How’s this for an office view? (Note my DJ booth to the right of the green light.)
Spinning tunes for the students at St. Pat’s is unbelievably fun. The PTA always decorates the hall festive funky (this time it was Neon Night), I crank up the PA to its full 3,000 watt capability, and the kids swarm in to dance the night away.
We’ve had traditions of Bohemian Rhapsody sing-alongs, dance battles, the limbo, Halloween parties, and more. It’s been years of fun–and nifty when the kids come back to say hello, or send word via their younger siblings.
It’s an exceptionally nice group of kids, and always gives me hope for the future.
Neon Night
The black lights made the colors fizz, techno music thumped, and I bellowed into the microphone.
I’M DJ JOSH, AND IT IS SO GOOD TO BE BACK! WHO’S READY TO PARRRRRRRTY?
We got down to work. The Cupid Shuffle. Cotton Eyed Joe. Party in the USA. The music was so loud, I woke up the next day with Justin Bieber stuck in my head. Call it…occupational hazard, baby.
(Oh no! Now it’s stuck again!)
A cornerstone of the program is playing fun songs–real songs–that are carefully screened for profanity and vulgar content. Done right, it makes a place where kids can have the time of their lives, but still be kids.
Sometimes, it means refusing a song request. Nicely, politely, and it’s never a problem, but…
I said “no” to one, and man if I didn’t hear myself as part of the problem of the stifling, arbitrary world of adults.
Once, when I was a manager (what a strange thing), I spent a significant amount of time on the soapbox ranting and raving about changing the not allowed mentality.
Friday found me teetering dangerously close to Petty Tyrant as a DJ. Complacency kills.
Pondering this, it seemed an opportunity to invite the kids to think. Here’s what I wrote ‘em as my first thank-you note.
I hope it strikes a match.
Monday, April 29th, 2024
Hey crew! DJ Josh here, and WOW, as always, what a blast to spin for you at the Friday glow dance. What about those decorations, eh? Pretty epic.
First off, thank you. I've played at a lot of places, and it's always a blast to swing by St. Pat's. You guys rock. I love our new “lifting up a chair” tradition with the Bon Jovi “Livin' on a Prayer” tune. That'll be part of every set now. If you're graduating this year, don't feel bad: you've made the future brighter for the kids coming up behind you. (Legacy mode, man!)
Secondly, got something nifty to share with you. Maybe we can all have a think about it. Here's the topic:
There were some great song requests on Friday, and some were ones I said “oh, I can't play that at a school.” End of conversation.
This comes across like we're not allowed to, but it's different. It's hard to explain that while Justin Bieber is blasting across a neon floor at three thousand watts, though.
I hated–and hate–to be told I'm not allowed to do. It seemed stupid at first. As I made my own decisions, some of them blew up in my face, and then I understood. Oh, so that's why I wasn't allowed to eat a whole raspberry Danish before breakfast. Maybe mom wasn't such a tyrant...
G.K. Chesterton once said “Do not remove a fence until you know why it was put up in the first place.” That idea has been rattling around in my head. It's a doozy, but it's helping me think. And when I think, that means I need to come up with a moral code, and to try to live by it, and figure out how to move through the world.
The thinking man (or woman) seems our best shot in these crazy times. But when I say “because I said so” to you, that has the opposite effect. And that's not good. Boo on me.
My decision not to play certain songs is easy for two reasons: 1. The bosses are paying me not to. 2. I wouldn't, anyway, because I'd like to play you a set of music that's clean. There are plenty of places in the world with garbage in it. It's rare to find a nice park with fresh air. That's my own moral code, and neither here nor there, but it's where the decision comes from.
Some of you were pushing back, which was cool to see. “But so and so is a good role model.”
And what did I say, being Mr. eloquent philosopher? “No they aren't.” Oh wow. Give me a prize for being lame.
I got to thinking about role models. If I'm saying someone is a bad one, well, can I say who's a good one? Who are yours? Who are mine? Are they actually good ones? I love Frank Sinatra's voice (an old time singer), but sure don't like his life choices (something about the mafia). Maybe there are role models for particular skills?
What do you think about all of this? Have you thought about it before? (Many grown folks haven't.) Do you agree with these ideas? Disagree? Why? Fire up the ol' brain, and start pondering. See what you can find. I bet it's amazing, but even if it's rubbish at first, so what? Sometimes things take a while to build.
Wishing you an epic summer, with a lot of great ideas!
For those about to rock...We salute you,
DJ Josh
P.S. I believe there are heroes worth imitating everywhere. You should have seen the dude who put in the concrete patio at my house. Dude was a rockstar of rock!