DJ Attacked

[frankie says relax]

I was going to post this about a week ago but i thought it would be irrelivent as to what the board is supposed to be for .
But after what happened this weekend to a young teenager in Dublin i think you all ought to know of the dangers DJ's can be subjected to .
Last week a young and very eager DJ was subjected some of the worst abuse and intimidation by a bunch of low life scumbags at a well known music bar in the city .
Not only did they personally abuse and question his ability , they also threatened him in a manner which would have the SAS thinkin twice about havin ' a go . To top things off , they even stole some of his CD's in front of his face , the poor guy couldn't do a thing 'cause even the doormen {i use the term doormen very loosely ] weren't prepared to help him out .
I spoke to him a week ago last tuesday and tried to reassure him that all venues wern't the same {the guy is only 18 ]
So i beg the question , are we all prepared to be at risk while trying to make a living ,and are we going to be subjected to abuse and threats by ''and i quote '' the lowest common denomonatior of Flith and thrash from the streets of Ireland .

It dosent matter how good or bad we are at what we do , no amount of money is worth risking our lives while trying to entertain a crowd or in this case , ignorant sewer rats with the intelligence of a dead snake .

Thanks for reading .

Frankie says ...............

[KJ]

It dosent matter how good or bad we are at what we do , no amount of money is worth risking our lives while trying to entertain a crowd

Agreed. There's some kips I wouldnt play in for any amount of money. Yet, when you're starting off, you do have to subject yourself to the odd rough spot here and there ........ this shouldnt include you been threatened however.


I have a feeling this "establishment" (I use that term loosely too) is on O Connel Street or just off it Frankie?


KJ

;)

[Darren B]

Originally posted by Kelly Jones



I have a feeling this "establishment" (I use that term loosely too) is on O Connel Street or just off it Frankie?


KJ

;)

Im pretty sure youre right Kelly. Not sure "establishment" is a fair word to use. Thats being far to kind

[Elaine]

Thats terrible. I really dont understand why the "doormen" didnt help out though. Why wernt they thrown out of the club? A dj or anybody for that matter shouldnt have to put up with that. They sound like little wasters. poor guy.

[Turiel]

You're always going to get scumbags at a gig. Well, unless you're doing annabells or something ;). Even so, *someone* always thinks you're playing crap music or whatever. The problem above is the doormen not helping out. If I have a problem, I just shout for the doormen, and fully expect them to kick the scumbag in question out. If they weren't prepared to help me, as in your example above, there's no way I'd work in that venue again. And I'd tell all the other djs I know about that venue. Hmm, unless they were paying me outrageous amounts of money ;)

[web-browser]

Well take a leaf from my book. If they dont like what ur playing they know where the door is. Take no shite from anybody it's not worth it. It takes balls to stand up and front of a crowd. & i praise everyone who does it. Remember this wee saying. Your as good as your crowd! oh before i go, loveline 2002 is here again from 2 together it's doing the biz for me.

[Darren B]

if it had happened to me i would have stopped the music and just walked out. Its a disgrace that the doormen didnt help the poor guy out.

[KJ]

Stopping the music and walking out would have been risky.

Id have stuck a long dance tune (Eg; Sandy B - World Go Round) on and snuck out ;)


KJ

[frankie says relax]

Problem is lads , a lot of Doormen working bars and clubs around Dublin are basically thugs and are too stupid to get a real job which requires intelligence and the use of more than one brain cell.
We also must point the the finger at the people who run these venues .

[Peadar]

Although i was close to being chucked out of there (as a customer) once or twice i have to say that the security in annabels is kinda reassuring - i'd feel quite safe in there anytime. It's a bloody shame tho' that the poor guy had that done to him especially at the start of his career. Maybe it should remind us of the 'rent a crowd' rule - always bring your mates along to gigs whether they have to pay or not.

[frankie says relax]

Hmmmm , not a bad idea Peadar..
I think most reputable clubs wiil employ decent security , like Annabells , Club 92 etc etc , but the run down shit holes will rely on ass holes who are basically on the same level as some of their punters .
If you go to a club door and immediately feel intimidated , theres a reason for that , thugs are employed because they expect trouble and are there to to sort it at any cost ,even at the expence of giving a venue a bad name .
I know scangers need somewhere to go when the fields are cold at night but can we not find somewhere even colder where we could put them so as decent clubbers can feel safe .

