My Facebook status simply said this … “!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! — feeling angry”. I know that’s not the most eloquent or thought-provoking post you have ever seen but it was how I honestly felt at the time. DJing is a very big part of my life, in fact, you might even say it’s a bit of an obsession.
I tend to guard that part of my job, both hearing what other people say and what kind of gigs I take. Not a lot of people get to do what they love for a living. I’ve spent many years of my life at jobs where I was doing things, I don’t care about for a boss that doesn’t care about me. I don’t want my life to be like that anymore, so I try my best to keep negative things and negative people out.
When I say someone is being negative, I’m not talking about a specific group or a specific topic. It’s everyone, from every area talking about everything that is not what they “think” it should be. If it’s not software they are complaining about its hardware, if it’s not hardware its music styles, if it’s not music styles its music choices, if it’s not music choices its venues, if it’s not venues its money paid, if it’s not money paid its … WHATEVER !!!
Think about it, our job is to celebrate with others. Every time we go to work it’s a party and who doesn’t love a party. Over the years I’ve done just about every kind of job there is to do. I’ve done farm work, washed dishes in a restaurant, factory work and even years in corporate America and none of which made me happy. All the time while working at “the day job” I DJed on the side. It wasn’t until I started my own music and media business that I discovered the difference between thankfulness and happiness.
You see I was thankful for my job. It paid very well, had great benefits and five weeks paid vacation a year. Who wouldn’t be thankful for that? The point is I didn’t know that I was unhappy until I was doing music and media full time. Running my own business and spending every day doing things and talking about the music industry makes me happy. It’s what I did every moment that I wasn’t working the “day job”.
I can honestly say that I never took a vacation where I wasn’t DJing, performing or tending some sort of music seminar. It’s what I spent my spare money on and the even sometimes the money that I didn’t have to spare. When I bought my house one of the very first things I did (even before I purchased living room furniture) was turn one of the rooms into a full-fledged studio. It was almost like there wasn’t a choice.
Like that quote from the movie field of dreams “if you build it, they will come”. Little did I know “they” meant customers for my new business. That’s when I knew the difference between thankful and happy. Because of that it’s difficult for me to understand why DJs tear each other down so much.
Shortly after I made the post about feeling angry several of my friends contacted me to make sure that I was OK. After I assured them, everything was fine I went on a bit of a rant on Facebook explaining why I was angry. The post was a bit of our ramble and I think I covered everything from simple opinion to deep psychological evaluation. “If you’re always slamming others, it means one of two things, either you’re insecure or your jealous.
Both of those will take you down a road of bitterness that not only destroys your life but hurts the ones who truly love you. Passion for what you do is great but if you are constantly talking smack on others that is simply showing your level of immaturity.”
Part of me feels kind of stupid for investing the time and energy into a post like that. One thing I have learned is that people don’t change. This kind of mentality has been going on as long as I can remember. Before the days of the Internet, it was called “smack talk”. I think it was called that because if you talk too much about someone behind their back you were going to end up getting smacked by them.
I went on to say in that post “Some of these people you may not have ever met in real life and I’m darn sure you wouldn’t say the stuff you put online to their face.” I think what people post online would be a lot different if they had to do it while the other person was standing right next to them. One of the big things in the DJ community that everyone talks about is “One Love”.
This is a concept, or a way of thinking built around tolerance and acceptance of others. Usually the people who push the “One Love” idea the most are the first to talk down about others. I guess when they say, “One Love”, what they are really saying is “I only love ONE person, Myself.”
So, I conclude this overly opinionated editorial with a few things to think about.
First … Don’t say “One Love” if you’re not going to live it towards ALL people, not just the ones who agree with what you say.
Second … Support your fellow DJs, not just the ones who are in your click. I get the chance to spend time with every kind of DJ, Wedding, Club, Rave, Party, Karaoke, Turntablist and they all have one thing in common, music moves their soul.
Third … What you choose to use when you DJ does it matter unless it’s a competition, and it’s not! There are no rules, and no one has elected you to be in charge of anything so just stop talking smack and start enjoying your job. I know nothing I say will make anyone change so I’ll finish this editorial exactly how I finished my post … “I’m sorry for venting so I’ll end this with a quote from the late Rodney King – ‘Can’t we all just get along?’”