Pestered for a song!

[radiojohn]

I was playing a gig last Sat night in a busy west of Ireland Pub. There was a pretty good crowd in and a decent atmosphere in the place. I was approached by one of the punters who requested Chris Brown and Justin Bieber - next to you. Alarm bells went off in my head as I knew it was sure to kill the atmosphere. I asked her was there anything else she would like to hear and she requested Lady Ga GA. I said I would do my best to get it on. I played Lady GA Ga a few songs later and hoped that would keep her happy. Two minutes later she arrives up looking for Chris Brown/Justin Bieber. I said I would see what I could do. 10 Minutes later, shes back up wondering when Im going to play her song. This happened five times. On the last occasion I explained that I didnt think the song would go down to well. She proceeded to scream at me saying "Your a dj, its your job to play the songs I request".

I honestly have never come across someone like this. Like all Dj's, I try my best to accomodate requests but not at the expense of the atmosphere at a gig. I eventually played their song and as expected the dance floor emptied.

So, my question is, have any of you ever experienced this amount of persistence from a punter and what do you think is the best way to deal with this behavior?

[leggo]

Oh yeah, every night like. Sure the funniest, for me, was when one girl requested Florence & The Machine as the last song. Now this was just as Florence was getting big so not a chance I'd have gotten away with a slow tempo song that'd mean a lot to some, but sweet FA to the majority, as the final tune.

Her last ditch effort was clearly staged, but she was still drunk enough to legitimise it. So she stood to the side of the DJ box, like a 12-year old afraid to ask for sweets at the door while trick-or-treating, while her mate came up and asked me. I was being nice to them in saying no, but still when the original gal saw me shaking me head she proceeded to do the most over-elaborate cry on the spot. Again, like a little baby standing there BAWLING because she didn't get her way. Of course, hard as I tried, I couldn't stop myself from pissing myself laughing looking at her...which only set her off more. I probably can't do it justice here...but I will never forget that image until I die. She was a fully grown woman!

Then you get the hard men or the gals who'll drop their pants if it'll get them their song played.

I try and deflect them, now, by just taking a request like I'm entering into a negotiation. "Who are ya looking for?" is what I always ask instead, in case they give you a horrible song choice so you get a bit of wiggle room. If they say a track and it's terrible, I'll be like "I'll get some Lady Gaga on, no bother, but I don't know if I'll get away with that exact song this early/late (some nod knowingly and buy this as if they're pretending to understand some elaborate DJ-ing technique)...we'll see what I can do though yeah." If you at least give them the feeling they're a part of the decision-making process, a lot will be happy with that, rather than the usual DJ craic of agreeing but never playing it or point blank refusing. I hate that myself. We are there for their entertainment, not to completely ignore or ridicule their tastes (even if they are ridiculous).

If they're still unhappy at the end of the night, meh, if you've kept most of the crowd happy you've done your job as you just can't please everyone all the time.

[disc]

Loved when the polish first came and use to pay you to play songs
Good times.

If it's a crap song I either tell them straight out or tell them I don't have it.

I had a knife pulled on me one night when this out of his head rocker came up looking for some mad metal band song to be played. Said I didn't have it and he went mad, next thing he has a knife out swinging at me . Luckly bouncer seen it and he was arrested .

[HammerJ]

Yeah... same here, Play the new one from Nicky Minage !!
(or however you spell her name)
Superbass is it? Yeah play it next !!
Next is the new word for please apparently!

[The Real Stuttering John]

Next is the new word for please apparently!

yeah I was wondering why everybody was putting the word "next" instead of "please" after they mentioned a song request. Makes sense now!

[jolishan]

If I can play it then like everyone else here I will, if I think it's going to destroy the atmosphere I will always try and explain that while he/she and I might like the song it will go way over the heads of the other punters and wouldn't it be great if they were all as tuned in as he/she. If that doesn't work I will point out that it is a request and while I will always try and fill a request I will never fill a demand. Failing that I explain very slowly that I have been extremely accomodating up to now but the answer is still no so end of conversation. Doesn't always work but 8 out of 10 is not a bad ratio
Jim

[Caretaker]

Pretty normal Jim..

Have played tracks from Chris Brown and Justin Bieber when requested .. Just took the persons name and introduced the song telling all that it was requested by X .. and enjoy..

gets rid of the pest early ..

[leggo]

Pretty normal Jim..

