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Spinning devil music

>> Rock ’n’ roll deejay fends off marriage proposals and belligerent drunks

by CHRIS BARRY

Photo by Jason Felker

Name: DJ Alex, aka Polly Six

Age: 26

Occupation: Rock ’n’ roll deejay

Salary: $60 a night plus booze.

Bio: This lust-inspiring rock ’n’ roll bombshell and Plateau resident first got her start spinning classical records at CISZ Radio Dawson before eventually graduating to the big time as in-store DJ at the HMV store downtown. Now a house DJ at Roy Bar, and in possession of a profound understanding of the majesty that is decent rock ’n’ roll, Alex’s repertoire of new- and old-school punk has been packing them in every Wednesday and Friday night for the past year and a half. She’s also in the process of completing her Master’s degree in Educational Technology at the ever-prestigious Concordia University.

Did the HMV management use to insist that she forever play junk like Creed and Britney? “No, we had to log what we played, and we were supposed to play a lot of Top 40, but it wasn’t too restrictive back then. Although I hear it is now.”

One thing she played at HMV that got her into trouble: Deltron.

How much a top-flight DJ gets paid at HMV: A polite bit more than minimum wage.

Do male rock ’n’ roll fans ever come up to her at Roy Bar so thrilled with her taste in music that they propose marriage? Yes.

Her theory as to why this happens: “I don’t really know. Maybe it’s because of the energy and sexuality of the old rock music—the release. A lot of what I play is really aggressive, intense music and maybe they are startled to see a girl doing that. But really, who the hell knows?”

Do patrons ever flip out and turn ugly on her because she won’t play their dance music requests? Occasionally. “But it happens more if I won’t play Metallica or stuff along those lines. People have come up to me and complained that I was playing only ‘fag music.’”

Does it ever get scary when lunatics come up to the DJ booth and start screaming at her: Definitely. “You know, there’s a reason why we have a baseball bat under the booth. When things get too crazy in the bar there are definitely some bands that I will not play—like Black Sabbath or Motörhead, and even some Stooges stuff.”

Her current favourite song: Shake Appeal, by the Stooges.

Preferred hallucinogenic: Mushrooms.

Something that makes her want to barf: Musical medleys of any sort.

People whom she sometimes finds herself arguing with at Roy Bar: 19 year olds who insist that old-school punk is from the ’90s—bands like NOFX and Rancid.

Childhood ambition: To become an interior designer or a rock star.

Something else she does: Sings in her band Marlowe, loosely described as a Mazzy Star kind of thing.

What she listens to at home: Quieter stuff like Spiritualized.

Last book read: The Doors of Perception, by Aldous Huxley.

Words of wisdom: “It’s all about the music, man!” :

Comments? dimwit@openface.ca