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being asked for an artist that you are spinning

ArtichokeArtichoke 112 Posts
edited November 2007 in Strut Central
spinning a.a.b.b. in a bar 2 weeks ago and dude comes up to me asking me to play some james brownme: "this is james brown" long uncomfortable silence...does this happen to you guys much
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  • phatmoneysackphatmoneysack Melbourne 1,124 Posts

    Similar???

    I was playing Tom Tom Club - Wordy Rappinghood and some kid comes up to me and says ???what???s the original of this????

    - "Dude...This is the original of this!"

  • SPlDEYSPlDEY Vegas 3,375 Posts
    Unrelated, but I was just at Borders, and there was a Cute girl sitting on the bench next to me. Her cellphone rings, "God only knows what I'd be without you.." She quickly turns it off and looks at me, and I go. "I love the Zombies!" She goes, "I love the Zombies too, but that was the Beach Boys."

    Frickin' christ!

    - spidey
  • bobbydeebobbydee 849 Posts

    Similar???

    I was playing Tom Tom Club - Wordy Rappinghood and some kid comes up to me and says ???what???s the original of this????

    - "Dude...This is the original of this!"


    Hahaha i've had that exact conversation.
  • mylatencymylatency 10,475 Posts
    SOULJABOY TELL'EM SUPAMAN DAT HO NOW WA ME UUUUUUUUUUU
  • mylatencymylatency 10,475 Posts
    Unrelated, but I was just at Borders, and there was a Cute girl sitting on the bench next to me. Her cellphone rings, "God only knows what I'd be without you.." She quickly turns it off and looks at me, and I go. "I love the Zombies!" She goes, "I love the Zombies too, but that was the Beach Boys."

    Frickin' christ!

    - spidey


    ouch
  • DrWuDrWu 4,021 Posts
    My only experience with this has been while spinning James Brown too.

    On the other hand, I can't count the number of times I have been playing something like Eddie Bo and have some Becky come up and ask me to play something "more funky". "Sure, why don't you bring me your mama's drawers and I'll throw them on the table", is the only thing I can think to say at such a moment.
  • luckluck 4,077 Posts
    SOULJABOY TELL'EM SUPAMAN DAT HO NOW WA ME UUUUUUUUUUU

    I have come to the conclusion that this is easily the biggest song of the year. Generation-defining? Only time will tell.




    I've had a person offer me money on the spot for a song I was still playing. The song: Superpeople. The offer: $5.

    Dude didn't even know that Mayfield didn't produce it ("yes, he did"), and he's trying to insult me with a lowball bid, and then treats me like I'm passing up the deal of a lifetime. The FUCK outta here.
  • PunditPundit 438 Posts

    Similar???

    I was playing Tom Tom Club - Wordy Rappinghood and some kid comes up to me and says ???what???s the original of this????

    - "Dude...This is the original of this!"


    Hahaha i've had that exact conversation.


    same here, given that we live in the same city i can't help but wonder if it was the same person...

    b/w

    last week at a club, playing joe cocker woman to woman, "what's this song from?"
  • mylatencymylatency 10,475 Posts
    TELL HIM TUPAC AND DR DRE
  • deejdeej 5,125 Posts
    SOULJABOY TELL'EM SUPAMAN DAT HO NOW WA ME UUUUUUUUUUU

    I have come to the conclusion that this is easily the biggest song of the year.

    "Hank, the day after Thanksgiving is, in my opinion, the biggest shopping day of the year."
  • BreakSelfBreakSelf 2,925 Posts
    spinning a.a.b.b. in a bar 2 weeks ago and dude comes up to me asking me to play some james brown

    me: "this is james brown"


    In all fairness, it's a bit inaccurate to equate James Brown and the Above Average Black Band. It's not like he was a part of the band (as far as I know), he was just the producer. That record doesn't exactly sound like typical JB either, with the string section and all. Consider yourself lucky to be playing for patrons that request records relevant to your current set, instead of birthday girls requesting "Pour some sugar on me"
  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    The one standout time I remember this happening was when a familiar-looking lady asked to hear some Funkadelic, so I played it.

