Chu’s intervyoo

Chu’s Questions for DJ (a week later):

1. Describe a perfect set. I don’t mean what music you’d play or that the music lines up totally, I’m talking about underlying principles and how it makes you feel.

The mechanics are pretty simple. If you’re playing a 4 or 5 hour set you want a smooth build up to higher energy, then a drop kick downtempo to give everyone a rest (and send them to the bar). You want to do this cycle slowly at first, taking maybe an hour and a half to go around once. Then, as the evening progresses, with each cycle taking everyone a bit higher and energy rises, you tighten the cycles until your last set is only half an hour, and after a final skull-blasting floor smasher or two, you wind the night out with something fun, like Neil Diamond.

Artisitically you want to pretty much control people’s bodies whether they’re in the mood or not. You want to tap into their love of dancing and bring them something new that they can take away. Top40 clubs are full of people that look bored, and they’ll abandon the floor if you try to play something they haven’t heard on the radio a hojillion times. Top40 drones make me sad, even though I understand the “eat what your given” mentality. I would much rather play for an open-minded crowd that loves to dance for the pure joy of it.

When the crowd goes off… that’s what it’s all about. I get every bit as high as they do, letting the music and the energy totally have their way with me. The line between dj and dancefloor is gone, and we’re all in the same place. It’s never been about The DJ for me, and that’s why I traditionally wear black. It’s about the music, as cliched as that sounds. I just want to move you.

2. (I liked your question to Jaime too much) Say something to someone (or someones) that you really want to say, but couldn’t before. Similar rules apply, no one can hold anything against you.

Tricky, because I try pretty hard to be forthright (tactfully) with people. But I’ll give it a shot.

– Dad, I love you. I think you did a good job learning me up, although most of the lessons taught you prolly weren’t aware you were teaching. I have a lot of questions, mostly about your wild & misspent youth. Like- did you have a wild & misspent youth? How wild and how misspent? And so forth. One day I’ll get up the nerve to ask.

– Mom, I love you. I didn’t make raising me easy, but then you should have known right off the bat that it would never be enough to just tell me “no, because I’m your mother.” I’ve always resented your occassional invasions of my privacy, especially some of the conclusions you drew from them, but I know you were being a mother. I do want you to be proud of your devil-spawn son.

– Robyn, I love you. It frustrates me that we aren’t closer because I really really want to be. I’m just not sure how to make that happen. I’m glad you married your best friend, because if you’d married anyone lesser and they hurt you I’d probably make the trip. Sometimes I feel like time is flying by and I should do everything in my power to build a more familiar relationship with you, but somehow I keep letting the rest of my life get in the way. I actually attribute it to our entire extended family being overseas, and not seeing much of Mom & Dad while we were growing up. I just never learned how to be close to family. I hope I get the chance. I’m stellar proud of you, because you’re doing what you want to be doing. I hope you feel the same.

– Dan, I love you. We’ve drifted, but I feel like in many ways we’ve both got what we wanted right now. I still remember you saying, “I’m just going to be a matchmaker, always bringing others together and never finding someone for myself.” Well, surprise, family guy. I’m happier for you than you can know. I hope I can be so fortunate. I gave our friendship a good beating every once in a while, and I hope you know I know it. I’m glad you’re still around, and I sometimes wonder if you’re as surprised as I am not only at that, but that we still get along so well. Even when we aren’t acting like we’re twelve.

– Nick & Judd – sometimes I worry that you might feel a little threatened. I know you both know better but I’m saying it anyway. I wouldn’t dream of it, not with a gun to my head. Not even a little.

– Jason – well, you know. =) I worry, but mostly I laugh. You are living, and I love being around for that. I do feel like we are brothers. I have confidence in your direction.

– Amy – I’ve been angry. I haven’t dealt with it very well, admittedly, but this has been pretty disappointing. I hope your integrity & empathy catch up to where you think they are. To where we all thought they were. And no, I don’t think I’ll be around to see it. Not worth the wait, I don’t think. Good luck out there.

– Chu – sometimes you try too hard, worry too much. It’s a confidence thing, a conflict inside you. I just want you to know you WILL win. You’ll figure it out & become comfortable with who you are. When that happens (gradually, but it’s happening) that’s when you really will start to shine. When you are secure and honestly content with who you are, it shows and people are drawn to it.

– Jaime – You are one of the Good Ones, dripping with sarcasm and loving judgement. Keep being you. The world needs more yous.

I think I could go on and on with something for just about everyone I know, but this was supposed to be about things you couldn’t otherwise say, so I’ll stop and maybe come back again another day.

3. Describe the philosophy you live by in 10 words or less. If that’s too easy, make it 5.

Live to love to live.

4. What was your greatest accomplishment? failure?

Shnykees. That would all depend on how you define accomplishment and failure. I consider my greatest accomplishment to be me. I’ve worked hard on becoming a better person, someone whom I can respect and love- as I’ve said I didn’t used to be. And that li’l project never ends, by definition. Most people resist personal growth unless they are forced by circumstance. Most people take it for granted if they ever think about it at all, but self-improvement is as much a part of me as my skin.

My greatest failure. Well, by your choice of words I also have to consider it a bit of a triumph- GREATEST EVER. =) But what…? I dunno. Again all I can think of is me. My integrity as a friend didn’t used to be so hot, even though I thought it was. I’d have taken a bullet for many of my friends, and you could hand over your familly fortune with complete confidence. But that’s only part of what it means to be a friend. I’ve hurt some people deeply, and all they did to deserve it was trust me. Even though I’ve forgiven myself for most of it, I can never forget it.

5. What’s in the future for the DJ?

ADVENTURE! heh heh. There’s so much I’d like to do. Skydive, scuba all over the world, visit strange & exotic places & get to know Europe & the UK like an old friend, become a real phographer, spin for a crowd of more than 10,000, make my own tracks & hear them played in a place I’ve never been to before, live in Australia, look good naked, own a Porsche, write a book for children and another for adults, draw and paint enough to be called an artist again, keep the friends I have & make new ones just as solid, get closer to my family, marry my heart’s desire, make beautiful kids with her, and share it all with them.