A mate who was going to live abroad was throwing a leaving do and asked me a few weeks before if I'd take a turn on the wheels of steel...or the cd plates of plastic as it was. I said "yeah no problem" but inside my stomach turned over. It was something I thought I'd always wanted to do (he knew this) but never quite got round to it in front of a proper crowd before. I dusted off my cheap Numark decks and set about making a rough playlist and practising a few mixes. Actually that's a lie - I set about making an EXACT playlist and practised the entire mix until I got it right.
On the night, the basement venue he'd booked was packed with a noisy crowd and loads from his work I'd never met. Someone else was on first, so I set about calming myself down with a few beers and a couple of smokes with some friends. By the time the first DJ tapped me on the shoulder and said, "you're on...there's about two minutes left on this one" I was a bit too relaxed/stoned, and had virtually forgotten I was about to fulfill a bit of a dream.
I legged it up to the decks....1:42 left on the track....quick test of the headphones....right where's me cds...WHERE'S ME CDS?
1:18 before silence descends and all eyes turn to the sweating idiot with no cds. Yes! The missus has got them in her bag....dash off to find her...she's in the toilet mate...CDs! I need the CDs NOW! There ya go, break a leg...back to the decks...0:20 and the musics fading out...scramble open my cd case and slap in the first one I can get my hands on...close, play, cross fader just in the nick of time, and..........
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaElH0EHjIsThere were a few funny looks and a few laughs, but I'd got away with it, sort of. Can't remember what I was supposed to play as the opening track, but I've done a few since and they always start with the words that just about saved my skin, "Ladies and Gentlemen, this is captain Tobias Wilcock...."
