There are certain words and phrases I find myself using every day that I wish I didn’t have to. ‘Thought leadership’ is one. ‘Community’ is another. Even ‘social media’ sticks in my throat it has become so overladen with misinterpretation, expectation and confusion.
I’ve always been pretty strong-willed when it comes to speaking my mind and have never been much of a pack-follower. But I know my behaviour isn’t necessarily the norm. My brother – and I’m sure he won’t mind me saying this – was always far more likely to be led into trouble when we were kids.
“All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved.” Sun Tzu – The Art of War.
Last night’s Digital Citizens event certainly ignited a lot of discussion about what constitutes ‘strategy’.
Strobe lights and headaches don’t mix. Stomach bugs and beer don’t mix. But taking the night off and still receiving a pay packet don’t mix either. I don’t think I ever missed a night in all the years I DJed both in the UK and Australia. At certain periods I was DJing up to three nights a week and holding down a full time job, so there was very little time to be sick.
When we first started running The Pit out of DJs Nightspot in Gosford, it was free entry. Thursday nights had always been notoriously quiet in Gosford – crikey, even most weekends resembled a ghost town – so there were no high expectations and we were on a trial. The club was packed.
Throughout the ’90s, I worked as a nightclub DJ. No, it wasn’t all duff-duff and techno. My realm was underground and alternative rock, with plenty of black, studded leather. Beat mixing The Offspring into Joy Division isn’t easy, but it’s possible!