D'ya play de ballads

Executive Steve

population wrote: »

Dont get your Westlife point at all. There are other types of current music out there.

This is boards - there's only "classic rock" or "westlife" and nothing in between, unless you're karl hungus and have several dozen gigabytes of j-pop on your hard drive to supplement the classic rock

davylee

Rigsby wrote: »

As I said in an earlier post, I assume you are there to entertain and please the crowd, which means playing what they want. If you're not happy with the job and what it entails, then do as St Bill says and give it up.

Exactly your paid to do a job, to entertain the crowd and who do you reckon knows more about entertaining - dj or some pis faced as5hole??
There's no problem with someone requesting a song but sometimes it goes a lot further when they won't stop. Thats why i said i understood stovelid's point.
I would never tell a punter to f**k off. Thats harsh as i said before. But the owner is paying you to a job.
If the pub or club starts to empty who gets the blame. The dj.
I might play say 6/7 from every 10 requests i get. If i think the song will go down well and fits into what i'm doing i'll play it, otherwise no. Personal taste never comes into it. It can't imo

population

Man this thread kept going! Just checked back now.

Just to clarify a couple of things. I have no issue with ballads per se. Yes it isnt my personal thing and yes I accept peoples point about just biting the bullet and learning a few, but here is the thing which I probably didnt make clear earlier.

Most of the pubs I play have a mixed crowd so I have worked a long time to get down a couple of different sets that suit everybody. I respect the crowd and I try play the best gig I can for them because after all ultimately they pay my bills. I play Galway Girl every gig because people like it, not because I do because frankly I cant stand it but thats the job.

But if I have spent the whole night playing stones, beatles ,kinks, dylan etc for an older crowd and they have really got into it and then for some odd reason a vaguely threatening young guy starts screaming for ballads, then not only is he hassling me, but he is killing the mood of the night and interfereing with other peoples enjoyment.

If you can only respect the setlist that you have in mind then just bring your ipod to the pub!

davylee

population wrote: »

Man this thread kept going! Just checked back now.

Just to clarify a couple of things. I have no issue with ballads per se. Yes it isnt my personal thing and yes I accept peoples point about just biting the bullet and learning a few, but here is the thing which I probably didnt make clear earlier.

Most of the pubs I play have a mixed crowd so I have worked a long time to get down a couple of different sets that suit everybody. I respect the crowd and I try play the best gig I can for them because after all ultimately they pay my bills. I play Galway Girl every gig because people like it, not because I do because frankly I cant stand it but thats the job.

But if I have spent the whole night playing stones, beatles ,kinks, dylan etc for an older crowd and they have really got into it and then for some odd reason a vaguely threatening young guy starts screaming for ballads, then not only is he hassling me, but he is killing the mood of the night and interfereing with other peoples enjoyment.

If you can only respect the setlist that you have in mind then just bring your ipod to the pub!

Good point. It happens to us all. I no it's easier said than done but ignore that idiot. Don't give him the time of day. If he requests a song i say don't play it even if you know it. Chances are you'll be hounded for the night. Some publicans are ass holes. they often just laugh off these twats without warning them or throwing them out. We've had loud mouths shouting abuse up and i completely ignore them. i dont tell them to f**k off or open my mouth to them. Not as much as a look. Eventually more often than they piss off after a while

ottostreet

davylee wrote: »

Exactly your paid to do a job, to entertain the crowd and who do you reckon knows more about entertaining - dj or some pis faced as5hole??
There's no problem with someone requesting a song but sometimes it goes a lot further when they won't stop. Thats why i said i understood stovelid's point.
I would never tell a punter to f**k off. Thats harsh as i said before. But the owner is paying you to a job.
If the pub or club starts to empty who gets the blame. The dj.
I might play say 6/7 from every 10 requests i get. If i think the song will go down well and fits into what i'm doing i'll play it, otherwise no. Personal taste never comes into it. It can't imo

true. and well said. thats what i dont understand. the stance when a customer requests something to be played and i go "sorry, i cant, i played it ten minutes ago/its too slow/too fast/etc etc." and they go "but im the customer, do you want us to go elsewhere?"..well, you're caught between a rock and a hard place then arent ya? they never actually really leave but it just creates bad feeling. i ad a oman make a formal complaint about me refusing to play wham-wake me up at 1:50am last night, because its on the banned list of songs in that venue. the owner was there and asked me to play arctic monkeys-sun goes down, i played it, she didnt like it, and off she went to complain.

having said that, im pretty tolerant at this stage. i get annoyed but ya learn to deal with it. and if ya cant, then you are in the wrong job. DJ'ing is a job just like any other, standards are required, and roughly 50-60% of people dont realise that. i dont tell teachers/managers/accountants etc. how to do their job, why do they feel they know more about how a crowd will respond to evanescence/pink floyd/the doors than i do, in a venue that i know well? i can honestly say ive never told anyone that i dont know to **** off, and i feel that kind of attitude is uncalled for.

davylee

ottostreet wrote: »

true. and well said. thats what i dont understand. the stance when a customer requests something to be played and i go "sorry, i cant, i played it ten minutes ago/its too slow/too fast/etc etc." and they go "but im the customer, do you want us to go elsewhere?"..well, you're caught between a rock and a hard place then arent ya? they never actually really leave but it just creates bad feeling. i ad a oman make a formal complaint about me refusing to play wham-wake me up at 1:50am last night, because its on the banned list of songs in that venue. the owner was there and asked me to play arctic monkeys-sun goes down, i played it, she didnt like it, and off she went to complain.

having said that, im pretty tolerant at this stage. i get annoyed but ya learn to deal with it. and if ya cant, then you are in the wrong job. DJ'ing is a job just like any other, standards are required, and roughly 50-60% of people dont realise that. i dont tell teachers/managers/accountants etc. how to do their job, why do they feel they know more about how a crowd will respond to evanescence/pink floyd/the doors than i do, in a venue that i know well? i can honestly say ive never told anyone that i dont know to **** off, and i feel that kind of attitude is uncalled for.

Everyone knows your job better than you. At least they think they do.
The lad who's paying you asked you to play a song. That's a toughy. What do you do?? Only a fella looking for no work would refuse.
Btw fair play for not playing wham