    As soon as the record starts, I leave the booth for a minute and track her down. "Say, I think I know you, are you _______?"

    She says, with a smile, "if you play my Funkadelic, I am!"

    In the meantime, Funkadelic's "I Got A Thing..." has been playing in the background all this time and she doesn't recognize it. (Although, to be fair, she may have been expecting one of their later semi-disco songs like "Knee Deep" or "One Nation Under A Groove"; she wouldn't have made the connection to some acid-funk record like "I Got A Thing...".)
  • Ayrotollah77Ayrotollah77 415 Posts
    spinning a.a.b.b. in a bar 2 weeks ago and dude comes up to me asking me to play some james brown

    me: "this is james brown"

    long uncomfortable silence...


    does this happen to you guys much


    This happened to me with Too $hort, I was playin something from Short Dogs in the house and dood asked if i could play Too $hort..funny shit
  • DJPrestigeDJPrestige 1,710 Posts
    My only experience with this has been while spinning James Brown too.

    On the other hand, I can't count the number of times I have been playing something like Eddie Bo and have some Becky come up and ask me to play something "more funky". "Sure, why don't you bring me your mama's drawers and I'll throw them on the table", is the only thing I can think to say at such a moment.

    i've been there and i might just hijack that saying for the next time it happens...
  • tonyphronetonyphrone 1,500 Posts
    I dont get too mad at that ...cuz I do it myself!
  • djkingottodjkingotto 1,704 Posts
    this has happened to me several times.
  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    spinning a.a.b.b. in a bar 2 weeks ago and dude comes up to me asking me to play some james brown

    me: "this is james brown"


    In all fairness, it's a bit inaccurate to equate James Brown and the Above Average Black Band. It's not like he was a part of the band (as far as I know), he was just the producer. That record doesn't exactly sound like typical JB either, with the string section and all.

    Even so, 98% of most JB productions seemingly had him somewhere in the background, even if all he's doing is hollering. I would have equated James Brown and the AABB myself. I wouldn't be surprised if that was the JB's under a different name. Those James Brown's Funky People compilations may as well be JB albums with guest vocals, 'cause whether Fred Wesley is playing his trombone or Lyn Collins is singing. the man cannot resist lettin' people know he's in there, ha ha...
  • FatbackFatback 6,746 Posts
    My new response to requests in clubs/bars is always 'No requests, sorry' or 'Sure, I'll get it on in a few songs' (then never play it). I recommend this approach. I don't even process the stupid shit people say anymore, because it doesn't matter. I only respond to the person who's paying me. It's great. Shoulda done this years ago.
  • asstroasstro 1,754 Posts
    My new response to requests in clubs/bars is always 'No requests, sorry' or 'Sure, I'll get it on in a few songs' (then never play it). I recommend this approach. I don't even process the stupid shit people say anymore, because it doesn't matter. I only respond to the person who's paying me. It's great. Shoulda done this years ago.

    This was always my policy when I was playing out. The only exceptions were made for cute girls, and only if I liked the song they requested. Otherwise it was "I'll play it for you in a little while, aiight?", and a little while ended up being never.
  • catalistcatalist 1,373 Posts
    My new response to requests in clubs/bars is always 'No requests, sorry' or 'Sure, I'll get it on in a few songs' (then never play it). I recommend this approach. I don't even process the stupid shit people say anymore, because it doesn't matter. I only respond to the person who's paying me. It's great. Shoulda done this years ago.

    This was always my policy when I was playing out. The only exceptions were made for cute girls, and only if I liked the song they requested. Otherwise it was "I'll play it for you in a little while, aiight?", and a little while ended up being never.

    I hate how it is always somebody's birthday when I am playing out somewhere and a certain song is 'their favorite' and they 'have to hear it'.

