Can you imagine perhaps a 70 yr old turning up for an 18th birthday bash?


How old do you think you will concider yourself `To old to DJ` and why?



Sensible answers only please?

Hope to cut out club work before I am 50 , then just the occaisional wedding and reunion after that. Maybe Trev should comment as he is the one who is closest to 70.

not until i drop

Well ime 53 got an 18th birthday party to do tomorrow night. I must be doing something right because as well as the fee i got a tip a couple of weeks ago.
Age is just a number and its your state of mind regarding the business that counts. Ive done loads of schools and youth clubs and love every minute of them

Alan

Music is my first love......and it will be my last.

But I have said before....if I was to go deaf........if I couldn't hear my mix creations.....I'd pull the plug.

5 or 6 years ago, before I started altering my approach to my business, I was looking at exit strategies because I didn't want to be a sad, pathetic 40-plus year old DJ. This was based mostly on seeing some of the older guys that were working at that time around my region and they really should have hung up their headphones. They were generally pretty lazy and bored and hadn't done anything to improve their service or shows apart from buy new gear from time to time. There were no DJs over 40 doing a great job in my market back then.

Luckily I discovered a group of exceptional American wedding DJs talking about US$1200. I realised that by using some of their strategies and ideas and adapting them to suit my market, I could radically change the preconcieved notion I had of older DJs. Now I've discovered that my age (38) is becoming a selling point and that grey hair looks sensational with a tuxedo! I could be a DJ until my 60's now and still lead my market.

Richard, grey hairs and a Tuxedo reminds me of a character from Thunderbirds!

FAB!

I retired when i was 30

But 20 years later after seeing a couple of disco's ( one at my sons wedding ) and complaining that I could do better........ I was talked into starting again. So here I am.

second retirement ???? when I stop enjoying it or stop getting bookings.... whichever comes first.

Lady Penelope need wore a Tux

i'm 31 now been dj'ing over 10 years only work part time, so if all goes to plan i'll retire when i win the lottery and go full time instead with every effect and light known to man and PAY a full time roadie.

Age only matters if you're a cabinet!

Who knows?????

I have had partial hearing since birth (deaf in left and have 75% remaining in right).
I will continue to carry on as long as i feel safe to.

The docs told me 6 years ago that my "hobby" was not really appropriate, but as long as i did not stand beside speakers for too long that i should be ok!!!

I took a break for a while just to listen to the Docs, but now back in the full swing of things. (Missed it tooooo much) If it gets too much I just pop in an ear plug or turn it down!!!!!!!!


Off the point a bit, I was in Polzeath (Cornwall) in the spring and stumbled across a sign one night saying "Disco Tonght". I was down there working and had nothing better to do, so popped in to have a look!!!!! I was gobsmacked at what I saw!!!!
It was a holiday campsite bar sort of thingy, that was very family orientated. The DJ (I was informed by the bar manager) was 73 and his missus (roadie, groupie etc...) was 72!!!!! They were rocking the place!!!!!! The only worrying thing was that she will do a striptease down to her knockers for an extra £30!!!!!!!!
Now is that value for money or what?????

I went to speak to them after, and he said that he had been running a disco since the late 60's and that he had no intention of stopping as long as the gigs come in!!!

Who said ageism is rife in this country!!!!!!!!


Splosh

Being a 46 year old cornish dj i would say i am definately way too old.

I never think about my age(64).As long as I enjoy the music I play and the bookings keep coming in I shall carry on.
Humping the stuff around is a pain in the ar$e though.
I wish I was good enough to make it my full time job then I could pack in the day job.(Its a confidence thing)
Someone mentioned being deaf;well Im partially deaf and I do find that a real pain.

[QUOTE]from Richard
. Now I've discovered that my age (38) is becoming a selling point and that grey hair looks sensational with a tuxedo

You post some very interesting and informative posts Richard and I enjoy your input most of the time.
Then you go and spoil it all by posting this sort of crap.
It smacks of sheer conceit andarrogance.I just hope you are being a bit flippant.

Sorry to be so blunt but I think its an age thing!!

I find being a "mature" DJ gets me quite a few bookings, even 21st's. I'll stop when I stop enjoying it, or my son won't carry the gear for me anymore.