Any ideas where lads and girls ???? ..prize for the best reply ...

[Preset No.3]

I think we have all at some sage or another come across intimadation by members of the public. What do we do about it? If the doormen are not within ear shot, pick up the mic and shout. I would rather shout my head off into a mic to attract attention than get a bottle in the face or worse still getting my CDs robbed.

We are in pubs and clubs to do a job, nothing else. IF its not worth the risk get out. No argument about it.

[Slicklink]

You more than anyone else Preset!!!

I was doing in a regular gig a few years ago in this particular bar on eh Nassau Street (yeah that place not to far from Subway). Anyway someone basically put it together back a few posts and its true.. you can nearly measure up the quality of your crowd by the quality of the guys on the door. Lets face it Scumbag bouncers will let their scumbag mates in. Anyway back to the story this particular bouncer chap was for want of a better word, a nutter (an accident waiting to happen). So I'm jocking one night and this bouncer chap comes over and starts calling the shots about calling someone to the door (or something) and then gets very stroppy, screaming and such .... so I stopped the music and faced the guy down with everyone looking on (he never forgave me) but from time to time you'll meet scumbagfs at gigs and sometimes have to work with them. Not long afterwards this particular place had to change their "security" when the accident waiting to happen, did just that.

[Liam Taaffe]

I've DJ'ed in some of the roughest clubs in the north east, we all have to start somewhere, and I've had records taken and my jacket and mobile was stolen. There's nothing has annoying when the bouncer explains that they didn't see anything on the security camera but its funny how you bump into them on the street and their wearing a jacket and have a mobile in their hand that looks familiar!

No matter where you DJ in Irish dance clubs you'll always have the obnoxious scum bag with his knacker Air Max and sovereigns giving you a hard time about your Music and mixing.
I've been living in New York for the past five months and DJing here is so different the people appreciate what your putting across and they make the effort to thank you at the end of your set, which isn't a common thing back home!

The doormen here can actually put two words together and have an intelligent conversation. The only thing I miss is the atmosphere in Irish clubs, which is far better than New York.

What I would really like to know is why are these individuals been employed to do a job that they obviously take advantage of, which is known to the clubs management and why do they let little lower class scumbags in clubs hang around a DJ box?

If they annoyed a member of the bar staff they would immediately be thrown out of the club!

[Preset No.3]

Laim,

Goin to NY on hols soon. Can you recommend any decent clubs to sample the night life of New York.

[Lord Nelson]

Bear in mind most "doormen" are scumbags themselves, the offenders are probably relatives! Be like me, carry a can of
mace. The last fellow who tried nicking my CD's can vouch for
its effectiveness!

[KJ]

If its not too late Preset ............ try Body & Soul in NYC and check a DJ called Joe Classel - saw him in Ireland once, an amazing DJ - lots of soulful vocal funy house if thats your thing

Twilo is worth a look too if its still open


KJ

[Darren B]

Twilo is now closed as is the Limelight club AFAIK

[Rob Ryan]

I'm with darren on this if the club isn't gonna look after you just get up and leave. Tell the management to sort it or you'll walk and if they don't then cut the music and walk out. If he was worried about them hasseling him if he stopped the music just leave some cd you don't want in when you go. Under no circumstances should a jock put up with anyone hasseling them scum or not.

And you shouldn't have to bring friends to work with you, after all thats what it is, work.

To be honest the DJing world is quite small, if they dont look after their DJs they'll find it very hard to find decent replacements.

[Pulse 95-99]

Hang on Rob, There is always someone out there willing to under cut you by €20 just to get the gig!

[Rob Ryan]

They wouldn't need to undercut the DJ in the defined circumstances, he could have the gig at the full wack!

As far as the DJing scene being a small world, sure clubs try to get the best value for their money from the DJ's they choose, but i believe there is a reason some DJ's can get better fee's than others; i think everyone here will have experienced being at a venue where the person playing the music was doing it all wrong - it can create a very bad atmosphere.

What i meant was if i heard a venue where i was asked to play was renouned for letting their DJ's be Bullied and Beaten up i certainly wouldn't accept the gig, and it has happened a few years back where a group of DJ's i know all refused a gig because of 'problems' with the club.

I'm sure eventually they'd find someone to play but they might not have much experience and after a while they'd exhaust their resources of people to take abuse!

Just my two cents.