Likes & Dislikes

[ppentertainments]

A little bit light hearted but what are your 3 biggest likes and dislikes about DJing.

Mine are :

Like
1. Seeing people enjoy themselves - sounds corny I know but it is one of the best feelings in the world seeing people having a good time.
2. Playing Music - I listen to so much at home, so to get paid to do it is a bonus
3. I am my own boss (unless the wife says otherwise lol)

Dislike
1. Packing away at the end of the night - don't mind setting up, but hate packing away
2. The driving - very rare can I get bookings less than an hours drive each way, and envy people who do
3. Office/Admin Work - never realised how much there was when I first started :mad:


Over to you ............

[Excalibur]

Good thread. :like:

Likes:
1) As Chris.
2) As Chris.
3)Getting paid.

Dislikes:
1) Drunks, especially badly behaved ones. Drinks in hands also.
2) Bad access/bad planning.
3) :muppet: Customers. Think I ought to have a comprehension test built into the contract.

[Daryll]

pretty same as above

Daryll

[Shaun]

Like
1. That it fits well with my other half's work life - so no need for childcare etc.
2. Not having the routine of a regular 9-5 job. I absolutely HATED the structure of a regular job in the past
3. Job satisfaction

Dislike
1. Missing out on key family events 'cause I work weekends
2. The stability a regular job provides
3. The long tiring drive home post-gig

[Imagine]

I had to think hard about this one - to shorten the list of "Likes" and to actually come up with three "Dislikes" (there aren't that many things I can truthfully say I don't actually like about this game if I'm honest).

LIKE

Being my own boss (OK - I'm still technically in a FT job as well at the moment), but the disco is mine and I call the shots
Seeing the customers have a good time (I get a real kick out of that part)
The money



DISLIKES

Being out at work when the dear lady's sitting at home in front of the telly of an evening
Admin - I absolutely HATE it :(
The lack of respect from some guests such as Ms Cut Throat or those that despite having had a good night suddenly think you're c:Censored:p because the venue insist that the end time is in actual fact, the time you have to stop playing music.

[Excalibur]

DISLIKES

Being out at work when the dear lady's sitting at home in front of the telly of an evening


Round here, that goes in the " like " box. ;) Staying in on a Saturday is torture. :mad:

[simon1969]

Likes
1. Being my own boss
2. Listening to music
3. Seeing people enjoying themselves

Dislikes
1.Drunk people who think they can dj better than you.
2. Unloading the van
3. Not having weekends free .

[yourdj]

Not many negatives really.

1: the money and doing my own thing. I have never had a proper job so it suits me fine.
2: coming up with random ideas which make the night, or really kick it off - happy clients
3: I like the paperwork and back end, but especially the marketing and meeting new people
4: buying new kit and tweaking my set up, good changes little and often. Love it.

1: Rude delusional people, or groups that will only get up to PARRTI DANZES. And as above HATE cut throat girls!!
2: Having to travel, but 95% of my venues are 20 mins max - (3 of them 5-7 mins away).
3: People who contact me on Facebook and never get back to me. :mad:
4: photographers that try and rush the first dance, or venue staff that are lazy OR dictatorial.


Round here, that goes in the " like " box. ;) Staying in on a Saturday is torture. :mad:

I agree. I don't have a telly to get me out the house and do things. :)
I suppose now we have kids we will have to buy one :(

[Marc J]

I don't have a telly to get me out the house and do things.(

:eek:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbAxT3DFVBQ#t=01m14s

[yourdj]

:eek:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbAxT3DFVBQ#t=01m14s

Someone actually said 'what do you point your furniture at' once. I bet it was from this. I find it really distracting when i go to clients houses and they have a Massive TV on in the background. i feel like saying, 'can you turn it off' especially when they start looking at it. Friends was on the other day though, nice seeing a young Jenny Aniston in full HD and life size. :p:p:p

It's been a real breath of fresh air not having to watch commercials, crap soaps and especially the news for 10 years. It's amazing how many people just look at me in disbelief; although the rest of the world laugh at English people sat round a box all night watching what must be the most depressing & negative soaps in the world. I have Netflix mind you but a lot of whats on that is garbage and have watched most the decent films on it now. These days though I gather you can choose what ever you want commercial free, is that right? I think I will get Sky or something like that soon if thats the case? :)

[rth_discos]

and especially the news for 10 years.

There's a lot to be sad for being oblivious to the news. You soon realise how much of it doesn't affect you - but of course, it's all dramatised so that each day there's a new "big thing" that's life changing for us.

