Beyond the DJ Booth

Ep. 12: Decking the Halls and Navigating Explicit Tracks

• Joe Bunn and Brian B • Season 1 • Episode 12

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Ever wonder how DJs like Brian B. and Joe Bunn manage the hustle and bustle of the holiday season while keeping up with their thriving careers and family life? Join us for a light-hearted journey through their festive experiences, from Brian's early Christmas decorating spree, prompted by a neighbor's kind gesture, to Joe's comical switch from live to artificial trees after years of pine-needled chaos. Throw in some sports multitasking with Brian, and Joe's amusing early-morning encounter with a tailgater at a local sports bar, and you've got a weekend packed with laughter and holiday spirit.

Switch tunes as we groove into the nitty-gritty of handling explicit music requests at upscale events—a DJ's conundrum that demands tact and strategy. Listen to our advice on navigating this tricky terrain while keeping venues and planners in your good books. We share creative solutions like humorous on-mic disclaimers and the importance of straightforward communication to maintain your professional reputation. Whether you're a DJ facing similar challenges or just intrigued by behind-the-scenes stories, this episode offers a mix of laughter, relatable tales, and practical wisdom that keep the holiday season jolly and bright.

RESOURCES & LINKS

Our website. Please leave a review! - https://www.beyondthedjbooth.com/
To book Joe Bunn: https://bunndjcompany.com/
To book Brian B: https://djbrianbofficial.com/
Joe’s Gear Finds on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/djjoebunn
Brian’s Gear Finds on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/djbrianbofficial
DJ Event Planner free demo: https://www.djeventplanner.com/signup.php
Brian B's Coaching Options: Https://www.thdjscreativeedge.com

Brian B:

welcome back to beyond the djoth podcast. I'm Brian B.

Joe Bunn:

Yo, it's Joe Bunn.

Brian B:

If this is your first time checking in, tuning in, thanks for checking us out. This is a podcast that's for the private event DJs out there. We just talk about music. We're talking war stories.

Joe Bunn:

Yes.

Brian B:

And we always answer a listener question towards the end of the episode which we'll get to here shortly. Tell me about.

Joe Bunn:

Brian B on the weekend off Last episode, which we'll get to here shortly. Tell me about Brian B on the weekend off Last episode. You talked about cutting down trees, but it's different, right? I mean, you have a kid now you're home more, less shows, but you often are still working some sort of project that me and you are doing on the weekends.

Brian B:

Like.

Joe Bunn:

I pretty much go off grid whether I'm doing a show or not. I'm like I'm not gonna check email, but you're getting stuff done like what to walk me through, like you're off yeah for one.

Brian B:

When you have a four-year-old, you're never truly off.

Joe Bunn:

That's what I was gonna ask you this weekend, because you got a lot of shit done. I did and I was like was annie like in a kind of little kennel? Did you lock her up like?

Brian B:

no, we had a neighbor who's?

Joe Bunn:

because we don't have family that lives here. Yeah right.

Brian B:

So for us, thankfully, we have some great neighbors that act as family, and this couple next to us. They're older, their kid has already gone off to college and so they've kind of like brought her on as their little daughter to an extent. So they're like, hey, we want to take her to the movies and then to dinner. Is that okay? We're like absolutely.

Joe Bunn:

Dude that is gold.

Brian B:

And then they went shopping. They went shopping for gifts on top of that, so literally from one o'clock in the afternoon till eight o'clock at night. That long, that long they were gone.

Joe Bunn:

And was this the same day as the tree chopper Brian?

Brian B:

B. That was the day after Okay.

Joe Bunn:

So you had seven hours to get shit done, ton, but then tara didn't have you doing like honeydew stuff, or like no, because we did it the day before.

Brian B:

It wasn't just the tree trimming.

Joe Bunn:

The morning started with you hired somebody to put those christmas lights up on your crib though, didn't? We did, yeah that's my.

Brian B:

That was a. That was a mistake, though, too. They get you what you mean, because you get them in november usually yeah they come down in january, okay and then they hit you up in july and they go, or sometimes it's even earlier, sometimes it's like february. They're like do you want the same thing for next year? You want to pre-book it? Okay, we'll save you 25, or whatever okay so I did that okay and at the time, I think it was maybe because the discount, everything was happening sure I built the biggest freaking package I could get sure you know yeah so then they just showed up, like one day.

Brian B:

I'm like they showed up at our house and they're like wait, no, no, no notice, oh, and I'm like who's this outside of our house in a van, just like with a bunch of stuff? And I'm like we ain't even to thanksgiving yet. I'm like we're setting the bar high for the neighborhood, all of a sudden, you can turn them off right no, well, you can.