    The 'I don't take requests' and 'sure I'll play it in a little bit' work like a dream in most situations.
  • GropeGrope 2,970 Posts
    i got asked by two 14-year-olds if i had something funky. while i was playing bobby williams' soul brother!!! i don't know how they got into that bar and i have no clue what they expected me to do... i didn't even say anything. i just shook my head.
  • asstroasstro 1,754 Posts
    I always thought it was way more annoying to be asked to play something completely out of left field personally. Like when you have a party jumping, everyone dancing, and the one grumpy backpack dude keeps asking you to play Company Flow or some shit like that. Or people asking for techno at a hip-hop club. You just want to wallop them over the head with a sock full of nickels.
  • serch4beatzserch4beatz Switzerland 521 Posts
    sometimes its kinda hard to recognize the song thats playing (well i can only speak for hip hop ) cause the dj pitched it up at +8% or something..happened to me a few times
  • TabaskoTabasko 1,357 Posts
    I was playing The Boss when this youngster came up and told me 'yo, this guy ripped this riff from Nas yo!'

  • knewjakknewjak 1,231 Posts
    I always thought it was way more annoying to be asked to play something completely out of left field personally.

    no shit. I remember once being asked to play Metallica at a funk night.
  • funkyexamplefunkyexample 915 Posts
    The one standout time I remember this happening was when a familiar-looking lady asked to hear some Funkadelic, so I played it.

    As soon as the record starts, I leave the booth for a minute and track her down. "Say, I think I know you, are you _______?"

    She says, with a smile, "if you play my Funkadelic, I am!"

    In the meantime, Funkadelic's "I Got A Thing..." has been playing in the background all this time and she doesn't recognize it. (Although, to be fair, she may have been expecting one of their later semi-disco songs like "Knee Deep" or "One Nation Under A Groove"; she wouldn't have made the connection to some acid-funk record like "I Got A Thing...".)

    Care to elaborate on who this was...
  • JroamJroam 257 Posts
    SOULJABOY TELL'EM SUPAMAN DAT HO NOW WA ME UUUUUUUUUUU

    I have come to the conclusion that this is easily the biggest song of the year. Generation-defining? Only time will tell.




    I've had a person offer me money on the spot for a song I was still playing. The song: Superpeople. The offer: $5.

    Dude didn't even know that Mayfield didn't produce it ("yes, he did"), and he's trying to insult me with a lowball bid, and then treats me like I'm passing up the deal of a lifetime. The FUCK outta here.

    Do the the requests for "be thankful" pour in after you drop "blood is thicker than water"? It's happened to me.
  • bassiebassie 11,710 Posts
    (Although, to be fair, she may have been expecting one of their later semi-disco songs like "Knee Deep" or "One Nation Under A Groove"; she wouldn't have made the connection to some acid-funk record like "I Got A Thing...".)

    This is the thing. Most times, if they're asking for reggae, they aren't asking for LLoyd Charmers or Sonya Spence, they're asking for Marley or Tosh or Bam Bam. If they're asking for James Brown, they sure as hell aren't asking for Sometimes.

    My response to requests is "if I have it, I'll play it", and then I'll play Is That Enough and it will go totally unnoticed because really they were hoping for How Sweet It Is or Heard it Through the Grapevine.
  • The_Hook_UpThe_Hook_Up 8,182 Posts


    My response to requests is "if I have it, I'll play it"

    this is what I say and then the inevitable follow up question is "well, what do you have?" then I will hand them a small stack of 45s, and then 99.9% of the time, they wont know one single record and they hand them back and walk away, never to return.
  • bassiebassie 11,710 Posts


    My response to requests is "if I have it, I'll play it"

    this is what I say and then the inevitable follow up question is "well, what do you have?" then I will hand them a small stack of 45s, and then 99.9% of the time, they wont know one single record and they hand them back and walk away, never to return.

    lol - you are much kinder about it than I am. I don't get asked if I have it, but some do ask if they can look through my records and they get "No."
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