How do you manage your Zimmerman upstairs Paul ?

whilst Richards comments about age (and a few of its tell-tale side effects) being a selling point might seem strange to some, his opinion is exactly that, his opinion - an output which we are each allowed to express, subject to the occasional forum rule here and there - including the rules about being nice to all, including moderators...

I've found, like Richard, that there have been certain bookings which I have got, which I've been told that my "not being young" was a one of the reasons which contributed toward me getting the gigs.

The reverse situation also appears from time to time, eg: very young DJs cant do older functions; but in many cases, I've found this sort of prejudice from potential hirers is wrong.

How much life do I have left then at aged 21 then !!??

why worry about age anyways?

as long as a DJ is capable and happy and the client is happy, what does age matter?

next it will be - WOMEN shouldn't do DJing it's a man's job!

nothing wrong with it all Richard

I can't see anything in the actual quoted text which may be taken as being as being offensive, however I do believe that there are perhaps other areas which could be taken out of context.

I believe that lazy DJ's can be found of all age denominations, and that perhaps it would be wrong to imply that it is only a tag extended exclusively to the over 40's or 'older guys' as an earlier post could perhaps be interpreted.

In a perfect world ,we would be judged by our abilities NOT our looks, wealth,who we know,age or colour, unfortunately we are not. In a way I understand Trev as at 64 he probably gets reminded about his age every 30 seconds and it must be both frustrating and irritating. I also see the question "how far would you go and what methods are you prepared to use to sell your show" in these kind of posts,I think many of us older guys have an image of how things should be and where the border is crossed, I know there are many things I will not do \use to sell my show\self and one of them is my appearance . However if it works for someone else then fine.I am also a fan of saying what you mean in the most direct \honest way possible and I didnt actualy think Trevs reply was rude, it was after all just an opinion and i am sure not designed to insult or hurt. In the end it all comes down to horses for courses, at 46 i do not have grey hair,a tux or a laptop i do however have my own show , am fully booked and a great belief in interactive djing without a microphone ! works for me !

Your comments were fine Ricardo...

P.S, Did you play the part of `Paul Robinson` from neighbours a couple of years ago?

Who, this guy?



Nope. Sorry.

Very good Richie I like it,

Defo a look alike there though..

To get this train back on the tracks, I can see me as a DJ well into my 50's, albeit with a roadie to help out.

well im 36 (nearly) but im sure my back will give up before i want to !!!

I am 52 and have very few grey hairs in fact hardly any hair, I hate wearing a tux although I do when the job requires it as it did last Friday (Autumn Ball), I love all types of music from theatre organ to most things in the charts over the last 50 Years. I really like trance and funky house. I play the guitar and drums very badly. I don't give a damn about my age and like my jobs and lifestyle. I can build up my rig without a roadie but I like the company. Oh and I am fully booked with the disco well into next year so until my regular clients tell me otherwise what the hell - Mick

One point which hasn't been touched on here is a Djs longeivety.

I think it says something if you have been performing constantly for more than 20 years.

How many djs appear only to dis-appear a year down the line......?

give up? why?

I was djing from 15 until i was around 32 I got really really bored of it and to be honest music from the 90s didnt do anything for me, i was still doing chart music etc.
and i really felt i was to old for the 21st parties..etc.

But recently started again just because i missed it a little, and got a chance to do some regular dates.

I do think that some of us older djs im 41 now have an advantage as my generation was really open to music from the 50s right upto date therefore for a cheese or skool disco, typical wedding or specialist nights i think and i guess i would say that an older DJ would be better for this type of gig.

But im sure that the 20 something guys will disagree,,,,but i would be out of place at a dance club on normal nights...

horses for courses....

im enjoying it and dont think i will give up as long as the work comes in, I do state clearly the type of music i play and I have noticed that people are getting married later now so most of them are in there 30s anyway...and want the older stuff...

I done a new 80s set on Saturday went down well

Richard Mills has changed his avatar so now he doesn`t look like paul robinson from neighbours.

LOL! I was looking for a picture that showed my grey hairs coming through, but I couldn't find one so I put a grey background in instead.

I must say that when I was doing a school ball a few years ago and realised that I was twice the age of the attendees, I stopped doing youth events and concentrated on weddings and corporate work. Best choice of my career as a DJ.

I started DJing when I was 14, I used to get my dad to run me around.
Now I'm nearly 40 & still enjoying it. I think the moment I stop enjoying it & feel I'm getting out of touch with what people want, thats when I'll pack it in.