Brian B:

Yeah, I'm like, yeah, we got the wreath up there, you know it's lit and you know I got the markers in the driveway, the whole thing, and I'm like boy. And so then at that point then I'm cooked because now I gotta do the christmas tree to match. Oh wow, you already got a tree up, so the same day as the tree.

Joe Bunn:

You ain't got a real tree up. No, no, we had a. Oh, I was about to say the lot's not even open yet dog so.

Brian B:

So we had that like first thing in the morning was tree set up Like decorated lights, the whole thing, and then we did the spring cleaning.

Joe Bunn:

But is Annie doing the? Is she decorating the tree? Going, ape shit. Are you playing Christmas music? Yeah, the wife was on that and I'm not much help.

Brian B:

I'll be honest, that's not my forte. Anybody need anything to drink. You need a snack, I got you, it's just not my. I'm not good at that stuff.

Joe Bunn:

I went artificial two years ago for the first time ever, always had a real tree 51 years and then finally, I just finally gave up. It looks real. It was expensive, it was over $1,000 and it looks real.

Brian B:

But to your question of like days off, see, I like to watch sports, but I don't need to be listening. Okay, so a lot of times I can put the earbuds in get stuff done, but still watch, especially the multi-view. You multi-view or you red zone Towards the end of the game, I'll go red zone, okay. But, early on. I'm just multi-view.

Joe Bunn:

Okay.

Brian B:

And this week specifically, the morning games had a lot of last minute stuff happening.

Joe Bunn:

Yeah, even the Panthers game we did at 11 at High Park. You know I just walked up there. I walked home from the office because I had too many cars or something, and I walked home from the office I was passing that sports bar by my house, high Park, and I stopped in there, bro, what is too early to start drinking? Because you know the game came on at 930 am and I sat down at probably 11 for like an early lunch and dude beside me Tailgating oh yeah, white claw with a chaser of brown liquor you can't even serve alcohol until after, not anymore.

Joe Bunn:

That changed a while back because they had that whole brunch law that passed and people went ape shit see, I'm from the west coast, so the first game on the west coast starts at 10 am but now because people are playing in europe six yeah, people are getting lit for brunch on sunday mornings with the football games.

Brian B:

I mean, it's just like I guess you're right, man.

Joe Bunn:

Maybe it wasn't that crazy. I just was like God damn, bro, like it's 11 on Sunday.

Brian B:

You got to pace yourself. That's what I'm saying.

Joe Bunn:

The last game ends 12 hours later Is he there all day just turning up, I don't know, playing illegal gambling machines. He told me his sister won $5,000 on one the day before on one of those bootleg you know, illegal gambling machines with poker and shit on them.

Joe Bunn:

This girl that goes to the smoke shop I work at. Random girl came in the other day won 150 racks off the scratch. 150 racks, what is that? On scratch off $150,000? I mean that. That's allegedly that. No, I mean, we believe her. Why would she be lying? Because a lot of shady people come in the smoke shop. Nah, nah, nah. You believe her, I believe her. Wow, okay, she's a regular human being. Okay, I got you, not like a crackhead, she's not one of those.

Brian B:

Have you done any shopping Christmas?

Joe Bunn:

shopping Zero.

Brian B:

Are you last minute, Larry?

Joe Bunn:

minute um no, I'm in the middle. Now that you speak on it, I feel like I need to pick it up a little bit. But you gotta realize, man, it's different now. I don't have a wife. Yeah, the boys are grown right, so what they're normally gonna do is just take my card, get stuff, hand it to me, I will wrap it and then re-give it to them. Have y'all, like, started loading up for up for Annie? Because I feel like if you don't, if there's the Tickle Me, elmo or the Hot Toy and you don't buy it now or October, you're hosed.

Brian B:

Tara is good at that. I'm terrible. I am like Christmas Eve guy I'm going to the stores.

Joe Bunn:

The mall.

Brian B:

I mean I used to. Now it's obviously Amazon about three days beforehand, beforehand yeah, but tara's classy bro.

Joe Bunn:

They ain't got no shit on amazon that she wants yeah, you'd be surprised they got a lot of those like last minute gifts okay.

Brian B:

Google searches yeah, they can turn up.

Joe Bunn:

Okay, speaking of amazon yeah, don't you have a little treat? Don't you have a little treat?

Brian B:

for me, so I was gonna share one.

