Growing up seeing rock stars on TV, I got the wrong idea about music. Sure, I was passionate about playing music from the time I was little, but that wasn't what I was really all about. Every time I would pick up my guitar, my drumsticks, my bass, or any of the other instruments I was playing, I would picture myself rocking out in front of cheering millions. By the time I was 15, I knew it wasn't going to be easy, but even so I knew I would make it one day. After all, I was already playing shows in friend's basement, and had even had a paid gig or two. I never pictured spending my life as a wedding dj.
I know some people like it, but for most musicians there is nothing more humiliating than being hired to play wedding music. Being a wedding musician means being underappreciated. Being a Chicago wedding DJ is worse. You see, I was briefly a fixture in the underground music scene out here. We used to scoff at wedding Djs, calling them sellouts and accusing them of abusing their talent. However, sooner or later I was bound to get sick of bartending. Being a wedding DJ was my only other option. It was a way to use my talent to make money. I felt like I was keeping my hand in the music game. Truthfully, I rationalized the decision. It paid well, and that was the bottom line.
The problem is that, once you start working as wedding DJ entertainment, It sort of eats away at your soul. It is one thing for people who play classical wedding music. They are playing what they love to play, and if they are playing at a wedding instead of a symphony, it is still their style of music. As a wedding disk jockey, however, I am playing anything but what I love to play. I love cutting-edge underground electronic music. I love challenging people to listen to new sounds, taking risks and being controversial.
As a wedding DJ, however, I don't get a chance to do any of these things. As a matter of fact, my chief duty is to keep everybody happy. You may not believe me, but it slowly snuffs every spark of rebellion in your soul. You get so used to trying to please people that you forget about individuality and artistic integrity. I've got to get out of the scene soon. I've put too much into my music to see it end like this.
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