pass the baton to you and good luck LOL, this will be good http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif Hi everyone ;-) Link to post Share on other sites
ChrisPointon 0 Posted July 24, 2003 Report Share Posted July 24, 2003 Can't wait! http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/notworthy.gif Link to post Share on other sites
C.S 0 Posted July 24, 2003 Report Share Posted July 24, 2003 Quality work 5 star, well written and certainly containing some things that a lot of djs of our generation can relate to. http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/042.gif I will try anything,once! The Cornish will arise again ! Manager of the Andy Harris Fan Club. Keep pasties Cornish Link to post Share on other sites
tonyj 0 Posted July 24, 2003 Report Share Posted July 24, 2003 enjoyable reading. http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/smile.gif goes to prove that this forum is the home of professional djs. and to be honest a place i feel we can chat to each other with out the fear of somebody stabbing us n the back to take our work. http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif Member of The Musicians Union "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like hard work." Link to post Share on other sites
YourBigEvent 0 Posted July 25, 2003 Report Share Posted July 25, 2003 Nice work. How many miles has your diesel done ? .....but what do I know ? Your Big Event Office:01803 813540 Direct: 0797 0717 448 e.mail:info@yourbigevent.co.uk Link to post Share on other sites
Paul Smith 0 Posted July 25, 2003 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2003 QUOTE How many miles has your diesel done ? 67,000. Not all mine as I bought it second hand. Link to post Share on other sites
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