Joe Bunn:

We're gonna link, yes, our shopping carts, yes so when the reel comes out, we're gonna say comment on this reel. I'm going to look at the camera, comment the word goodies, all right, and we're going to send you a document with links to our favorite Christmas gifts for DJs how about that? And then you just like subtly, pass it to your spouse or your boyfriend, your girlfriend whatever yeah. You like that? I love that Goodies.

Brian B:

So this could could be for that. This could be a gift for your djs. Uh-huh, this is the bassiest. I guess it would be like a brick. Essentially, it's pretty light I mean, but it's got some weight to it.

Joe Bunn:

We haven't talked about this thing before? No, we haven't okay no, I thought we had, but we haven't okay, I like it we were going to and yeah, yeah, yeah, we ran out, but it's got usbc yep usb a.

Brian B:

There's two a's, two c's, I believe yep and what I love about it. Here I'll let you uh be the demo the vanna white here when you plug this in. This is a super long cable, okay, but what you'll see here is it are you still on? Lightning cable. Bro, I am bro. I need the entire. I need to upgrade now. Does it tell you the percentage of what's left on that charger?

Joe Bunn:

Say 100%, yeah 100% on the charger.

Brian B:

So that will in real time tell you how much you have left on this charger.

Joe Bunn:

Right.

Brian B:

This thing will last. You could plug in your computer.

Joe Bunn:

What are these other countdowns?

Brian B:

That's a great question. I haven't gotten that far in the menu, but all I'm concerned about for me is how much of this do I have?

Joe Bunn:

left to charge this, yeah, right Of the brick, yeah, and you said this will power like a laptop as well.

Brian B:

I will A MacBook An.

Joe Bunn:

Air or like a MacBook Pro Pro. This will power up a MacBook Pro. Yeah, from dead, from dead.

Brian B:

Damn. So this is about $60 on Amazon. It'll be on that list. Get this for your DJs because you know, with the bun booth you can put it in the compartment and hide this, because it's not like this huge brick yeah get a cable that can charge their phone if there's an emergency, or whatever they have the ability to to do it. So damn, this thing is gold. I would highly recommend it. And it's thin too, so you can fit it in your bag yeah, I love that like.

Joe Bunn:

No, I don't like those either.

Brian B:

That's nice I got some weight to it too, so if it's windy, get it so so with that, what's the word? Again goodies?

Joe Bunn:

uh, goodies say goodies on the, and we will automatically send you a PDF of our favorite gifts for DJs.

Brian B:

Speaking of, have you thought about your gift for your DJs?

Joe Bunn:

For my company DJs. Yeah, I have two, but I can't say it because they listen to the podcast. By the way, bro, I forgot to tell you this. I said something on the podcast about yeah, if a DJ's been here a while, I'll bump their percentage up. Podcast about yeah, if a dj's been here a while, I'll bump their percentage up. A motherfucker called me and said yo, I was listening to the pocket and he hit me up for a raise. Wow, yeah, and I had to give it to him.

Brian B:

Oh man, yeah, he's been loyal. Hey, it's a soldier. Our listenership, thank you, thank you.

Joe Bunn:

I forgot to tell you about that. Yeah, you're welcome. I was like wait what? And I just didn't think anybody you know on my staff listened, because they've heard me run my mouth for so many years now that they were just not non-listeners. I got hit up. I got hit up, it cost me. We got a question. This is a good one. It is a good one. I'm gonna let you read it because my eyesight's not great. You need to break out the glasses no, I'm good you.

Joe Bunn:

You are the opposite of me. You don't see well here and I don't see well, far right yeah, jeez, we're a mess, bro, it's combined we got the damn. We were for 2020, my boy. We're 2020, my boy. All right, here we go.

Brian B:

Uh, this was another anonymous that we came up with a little sign off a dear abby sign off here, but the question is kind of long.

Brian B:

Here we go. I have a wedding coming up where the couple wants explicit music for the last two hours of the reception like really explicit. I never play the explicit version of songs, ever. It just eliminates problems and questions. This couple asked if I could play a few. I said okay, but her playlist is almost two hours solid of it. I reminded her about our conversation and she said she really wants the explicit versions. She even put it on the welcome bags for guests that the music after 9 pm will be club-like. The wedding is in two weeks. I can't back out now. This is a very high-end wedding at an awesome venue that we play at a lot and with a planner we love who refers us a ton. The planner understands but wants me to do my best to accommodate. I'm not feeling really comfortable with this playlist and hoping this won't hurt my relationships with this venue or my reputation in general. What would Nasty shit, he said.

Joe Bunn:

I feel cringy already about this. I'm sweating have you been hit with this yet One time? And Because I don't think I've had this request yet, to play it all explicit.

