Death to the Discount DJ

They call me the discount DJ. I got my decks at the thrift shop. I got my records at the thrift shop. I borrow my speakers from a buddy, and my hand-me-down amp is ready to cut out any day now. The gigs I get are all within a three block radius of my downtown apartment, and I carry my gear to them by hand. All the functions I've done in the past year but one, I've done for free. Today, I was spinning in the courtyard of the church down the street. There was an outdoor arts and crafts show going on, and they needed some tunes. I agreed to do it. I don't mind helping out. But now they're starting to cramp my style. "No more scratching," they told me. "Turn it down a notch," they said. Maybe they don't like my tunes. I do have somewhat eclectic tastes, but I try to bring a little something for everyone, maybe even expand people's horizons a little. I caught a few folks dancing to the classics: Steve Miller, Psychedelic Furs, Otis Redding. I stayed away from the hip-hop, the deep electro that I love. I suppose I like a lot of "bad" music. Bad music for bad people.

I'm thinking that will be my last free gig. It's just too much trouble to haul all that crap around, and for what? Nary even a free veggie burger. That's right, I had to pay for my food & coffee! I left early, and one of the vendors took the helm. She had some lounge music compilations that she popped into the CD deck. It actually sounded quite good, and people seemed more into it than when I was spinning. Or maybe it's all in my head. One thing I've learned from DJing: music always sounds better when someone else is playing it. Maybe I just need some new equipment, or maybe a whole new line of work. I guess I'm getting a little tired of spinning the same old songs as well. I like to mix things up, but acting like a human juke box doesn't leave much room for improvisation. I need to re-think my whole approach to this muzik biz.