Happy (belated) New Year!

New Year's Eve at Seomra Spraoi was a good time. I was due to DJ from 9 to 11, so I put together a real quirky set, thinking that no one would be up for dancing quite at that hour. Not that the music wasn't danceable! I'm actually going to share my set list because I had such a good time putting it together. Some of the segue ways were pretty funny:
Essaywhuman?!!!??! by the Roots
Get Me Away From Here, I'm Dying by Belle and Sebastian
Sweet Leaf by Black Sabbath
Cat Scratch Fever covered by Fudge Tunnel
New Year's Eve by the Knife
Second Hand News by Fleetwood Mac
Voodoo by Ganglians
C is the Heavenly Option by Heavenly
Iko Iko by the Dixie Cups
I Found that Essence Rare by Gang of Four
In the Aeroplane Over the Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel
Uncontrollable Urge by Devo
New York New York by Nina Hagen
Gronlandic Edit by Of Montreal
Magic by ELO (from the Xanadu soundtrack)
I Don't Mind if You Forget Me by Morrissey
Firework by Kay Perry
Katt Witt 700 Watts by Eero Johannes
Super Disco Breakin' by Beastie Boys
Liar by Dragonette
Let It Whip by Dazz Band
Too Drunk to Fuck covered by Evan Johns and His H-Bombs
Hungry Like the Wolf by Duran Duran
Music Is My Hot Hot Sex by Cansei De Ser Sexy
Birthday Cake by Cibo Matto
Imma Be by Black Eyed Peas
Shoot to Thrill by AC/DC
Alex Chilton by The Replacements
Downtown by Petula Clark
Life with the Lions by Billy Bragg
Sugar Assault Me Now by Pop Lefi
Fantastic Voyage (remake) by Coolio
Mr. Blobby song by Mr. Blobby
U Got the Look by Prince and Sheena Easton
Evil That Men Do by Queen Latifah
A Funny Thing (Jeffrey Jerusalem remix) by Penguin Prison
Dancing Machine by Jackson Five
Clean Up Woman by Betty Wright
I'm the Biz Markie by Biz Markie
Blowin' Bubbles by Call & Response
Vitamin C by Can
If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out by Cat Stevens
at midnight I played the theme song to 2001, which was poorly timed (it didn't crescendo until after midnight). I stole this idea from my friend Dan, who did the same thing on 2001 NYE.
Policy of Truth by Depeche Mode
Happy New Year by ABBA

then things started to get dicey because I had run out of music (my music is on an external Hard Drive so when I DJ I usually only bring the music I plan on playing). But the next DJ had bagged out at the last minute. Things got a little hairy. I played some Ride (Vapour Trail, of course), I started basically DJing with youtube, playing people's requests (Strangely, Chuck Berry and another Morrissey song, which I sneakily played a cover version of). But not everyone was nice about it. Also, it was amazing to me how many people were like, "Yeah, can you play such and such song? So, when are you going to play it, exactly? You know what you should do? You should stop this song that's going now, and just play my song right now." One guy in particular didn't like the pop music I was playing. He said, "Hey! You don't know your audience. I mean, we're an alternative crowd." I wanted to laugh in his face because honestly, has anyone even used the word "alternative" since 1996? I played his "alternative" request, The Passenger by Iggy Pop (and seriously, if you want to get "alternative" I wouldn't consider Iggy Pop, who regularly stars in car insurance advertisements). Then his friend came up to me and was like, "Can I just play a mix off the internet?" I declined and then turned to Mark, pointing to her, saying "Can you believe these assholes?" By this time I'd been DJing for nearly 4 hours. After putting on some Brazilian Girls and some hiphop, someone gave me a "soul" mix CD, which I put on and went to use the bathroom. I was going to call it a night, but seeing as my computer was being used for the music anyways, and I didn't want to leave it unsupervised (all I needed was for someone to spill a beer on it), I got to thinking. When I got back downstairs, only like three people were dancing to the soul music. I thought, you know what? Screw those people who think they're too good for pop music! So I got back to the computer and said, "I'll show them!" I played "Let it Bump" by Missy Elliot, and suddenly the dance floor started to fill up. So I followed that up with "Push it" by Salt 'n Peppa. People were diggin' it, and I was laughing my ass off. I moved next to "Check the Rhime" by Tribe Called Quest, "Pump up the Jam" by Technotronic, "Everybody Dance Now" by C&C Music Factory, "Good Vibrations" by Markie Mark and the funky bunch, "Can't Touch this" by MC Hammer, "Ice Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice, "No Scrubs" by TLC, etc. People really were having fun and didn't seem to care if it wasn't "alternative" in any way, shape or form.

Finally, I was rescued by a very nice couple who took over my computer and did an incredible job playing cool songs (they actually did play a fantastic mix of music). I got to dance a little, relax, and talk to people. Then the party was over and I packed up my stuff and we biked home. All in all, as New Year's Eves go, it was very good! (I usually don't enjoy New Years, for whatever reason). I won't say I didn't shed a few tears when I got home, though. 2010 may have been one of the most difficult years of my life, but it's not easy to usher in a new year that I know will be spent without my father. Still, Mark wiped my tears away, we made a little late-night snack, and went to bed feeling positive about the new year to come.

If photos of the party surface, I'll have to post them later!