Brian B:

You know the places where I've had this. I've been at a venue and it's been outdoors Okay. At a resort, Okay, Family friendly. The venue bailed me out.

Joe Bunn:

They're like we don't allow that.

Brian B:

Like it's in the contract with the venue that we don't allow that. That gave me the out to not have to play that.

Joe Bunn:

Wow.

Brian B:

So I was not the bad guy.

Joe Bunn:

I'm like man, I would love to, but the venue literally won't allow us to play it because of whatever, and I just had a recollection of doing a show in Beaufort at like a what are those things called Bed and breakfast, yeah, and the reception was outside and I think it was twofold. I think I was playing an explicit song, which was super rare this was 15 years ago but I think also the groom wanted the mic and he started rapping something explicit dude. I got like banned from that place, really, yeah, because it was outdoors, downtown beaufort, right, probably in the summer, you know, and I'm sure you know little kids walking around eating ice cream and somebody's like pop that pee, blah, blah, blah you know like whatever he was on the mic rapping, but I was like it's the groom, I don't, and I don't remember what the track was, but I distinctly remember.

Joe Bunn:

luckily the place closed down, but I mean I was banned for when it was open. I mean how do we help this guy? Like right, I mean he's like said, I mean the gig is booked, it's paid for. I'm doing the gig. I know that I'm going to fulfill the contract. I'm going to explain to everybody previous to getting there and on the day of the planner, the person that runs the venue, the cake maker, the guy that delivers the limousine, like everybody in attendance is going to know hey, this is going to be a lot different than Joe Bunn's show.

Joe Bunn:

I literally don't even think I have most explicit versions anymore. I never download them from the pools. Most of the stuff I played from the club days I've deleted or just bought the clean version now or gotten, you know, a clean version. But today Susie wants this to go full explicit and you know I'm obligated to do it. I'm very uncomfortable doing it. Just know that this is not my normal show.

Joe Bunn:

I'm just giving disclaimers to everybody, basically, and on the mic previous to this nine o'clock when it goes club-like, I don't care that she's put it on all the gift bags, I don't care if it's on a table 10 on every table I'm going to get on the mic and go. Hey guys, just a heads up. Susie and Mike want clublike and in the clubs we play explicit. You know music, either leave or put on earmuffs or something, but just get ready to. You know, hear some not really tasteful lyrics coming out of these speakers in three, two, one, and then I put on wop and just like, rip the band-aid right off. I mean, where, where are you on this, man?

Brian B:

well, I know this dj I do too here he's the nicest guy the nicest and as you can already tell by the email right yes obviously he was trying to accommodate this client correct by even giving her the window, or him the window, of saying that, hey, I'll play a couple. You've already put yourself in a bad situation yeah now you're stuck because they could take that a couple different ways. I would have already hit this off at the past. If it's something I'm not comfortable with, I don't play explicit.

Joe Bunn:

Yeah, but I'm getting the impression he didn't get this data at the initial consultation.

Brian B:

Oh, I thought he was reminding her of the conversation. He said I reminded her of the conversation that we had. Oh wait you're right. Because a couple asked if I could play a few, said okay, but he didn't realize her playlist was going to be two hours long of it, but that little bit of a window in gave her the ability to add all this stuff that then later he finds out. So my suggestion to this DJ would have been you got to draw the line.

Brian B:

If this is something that matters to you, to say I'm not going to do it and know that you're going to get another show right, you're going to get another show, or maybe this DJ, who I do know, has a roster of other DJs where somebody else on the staff might feel comfortable with it. Give it to that person. That is the right fit. If that's a possibility, yeah, but fast forward, you're already stuck. What do you do in this situation? I would try to figure out ways of creatively mixing it so that it's not overtly explicit what do I mean by that?

Brian B:

It's like a school dance, right, you play clean for school dances. Guess what they're shouting over it all the explicit stuff.

Brian B:

So at times I mean this would get annoying if you did it for every song, but maybe you cut it, let them shout it out, whatever that is. I also think you would want to mix quick. You don't want to be playing three minutes of a song. That's just going to be a complete explicit fest. In and out of the hooks of ones that make sense, because usually the hooks aren't as bad there might be one drop. It's usually the verse where people like just go crazy with it. So you know, in and out, quick, creative mixing. And you know, honestly, there are some times where some of them aren't like squeaky clean edits where you really wouldn't be able to tell that the explicit was there.

Brian B:

That's like a little bit of it still in the p versions.

Joe Bunn:

Right right.

