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The special K Superstar DJ Keoki's still alive by MIREILLE SILCOTT
"I was put up by these promoters at the Chateau Marmont hotel in Hollywood," says the New York clubland icon. "In the very bungalow where John Belushi OD'd. I had a party, this kid unscrewed a lightbulb and taught me how to do it. I showed the editor of Herb Garden. That magazine is always in trouble, but that issue was torn off the shelves. And kids still bring me light bulbs." Superstar DJ Keoki, 28 years old, ran away from his Hawaii home at 16. He is known to piss into champagne bottles in DJ booths, harass airline stewards for anal sex and play Special K-fueled progressive rave-house. He was infamous for liking drugs--a lot. In fact, they've propelled his stardom to the point where his "Superstar" title isn't just camp. "My brother came to surprise me in New York last year," explains Keoki. "I hadn't seen him in years. He walked into this party at my house. I vaguely remember him towering above me as I lay on the floor, smashed, with two naked bodies. I ran out, delirious, and came back a day later. My brother had packed my thirteen thousand records. All that was left in my apartment was a bunch of crack pipes and drug vials in the middle of the living room. He said, 'You're coming back to Denver with me'. There wasn't anything I could do." Keoki moved to the Hollywood Hills after rehabing in Denver ("I couldn't snowboard, though... my lungs, the altitude...") and is presently riding European chart success with his latest single, Majik. The disc sounds like a rave percolator that has no off button. It's like Crystal Meth through a fluorescent sampler, but the glo-stick kids love it. "That's all I care about," says Keoki. "Keeping people dancing. Like, in 1988 I was doing this night with Michael Alig called Acid House at The World--I can't even say this without getting in trouble--and we'd give out 'on-board refreshments.' You couldn't leave the premises, because the police would come if they saw people around after hours. I played crazy acid house and had to put a lock on the door to keep people from leaving. There would be no one on the dance floor until people started getting loaded. It was force-fed, but that's what brought acid house to New York. People who had no choice but to dance. People really thought I was a slut. They still might--but now I don't need locks." Superstar DJ Keoki's Majik and new remixes (Moonshine Records) are in stores. Friday, April 25's gig has been postponed due to problems with the venue |
In a 1995 issue of the beautifully tasteless British 'zine The Herb Garden, there was an "article" about DJ Keoki that has been on my fridge since I cut it out laughing my head off. "Ten Steps to Heaven: How to Trip the Light Bulbtastic," it was called: "DJ Keoki's guide to Crystal Meth." So now I know how to do high octane speed with a broken lightbulb (Step 4: "Twist base of bulb until it snaps off..." Step 10: "Don't make any fucking plans.") Chalk one up for dangerous knowledge. Two for the ornate theatricality of a DJ who prefixes his name "Superstar."