Every Sunday night there’s a circuit party in Fort Lauderdale. About 10 PM last Sunday night I found myself where everyone eventually ends up, the dance floor at Jackhammer. I look around and spot two friends, shirts off, and I dance my way across the crowded room. As soon as I get there I recognize a face back a few feet from where I was previously standing. I say hello, hug, we dance a minute and I head back to say hello to the stud from which I unknowingly walked away. On my way across the room, I’m stopped by three guys I met a few weeks ago in Chicago. This is why I’m here. This is why everyone is here. We all connect on Sunday night at Jackhammer. 

Mark: Let’s start out talking about the reality of Sunday nights at Jackhammer. The club is not glamorous. It’s relatively small and it gets pretty hot. There are some dark and sleazy corners. How do you account for the wild popularity of the Jackhammer T-Dance?  

Marc:  Dark and sleazy corners?  Where?  But seriously, Jackhammer is giving patrons Everything that they want.  It is run by people who know Fort Lauderdale and know the patrons—and care about them.  We have fun music that stirs fond memories (and makes new ones), a friendly, “all gay” staff, no cover, a store, a separate leather bar, and a patio to accommodate all the different types of people that come to the club.  Many people tell me that it’s my music that make’s Jackhammer’s Tea what it is.  That’s a wonderful and kind thought, but I don’t let it get to my head.  I want people to know that I am approachable and that I am singing and dancing right along with you.  Many times you’ll find me out on the dance floor between mixes. 

Mark: Jackhammer is definitely not the stand and model crowd this is the d and f (drink and fuck) crowd. Is the crowd driven by the music or does the crowd drive the music? 

Marc:  Most of the time it’s mutual.  Though I like to think it’s always my music that is driving the crowd, there are times when I get definite vibes from the crowd.  I have to remain open and flexible accommodate my audience and not stick to any preconceived plans of how I want my journey to play out.  After all it’s not about me, it’s about my crowd.       

Mark: Were your parent’s musical?  

Marc:  Mom is more of a listener, however my Dad has always played the piano, though nowadays it’s an electric piano.  I was taught to play the piano from about age 4.  My grandparents were musical, too.  There was always someone singing--with or without piano accompaniment.  Plus we had lot s of records, which I loved to play on our “Victrola!”  Little did I know how much of a part vinyl records were going to play in my future. 

Mark: Where did you grow up?     

Marc:  I grew up here in the Fort Lauderdale area.  Though, I was born in Brooklyn, New York, I consider myself practically a FL native because I’ve been here since 5^th grade at the age of 10.  I’m 43 now.

Mark: Did it have an effect on your career choice? 

Marc:  The musical family?  Absolutely!  Growing up here?  Well in middle school, to get out shop class they let me join the orchestra as a Viola player.  This led to 7 years of being in the school orchestra and the furthering of my musical education.  I suppose that opportunity would have been different had I lived elsewhere.   

Mark: Why did you want to become a DJ?

Marc:  I always believed I belonged in the music industry in some capacity.  After coming out and beginning to going to clubs I was fascinated by the way the music flowed together.  It was so exciting to be dancing and listen to the mix and hear the next song blending in and know what is was before anyone else did.  I became very adept at it.  I was given the opportunity to do lights at a club here in Fort Lauderdale called Shangri-La.  DJing was just the natural progression of my love affair with music.  It’s almost like I didn’t choose it, but it chose me. It was meant to be. 

Mark: You play a lot of anthems and music with vocals. What’s the first song you remember playing as a DJ? 

Marc:  I’m lucky if I can remember what I had for breakfast this morning, but I’ll take a guess.  I remember when I was learning to mix, the first to records I attempted to mix together were “Searchin’” by Hazell Dean and “So Many Men, So Little Time” by Miquel Brown.  I still do that mix today, though it sounds much better now.  There were others at that time like “Right On Target” by Paul Parker, “Stormy Weather” by Viola Wills, “Megatron Man” by Patrick Cowley, and “Do Ya Wanna Funk” by Sylvester.  Any of those could easily have been my first. 

Mark: Some musicians stand up to the test of time and other musicians fade fast. In your opinion who is the single most important musician of your career?  

Marc:  That’s a tough one, but probably Giorgio Moroder. 

Mark: If you could only play music from one person or group, who would it be? 

Marc: The Pet Shop Boys 

Mark: Why? 

Marc:  They are my favorite group.  Their songs are meaningful and Neil Tennant has the most amazing perfect diction. 

Mark: What’s your favorite song?   

Marc:  I’m not sure if I could pick only one, but I’ll give you a couple off the top of my head.  “Together in Electric Dreams” by Giorgio Moroder and Phillip Oakey,  “If You Could Read My Mind” by Viola Wills,  “It’s My Life” by Talk Talk and “Left To My Own Devices” by the Pet Shop Boys.  Give me more time and I can make this list very long!  I didn’t even go into my Classic Rock collection!  I’m a huge Classic Rock fan.  For instance, I love Pink Floyd and The Who. 

Mark: Aside from Jackhammer what (is/was) your favorite club to spin? 

Marc:  The original Tacky’s Tea Dance here in Fort Lauderdale in the late 1980s was wonderful and anyone that remembers it will attest to that.  My present Tea at Jackhammer comes very close to emulating those days.  I also loved to play Sunday afternoons/evenings for the Royal “T” at Club Atlantis on Fort Lauderdale Beach.  This was back in 2002 and lasted most of that year.  I got to play a nice mix of old and new music and the crowds were always responsive.  The management always treated me very kindly and trusted me implicitly with the music—a rare thing in this industry.  In June of that year it rained 27 out of 30 days (real fact from the news). Customers stopped coming to the beach because of the rain and never came back.  We hung on as long as we could, but finally had to close.  I miss it, but then I wouldn’t be in the wonderful place I’m in now!  Not just in the clubs, but in my life. 