Brian B:

Play those because you can kind of get away with it. To an extent it's not fun. Two hours is a lot.

Joe Bunn:

God, man, right, it's making me very hot. I'd have to take my jacket off for that one. I'd be sweating, I'd be pitting out Would you go like marshmallow costume, put that on that last two hours.

Brian B:

It's not a bad idea, but I don't hate that idea. One thing you did say, which I am totally, you got to tell everybody ahead of time A hundred percent, Because all of a sudden they're like what just happened.

Joe Bunn:

One new person this guy went from September to wet ass.

Brian B:

I can't even say it on the mic.

Joe Bunn:

And we have an unedited podcast. I don't be playing that stuff. And we have an unedited podcast. I don't be playing that stuff, man, I'm telling you that ain't how I get down. I don't know how it could have enhanced her party. You know what I'm saying Because, like, we'll play stuff, whatever Grove Street Party or Waka Flocka, what is Wale's verse? He's like I'm a bam. You know whatever they're singing along anyway, like school dance style, that style. That's what I'm saying. Sing over top of it, man. If you need the explicit, just sing your heart out.

Brian B:

like I don't want to play that stuff there are some songs where, like, you can't get the edited version, so you gotta play the explicit version that's true and I try to avoid them. Still, if I can yeah is there anything else I can play in addition?

Joe Bunn:

but if they give you two hours, you gotta just slog through it speaking of music, anything you want to just shout out real quick that that's gone over. In the last few gigs you did you and I were talking earlier. I have multiple girlfriends, you know, like shakira. That's one of my girlfriends, so I always play shakira jay, I haven't played shakira.

Brian B:

Yeah, just like. Don't lie. Are you playing whenever where no hips?

Joe Bunn:

hips don't lie. Okay, it's like that super bowl edit, I think, and the j-lo super bowl edit, jenny on the block. Yeah, these are all my girls. They have to be like actual girlfriends. That I'm playing Latin? Yeah, I go there, but then I go travel over to England for my girlfriend, natasha Bedingfield, because Unwritten goes crazy. Always the original or that happier surprise edit, whatever scooter edit. And then I was talking to you about how I started dropping these words to you, about how I started dropping that, these words.

Brian B:

but it's like a badger remix or the badger edit. She's my other girlfriend. I'm drawing a blank on the title, but there's one with her that's this is kind of a low-key banger that you wouldn't realize it's Natasha Bedingfield and Sean Kingston. I'm drawing a blank on the track okay great for dinner. Okay along, okay, it's underrated dude you know what I was.

Joe Bunn:

I was telling Saquon this the other night about Sean Kingston. I saw this on Instagram. It has to be true, Sean Kingston made a whole record. He was like MC something. He made a whole rap album. They had literally finished the record. It was okay, whatever. And then on one of the hooks he started singing and the producer was like whoa, whoa, whoa, the kid can sing. And they were like yeah, and scrapped the whole album, totally remade the album as we know him today and then changed his name to Sean Kingston, because he was from the Caribbean or Jamaica or whatever, and just rebranded it, Told him, like you know, the rap record's mediocre, at best, not going to sell any units. This is gold because you can actually sing and you're marketable and change his whole persona to whatever. It has to be true I saw it on Instagram he's having a little fraudulent activity. We don't want to get into it.

Brian B:

I think they like legit both of them were in the pen for a little while.

Joe Bunn:

Oh shit, I wouldn't have brought it up.

Brian B:

Then one of them got out, did he shit?

Joe Bunn:

No, no, no, Just like jewelry fraud or something. Oh, okay, but then they got out.

Brian B:

One of them did Okay and then they're back in again, Like OJ's time. One time I can understand, but like Like OJ. It's like you know you're a rapper, you might get a chain, Okay.

Joe Bunn:

You might put money down on it, okay.

Brian B:

I guess he wasn't paying it. It's like rented at that. Well he's taking it and he's gone. He's not paying it If he's not in there. He's going to be again. Oh, he's taking it.

Joe Bunn:

Oh, he's taking it. So he goes to the jewelry store. He gets a watch. Put money. I'm going to put my money down on it. I'm wearing the watch. He never comes back, not returning the watch. Yeah, he never comes back. But how's his mama involved enterprise?

Brian B:

little enterprise there. Good shit, uh. Thank you guys for listening. Yeah, where can they find this beyond the dj boothcom.

Joe Bunn:

You got it, or on youtube if you want to see how we look in the studio. So thank you, guys, for listening back every week with a brand new episode. Every wednesday morning they come out. Thanks y'all. See ya, thank you.