Big City DJ Dudes (Walk Home Related)
dstill808
704 Posts
How do you handle transportation to/from gigs? I know microwave makes public transportation an easier option than when records were the norm, but do you ever feel kinda iffy about having your whole livelihood on your person? I imagine especially the trip home at 3 or 4 in the morning, obviously carrying a laptop and with a pocket full of cash is pretty. Does this make me disconnectinated?
Comments
One time I did this after playing at a bar though and came back to pick up my records the next day, only to find out some girl who worked there put my crate full of records on a table in the middle of the bar for some reason. Luckily nothing got stolen.
This saved me a couple of times.
Just rub shit all over it and talk to yourself. No one will fuck with you.
- back everything up twice (2 external drives...they are cheap now)
- go on craigslist and get a shitty backup laptop for a few hundred dollars.
Just take a private car or a taxi.
A. You are a celebrity, and need to get driven around like one.
B. Right off those reciepts.
C. Do you really wanna get on a train with your Microwave laptop? What if???
D. Don't be cheap!
This is true, and I haven't backed up my shit in a minute.
Mental note, do this when I get home. Woops, have dinner plans. Do this tomorrow night!
That sounds like real talk. I come from a very spread out city, so I tend to forget that cabs are a pretty viable option most places.
Ride a bike. I recently purchased one out of necessity in an effort to strengthen my injured knee but now I find it kinda fun and addicting. You can get a nice backpack for the laptop and dildo records etc.. It's fun, healthy, faster than walking, and you will be a tougher target for a mugger.
You just have to be the dude on the bike a t the bar.
Anyone who steals my laptop is gonna be sorely disappointed in the resale value, and my usual nightly pay wouldn't be to0 severe a loss I'm afraid...
My residency at the Makeout Room back in the day went like this:
Carry two crates + shoulder bag about a mile to the bus stop
Take bus to BART station
Take BART to 24th St. station
Carry crates + shoulder bag two blocks to the Makeout Room
DJ
Split money with co-resident Dooley-O: $50 apiece.
Take cab back to Oakland (cost: about $40 plus bridge toll)
Fall asleep happy with the knowledge that I just earned myself a big $5
Just getting a luggage cart to haul those crates was a massive blessing. Ah, those were the days....
Just keep in mind that you're competing with all of the drunk folk trying to get home late night, and that can easily make for a good 10-30 minutes on the sidewalk with your gear, especially if you're looking to go to a part of town that the cabbies don't necessarily like to go to.
skimaskway.jpg
I usually take my time packing up, flirting with pretty bartender etc, then get outside and most of the fools have gotten in a cab alreay. Oh and in weird parts of town, you need to have cab/private car business cards or their numbers stored in your cellphone so you can always call for a pickup.
You gotta keep some sacrificial cash in your wallet at all times.
I ride my bike for local gigs in Brooklyn
use the train for Manhattan gigs, but will take a cab home depending on how drunk I am or how close to my girlfriend's place we are
and I also am very low profile - I'm not all about wearing brand new Nikes and Nu-era hats so I look poor
and I also have switched from a traditional DJ bag to this:
as my buddy said one night "It doesn't even look like you have anything in your backpack"
that and I walk around with an so I look tough.
This sounds like my epic San Jose voyage involving a bus, BART, three more buses, digging through 3000 records and buying 100, another bus, caltrain, getting off at the wrong stop, a taxi, bart, and a ride from a friend.
My favorite part is always the look of bewilderment people give you like "what the hell are you carrying all those records for?"
This bag looks pretty dope. Whats the brand? Looks like a laptop bag, is it pretty padded?
Incase Ripstop bag. Yup, it's a laptop bag, and perfect fit for the full s.erato setup - laptop, cables, records, headphones, box, etc.