As for likes and dislikes:

LIKES
The ending of a wedding (when everyone is there to celebrate the end of the wedding, and there's so much love in the room at that point)
That 1 second of "yeah" you get from people when you play a song, and 2 seconds in they realise what it is and love it
"Nice weddings" - you know those couples who just have nice friends and family, they make for amazing weddings!
The drive home after a great gig - it's nice to look back and reflect on how well it went and start winding down
The brides who book me because they've really bought in to what I provide - I really look forward to those weddings.

DISLIKES
"We've always done it this way"
Short room turnaround times. I much prefer to set up leisurely at the begining of the day
The setting up - especially in the summer when I end up sweaty
Drunk guests who become rude and obnoxious
People leaning over my equipment with a drink in their hand (they'd be the first to complain if it all went quiet and dark because they spilt it)
Suppliers who don't care about the wedding and want to get home as quickly as possible
Kids - sorry, but young kids and weddings don't mix, unless you've got proper entertainment all day for them, like an on site creche. Otherwise they get bored and just round around/scream (usually during the speeches)

[Jim - Scotland's Party DJ]

LIKES:
- My post gig bottle of prosecco in the hot tub :D
- Being paid a lot better to still "do music" compared to all those years slogging in bands for buttons
- Working with clients - it's a nice feeling to know you're making a tangible difference to their big day and it's nice when you know they appreciate it
- Getting to play in some amazing venues and see a lot of the country side I'd otherwise never see
- I quite like all the admin stuff - having recently got married myself, it's really satisfying to know just how on top of things I am business wise compared to a lot of suppliers - clients appreciate that
- Getting to be out there performng doing something I love as opposed to sat in or spending money in the pub on a Saturday night
- Discovering new incremental gains (I refuse to call things "hacks") on how to load up the gear, set up, tear down etc... making my gigs shorter and easier

DISLIKES:
- Drunk guests, drunk people in general actually - some of the worst things I've seen when gigging have actually been driving away from gigs (the Cow Gate in Edinburgh in particular is REALLY depressing) to see what booze (and I love a drink myself) does to people
- The "JUST GET OAN WI IT, WE ALL KNOW IT" person when teaching ceilidh steps - the invariably do not know it and even if they do, the chances of the 100 odd other guests knowing all the moves are slim
- Loch Lommond - 1 it's a rubbish over played tune, 2 it's a cue for people to bash into your gear
- "Can you play this? Everyone will dance?"

Not you could really just collapse those last 3 dislikes into the first as that's usually where it all stems from. So yeah, stop people drinking at weddings and it'd be the best job in the world :D

Edit: Ooh thought of another dislike - not receiving a formal feedback return even when the gig has been great, the bride and groom and their guests have all raved about you and you know you did a stand up job.

[ppentertainments]

Ooh thought of another dislike - not receiving a formal feedback return even when the gig has been great, the bride and groom and their guests have all raved about you and you know you did a stand up job.
Must admit that one Narks me a bit too.
I often find the most challenging weddings that you spend a lot of time preparing, meeting with the B&G, have a long long day etc - which turn out to be a great day/night - are the ones where you hear nothing afterwards, not even a thank you at the end of the night.

The mediocre (boring) ones where you don't think it has been a great night often result in fantastic feedback :confused::confused::confused:

[Imagine]

Must admit that one Narks me a bit too.
I often find the most challenging weddings that you spend a lot of time preparing, meeting with the B&G, have a long long day etc - which turn out to be a great day/night - are the ones where you hear nothing afterwards, not even a thank you at the end of the night.

The mediocre (boring) ones where you don't think it has been a great night often result in fantastic feedback :confused::confused::confused:


That's not just me then? Phew!

I always drop a quick thank you email to the client the next day whilst everything's still fresh in their minds. Occasionally you'll get a one-liner back (nothing meaty enough to use as a testimonial on the website), despite getting loads of verbal praise on the night.

I'm actually thinking of getting a body-cam type device so that I can record what's said on the night and transcribe it as a quote on the website.

[ukpartydj]

That's not just me then? Phew!

I always drop a quick thank you email to the client the next day whilst everything's still fresh in their minds. Occasionally you'll get a one-liner back (nothing meaty enough to use as a testimonial on the website), despite getting loads of verbal praise on the night.

I'm actually thinking of getting a body-cam type device so that I can record what's said on the night and transcribe it as a quote on the website.

Not that they're all like this but tbh the feedback I receive at the end of the night (and I'm very happy to) is normally something like "you did a great job with the music, we had a great night, really good job, we liked it, great job, I'll recommend you, great job".

I absolutely love my job, no qualms with admin, no problems driving long distances, I enjoy being busy which is never quite enough.

The only thing I truly dispise is people who think they're better than me, are ignorant or think that I work for them. Actually I lie, I hate loading and unloading the van. Setting up I'm fine with.

