'The Roar of L'Amour'

I NEVER WANTED TO BE A DJ, BUT …(Part 2) - It all comes together thanks partially to a chubby chick

My first official night on 10/25 was a Thursday with 3 local bands, it was actually perfect for me because it wasn't high-profile and I can make the booth my own.

Jo (VJ) greets me with "congrats" and ask me if they are going to fire him. I told him as far as I am concerned, he could have the gig as long as he wanted, but I totally understood he wanted (and deserved) to have a gig that was "his".

The weekend of 10/26-27 saw Anvil headline the venue.

This was by far, the heaviest night I ever spun at (up until this point).

The L'Amour crowd was the heaviest there was and I knew they would let me know if I f*cked up.

With that in mind, I knew this would be a make-or-break weekend.

Fri goes well ... very well. Mike and John (owners) both told me people were telling them "The new guy is great".

Saturday comes and I am pretty confident this will work. In the car ride there (I was still getting rides from SI), George ask "What do you got planned for Halloween?"

I responded, "stay home" and he goes "No you fn idiot, the costume party tonight?"

WHAT?

He explains that I am hosting a costume contest ... on an Anvil night ... with TWO THOUSAND METALHEADS.

Now, I am panicked.

I never hosted anything and never spoke on stage before.

I knew they had a costume contest, but assumed they were bringing in someone to host ... ASS-U-ME

I am a wreck, Jo (VJ) was awesome about it and told me to be myself and let my personality shine.

I tell the bartender closest to the booth (Joe Tabb) my situation and he says "You are one of the funniest f*cks I know, be yourself" - that is three people that said that (so far).

Tabb tells me to see him right before I go on.

Its 5 minutes before and I go to him, and he hands me three ... THREE Alabama Slammers and says "down them" ... I did

I get to the stage and stand behind the big video screen as George is lining up the contestants and Jo (VJ) fades the song out and lifts the video screen and ...

TWO THOUSAND METALHEADS thought Anvil was coming on and go nuts, then ...

They see me.

Nobody knew me yet. No radio. No MTV/VH1, No press, I haven't even started to say "Ah Yes Indeed" yet.

The applause turns to a mix of boos and indifference.

I stare at George and swear I am ready to fn quit.

Now, I am standing there waiting for a follow spot and stage lights, so people more than 5 feet away can see me and they finally come on.

Stage lights are on and the beam of light from the follow- spot is aimed right at my eyes and blinds me.

I am fn pissed and grab the mic in my "ready to quit" attitude and say "Get that f'n light out of my eyes" ... DEAD SILENCE

Then some laughs, some cheers and I see people in the front row loving that attitude ... this was an Anvil show in Brooklyn ... of course they did.

Then it hit me ... "DEE SNYDER" - the frontman from Twisted sister is the greatest at mic work and would look people in the eye and demand they listen ... I am going to channel Dee.

I grab the mic again and go "If you blind me, I can't see these two thousand MFers that are here to see Anvil.

PLACE GOES NUTS.

I got em ... now how do I work this fn stupid contest into the evening ... I know ... by being HONEST.

I tell the rowdy crowd that I rather being in the booth playing fn Maiden and Metallica, but I have to host this stupid costume contest ... they crack up and laugh.

A girl comes out in a costume that ... well ... didn't really fit. She was nice, but a little too "big" to be wearing a sexy costume.

She walks out and I said (over the mic)., "Do me a favor, next year bring the rest of that fn costume"

Crude?

Absolutely, but it worked and fit an Anvil night at L'Amour.

The place goes nuts and now the 3 Slammers are taking over, and I don't remember what I said or who won the contest, but when I came off the stage George said "That's why we hired you"

I now had a DJ persona and guess what?

It was my personality.

Amped up but still me.

I finally got what Randy Jackson meant when he said, "Be yourself and show your personality and you will change this place".

Jon Zazula the legendary metal maven told me that he saw why I was hired and later that night George and Mike said "That is what we were looking for. Someone to be the person the metalheads can relate to"

They were smart enough to see the old L'Amour was changing, and they needed someone to spearhead that change.

I was no longer a DJ filling time between bands.

I was a big part of the evening and thanks to three Alabama Slammers, blinding lights and a zaftig chick ... I started figuring out how to do it.

Chuck Kaye

Ah Yes Indeed

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