Have played tracks from Chris Brown and Justin Bieber when requested .. Just took the persons name and introduced the song telling all that it was requested by X .. and enjoy..

gets rid of the pest early ..

Haha, yep. Exactly what I do too.

Actually, funny you mention Chris Brown & Justin Bieber's song, because last Saturday that's what I was getting pestered for. Some auld one ended up breaking her ankle on the dancefloor (another story - though it might have been due to the booze on the floor, my story is I made her dance so much it broke, and I'm sticking to it :p) so when the ambulance men arrived everyone told me to turn the music off. I tried to keep it going as long as possible, while turning it down a bit so they could chat to the poor woman, explaining that the girl had paid so much money for her 21st I'd hate to cut it off unless there was no other option. When the bar staff even gave me the nod, though, I caved.

I reluctantly did, eventually, and had some banter with the crowd to keep them amused. A couple of girls were yelling up to play the above track while it got quiet so I got on the mic and said, "Quick straw poll: show of hands, who wants to hear (sigh) Justin Bieber and Chris Brown? (4-5 hands go up, bashfully) Can we actually get a scream from those who want to hear it? (the two girls screamed loudly, nobody else did) I think that's a resounding no, then, sorry girls!" 'Twas all in good spirits and they took it well, fair play to them.

[giggady]

This always happens at gigs.

Someone demands a song - doesn't ask - but demands a song and will stand beside the dj box until you play it, only to walk off until you play it and not even bother to dance. It's usually girls - sorry, not being sexist or anything, but from years of doing this, and i think the rest of the lads here can back me up on this, girls are the serial offenders of this.

The word "please" has been erased from a persons vocabulary and is never used. I can't recall the last time someone had any decent manners to say please for a song.

Another thing that i hear is "play this song, everyone will like it" and when you do....your dance floor disappears like Moses parting the Red Sea. Thats when i say, "Thank's for losing my audience" and i put on something else, only for the person who requested the song to come back to me and act like a sulky child.

To some people that attend clubs, late bars, etc, weither they pay in or not i don't think they realise that DJ's have to entertain a whole group of people, not just one person. What may sound good on their ipod, might not work on a dance floor.

As for a previous poster who got harassed to play Justin Bieber and Chris Brown, I'm lucky. No-one has ever asked me to play it. If they do, i just say i don't have it. I can't play a song that i don't have. End of.

[leggo]

As for a previous poster who got harassed to play Justin Bieber and Chris Brown, I'm lucky. No-one has ever asked me to play it. If they do, i just say i don't have it. I can't play a song that i don't have. End of.

Yeah, see I do that the odd time if it's a pub/club or if they're just being plain ignorant, but my one fear of doing it at parties (and this is probably just down to my own insecurity with gigs being so much harder to come by these days) is that I don't want it to spread around the group that I'm the DJ who doesn't have big chart songs.

You know yourselves, it doesn't even need to be true but if someone applies a label to you and spreads it, it becomes the truth and you won't get a chance to correct them. Having had to live off just repeat bookings from parties in the past, I'm very wary of doing anything to damage that, especially if the claims are untrue and I'm the indirect source of them!

[Kenny Powers]

Simple solution just tell them you don't have it if you don't want to play it.

[TonyL]

Simple solution just tell them you don't have it if you don't want to play it.

Not always that simple Kenny. They ALWAYS have another song that they want. Tormenting £$%^&*(*&^%*#'s so they are :)

[igot2words4ya]

Ah so Next is the new word for please.......Makes sence now!!Also the polish paying for songs is handy for the drink fund if your haven a few cheeky pints!!

[leggo]

Ah so Next is the new word for please.......Makes sence now!!Also the polish paying for songs is handy for the drink fund if your haven a few cheeky pints!!

Listening to the Polish requests is also a good way to lose a residency! They're mad for their happy hardcore, hard house and all that jazz that drive regular Irish punters up the wall.

Had a group in a few weeks ago, from the opening when there was pretty much nobody else there, twas good craic being able to mess about and play tunes we'd rarely get a chance to while they went mad for them. Few strange looks from the bossman, pointed to the dancefloor, laughed and rolled his eyes to say "I'm officially out of touch so!"

[HammerJ]

Never a truer word said Leggo,I did a birthday party during December and there were a dozen Polish but they danced and only for them it would have been hard work because the Irish were not too bothered.

But as you say it was 'daaanccce muuusik ' they were in to so I just kept it to charty stuff.By the end of the night it was a crackin party so maybe a few Polish at every gig is the answer.