[yourdj]

There's a lot to be sad for

Yep :)

It's all good knowing whats happening, but times are changing. If anything is that serious I will hear it from anyone I encounter locally, just like in the olden days, but people have second by second newspapers in their back pockets now. If I want to know more then I shall do some independent research on t-internet and get the full story rather than glorified the account of it paid by the BBC (or other similar media entities). :)

Even when radio one news comes on in the car I think yes subconsciously as they invariably start with something negative about a bombing or someone has been murdered. I tend to turn it off after it starts up. as you say 'it's all dramatised'. I would rather watch Shakespeare than listen to news 24 but thats only my personal preference. I remember watching newshound as a kid and thinking it was so one sided. My opinion have not changed since the age of 9 and I am not political or anything like that at all. ;)

We are probably flirting in the realms of political debate here so I will resign. :)

[Excalibur]

We are probably flirting in the realms of political debate here so I will resign. :)
Indeed you are approaching that line we must not cross, lads. Well done for reining in your horses from the headlong gallop into remonstration. Thanks. :)

[leelive]

Likes:
The Sound
The Light
Playing "Get Low" by Lil John

Dislikes:
People with Bad Breath
People selling me Advertising over the phone.
Playing anything by Rihanna

[Steven]

My Likes,

Stepping back after setting up and seeing how a nice setup has added to the room
Seeing a full dance floor react to song they weren't expecting
Getting home after a successful night and watching an episode of something my wife has no interest in with a cold Koppaberg.

Dislikes
Rude people who don't say Please or thank you and think you are beneath them.
Requests that come one after the other swinging the night in different directions constantly
Knowing your song choice would have gone down better than the request from the person who you know will only give you grief if you don't play it.

[Nakatomi]

Likes
Being appreciated for all my hard graft.
Loading out.
Unloading the van at the end of the night when I get home.
Good reactions to my work.
Learning from my mistakes!

Dislikes
Loading in.
Poor reactions to key moments in a party. The old 'show some love for...' and you might as well let the tumbleweeds go but. Hate that. If you're not gonna wish people well why did you come?
People who think they're paying my wages.
Being treated like a jukebox.
Making mistakes

[ckpr2]

When I was a teenage DJ.

1/ Attention from the girls.
2/ Playing good music.
3/ Getting around a bit.

1/ Lifting gear in and out.
2/ Getting home for 4am then having to get up for day job at 5:30am.
3/ Having to ride in back of van if there were a few DJ's.

[DazzyD]

A little bit light hearted but what are your 3 biggest likes and dislikes about DJing.

...

Reading through the thread, I'm quite taken aback by the amount of DJs who can't count to 3! :eek: :eek: :eek:

So I shall try to keep to your limit! ;)

Likes
1. Watching people up dancing, smiling and generally having a good time and thinking "I did that!" :)
2. Being able to earn money from what was always a hobby of mine - music!
3. Being thanked at the end of a show. In my day jobs I've never had a boss come up to me as I was getting ready to go home and say "Thanks for your hard work today, Darren. You've done a splendid job!" (chance would be a fine thing - I work for the local authority!!!)


Dislikes
1. Developing rheumatoid arthritis and not being able to use my hands fully sometimes meaning I had to rely on my roadie doing more of the setup, breakdown and carrying of heavier stuff that I used to do
2. Before my kids moved in with me, I used to take them places on a weekend but often it meant having to hurry back home to get ready for a gig. Sometimes, especially in the summer, I often wished we could have had more time out on those days. Now they live with me and I don't DJ, we can stay out as long as we want! :)
3. Having to take a break from DJing currently due to family circumstances. At least this one, I hope, is only temporary! :)


EDIT:

I've just read that post back and have noticed that Dislikes 2&3 kind of counter each other. 2 is rectified now that I'm not DJing but if/when I rectify 3 then 2 will become an issue again. Hmm. I can see a dilemma coming up in the future! :(

[Imagine]

Reading through the thread, I'm quite taken aback by the amount of DJs who can't count to 3! :eek: :eek: :eek:



Surely most DJs count to four don't they? :daft::daft:

[mattydj50]

What comes after one, two, one, two then????


Likes:

1. The variety of the job. No two nights are the same, but hopefully they are all good.
2. The number of friends, colleagues (and indeed many clients) I have met over the years.
3. Having the job satisfaction of being told I'm, amazing, awesome, and just brilliant. Expensive having to have new doors fitted at home though, with the extra wide bit at the top.

Dislikes:

1. Uncle (and Auntie) Knob Heads. Intoxicated or otherwise.
2. Being requested to play chart music. Which, when I do usually turns my dancefloor into bottle holding, phone tapping statues with the attention span of an amnesiac goldfish.
3. Heart Attacks.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Dislikes

1. Drunken idiots
2. People who tell me what to play "If you play xxxx, then it will fill the floor"
3. People dancing with glasses and bottles.