Mark:  You’ve been a DJ for quite some time. What’s the strangest thing you ever seen happen on the dance floor? 

Marc:   Yes I’ve been DJing for about 22 years here in South Florida.  I’m guess I’m still waiting to see what I would call the strangest thing on my dance floor.  Many people over the years have been strange in their own ways, but I try not to be judgmental.  I have one memory of something very disgusting, but I’d rather not put it in print.  I can’t remember my name sometimes, yet that disgusting memory is crystal clear.  AHHH!  Here it comes again.   

Mark: What makes a good Tea Dance? 

Marc:  Smiles, Sweat, Skin, Singing, Screams…and perhaps a little Sex.  

Mark: Who is the most interesting person you’ve ever met? 

Marc:  My cousin Padma.  She has accomplished so much in her life and always on her own terms.  She is well traveled and infinitely wise.  I admire her very much. 

Mark: Other than a musician, who’s your favorite artist? 

Marc:  I can’t say that I have one.  I like many different things in the world of art.  I am easily entertained. 

Mark: I’m sure you’re sent lots of music by people who want to get their music out there. How much really bad music do you have to listen to before you find that one song that makes you want to crank up the volume? 

Marc:  I’d say only about 10 to 20% of what I hear is worthy of club play and then crowd responses whittle that down even more.   

Mark: Another very popular local DJ was telling me that there is no music this year that is really compelling. Do you feel the same way?  

Marc:  Compelling is such a serious word.  Let’s change that to the word “Fun.”  One song comes to mind right away and that’s “Since You’ve Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson.  It always gets my crowd going!  

Mark: An up and coming local DJ thinks that the next few years are going to see a return to vocals as standard club music. I think it’s about time for a change. Where do you think club music is headed right now? 

Marc:  In this fast-paced society that we’ve become, our dancers want to be constantly energized and tend not to respond well to extended dropouts.  Crowds for the most part don’t have the patience nor appreciation for the dropouts and musical breaks that they once did.  Not that I don’t like them myself on occasion, they just don’t work anymore.  I believe our music makers and remixers are finally catching on to that.  As far as I’m concerned, vocals have always been the standard, they just got buried for a while by DJs and remixers wanting to experiment with ever-changing technologies--which is a good thing!  

Mark: What is a typical day in the life of a DJ? 

Marc:  Get up at noonish, go to the gym for an hour or two, come home and work on remises and review new music, and then spend time with my friends, family and/or partner on the evenings when I’m not DJing.  Oh, wait, you said typical, not imaginary.  Sorry!  I’m working on it, though. 

Mark: Did you ever consider another career?  What was it and why did you consider it? 

Marc:  Oh yes.  I was going to be a Clinical Psychologist.  I have a B.S. in Psychology.  I considered this because since I was a child people always seemed to come to me with their problems and I always had a knack for helping them.  As I got older and this trend continued, I thought to myself, “Why not get paid for it?”  However, my love for music prevailed.  But believe me the degree is not wasted! 

Mark: You have a loyal following, are any of them groupies?  What are they like? 

Marc:  This is a tough issue for me and I don’t want to sounds too negative here.  Though I really want to believe that my listeners are loyal, my experience over the years has shown me otherwise.  Crowds change and people are always looking for the next best thing, therefore I try to enjoy each and every DJ experience as if it were my last—because it very well could be.  Loyalty for the most part ends at the end of the night.  I feel like I have to rebuild this loyalty each and every time I play--week after week.  I can not and will not rest on my laurels—if such laurels really do exist.  If I have any “groupies” they haven’t made themselves known to me.     

Mark: What’s your favorite cocktail? 

Marc:  I’m not much of a drinker these days.  Sometime I’ll have a Bud Light, maybe Bourbon and Seven, an occasional shot of Schnapps, a Cosmopolitan, a Kamikaze, A Pina Colada, a Kool-Aid Shooter, a shot of Yagermeister, but I’m really not much of a drinker. 

Mark: Have you ever done drag? 

Marc:  Once for Fantasy Fest, myself and 9 of my male friends—most with beards and mustaches--did drag.  I can’t look glamorous no matter how I try—just a man in a dress.  So I opted for the silly look and went as one of Gary Larson’s “The Far Side” old lady characters.  I had fuzzy slippers, roll-down stockings, horn-rimmed glasses and a wig with a bun.  The other 9 guys for the most part wore pumps and sequins.  My feet were the only ones that didn’t hurt the next day.  Ha Ha!   

Mark: What are attractive qualities in people? 

Marc:  Personality?  Sense of humor, honesty with self and others, sense of responsibility and genuine caring, and someone who is really takes the time to know me.  Very rare! Physically?  Variations on a Steve Kelso theme.   

Mark: What’s your most prized possession? 

Marc:  My cat and my record collection run neck and neck. And I have to say my parents and my good friends as well.  Maybe one day I’ll have a partner that I can list here, too. 

Mark: Do you ever take a Sunday night off? 

Marc:  The management of Jackhammer pretty much has me chained to my DJ booth on Sundays.   But seriously, I did take a vacation in May and had one Sunday off.   I love to play Tea every Sunday so I will only take off when I really need to. 

Boxers or briefs? 

Briefs. 

Thin Mint or Classic Shortbread? 

You mean I get cookies?