Table of contents for Skate DJ-Denver
- Is Your Skate DJ Getting the Job Done?
- Is Your Skate DJ Getting the Job Done? (Pt. 2)
S.O.S. From a Denver Skater
What do you do when the DJ’s just not getting the job done
“All we want is a GOOD roll,” is a motto all true skaters can relate to, respect and expect from the skate sessions they attend religiously in cities all over the country. Are you getting that kind of roll in your city? Are most skaters in your area satisfied and getting the roll they deserve to get for the money they are paying? Or are many dissatisfied for one reason or another? If your skate DJ knows how to get the job done and satisfy the skaters, what are the things he/she is doing to achieve this? What makes her/him stand out from the DJs who aren’t as successful? Why am I asking all these questions, you might be wondering. Well, “here’s a little story that must be told ….”
Actually, it’s not a little story, nor is it very short so you might have to take it in when you have some time to sit and read the mini-novel and drama about what skaters have experienced trying to bring about change and improvement in the DJing in Denver, Colorado since 2001. Even with that, the same DJ crew who was at the helm then, remains in place today and skaters – for the most part – are still complaining and dissatisfied.
From what I’ve been told, such a situation would never have been allowed to go on for so long in some of the major cities on the East Coast or Midwest. I don’t know how true it is, but some have said when skaters in those cities aren’t satisfied, DJs better look out – they might meet an angry mob in the parking lot after a session, or folks might bombard the DJ booth with skates to get their point across rather than let him/her continue with the madness …. for nearly a decade. Obviously, skaters in Denver are of quite a different breed than that and yes, it’s true, skating here is not as much a part of the culture, nor is the (overall) level of passion for skating as high as it is in areas like Detroit, Chicago, ATL, New York/New Jersey, L.A., and St. Louis.
I recall from my days living in ATL in the early 1990s, there was a successful effort to have a DJ replaced, I believe his name was “Joe” and he used to play at the Sparkles rink in Riverdale on Sunday nights. I was not involved in that effort but I remember many were dissatisfied with the music and, after continued complaints to management, a new DJ was brought in.
How are things in your city? Have you seen where skaters have to almost stage a “coup” in order to bring about a DJing change? Or are you finding that, like in Denver, many skaters just don’t want to rock the boat and simply choose to go along with the status quo because it’s what they’ve become comfortable with or they happen to be friends with the DJ and therefore don’t want to offend or embarrass her/him by demanding a change. Final question, have you ever skated in Denver at the Sunday night adult session and, if so, what was your experience like?
Feel free to share your comments, experiences, suggestions, solutions and opinions on the RST blog. Your input may be helpful to many skaters not just in Denver, but other areas as well.
This is an urgent S.O.S.
Op-ed by Kim Muhammad
(Believe it or not, the novel still hasn’t been written about specific incidents and experiences that have occurred since 2001 trying to bring about change. They will be detailed in the next post in this series.)
© 2010 Roller Skating Today
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