PURPLE MARTINI LOUNGE
PURE BIGOTRY?
PURE RACISM?
(before you go any further, Please understand that I am a high profile celebrity dj. worked with names like Outkast, Snoop Dogg, G Unit, Busta, Diddy etc Bronco Parties etc. I have nothing tangible to gain from this report.)
Is this just "Good Business"
"Well look. See, it's getting TOO DARK in here and FRANKLY ITS SCARING AWAY MY WHITE CUSTOMERS." "We're going to do something a little controversial this week, we're gonna select who comes in so there will be a line early"
"Too Dark" a phrase used for Black customers. Practically calling Black customers "Darkies". "SELECT WHO COMES IN" based on RACE! (similar to a the
These statements came from Randy, the general manager of Purple Martini located in DTC.
8/3/07 before I began djing that evening, Randy wanted to express to me the direction he wanted to take. Randy wished to get rid of people who came to dance and look at women verses people who came to buy drinks. As the dj, I have no clue who "THESE PEOPLE" are. Randy praises me for my performance for the weeks prior but wanted to make a stronger effort this evening. Jason opens a separate back door inside the office
(I believe to light up a cigarette), looks at me and states, "Do you remember when we talked the week prior, and you said you would like to at least and take request the last 15 to 30 min of the night? Well, we just don't want to appease them at all anymore." This is when Randy follows up with "Well look. See, it's getting TOO DARK in here and FRANKLY ITS SCARING AWAY MY WHITE CUSTOMERS." "We're going to do something a little controversial this week, we're going to select who comes in so there will be a line early" It was like an intellectual tsunami. I wasn't sure how to respond to this, so I let him continue on all the while in shock. After our words, I went to the dj booth and confided with one of the local promoters I work with, Kevin Kain. I communicated with him via text. I told him not to even come. It was too late to pre-warn everyone I already promoted to by sending over 300 text messages and emails. As the night progressed, Alan Iverson came in. As a regular at my other nightclub Tuesday nights at DC10, I felt that it was my responsibility to pre warn him and let him know. I told him that it's going to be a little different tonight. You may want to get at the MGR if you hear something you don't like." The same applied to all the Denver Bronco players that attended that evening. Being the professional dj I am, of course I was able to play anything and I did, but he specifically didn't want to hear anything that would appease to the "Dark" or little "Darkies".
Through out the evening Kevin Kain would assist me in apologizing to all the Bronco Players (oh, did I mention that these were Black opss.. "DARK" Bronco Players), Denver Nugget players, and the remainder of the SOPHISTICATED Black crowd that showed disgust and frustration at not hearing music that Purple Martini promoted they would hear. We kept screaming, "I'm sorry, but it's not the dj; It's the house". I even went as far as to help out everyone by getting on the mic and stating that the format is going to change.
At the end of the night, I packed up feeling disgusting. As I loaded up my equipment, I noticed the two Black security guards wearing black wife beater tank top shirts. They seamed just as disgusted as I was. The crowd had cleared and it was just me outside with these two gentlemen. One of them said, "Man did Randy talk to you about the "Crowd Thing"? I was just shocked that I wasn't the only person he talked to in that nature. So I answered, "Yes". He taps the other brother and said, "Let's hear from the dj how Randy brought it to him". I gave them the full detail on the meeting and they both responded, "That's exactly how it was brought to our attention" I wanted to respond but was interrupted by the bald Caucasian security in a suit. He opened the door (insisting for the brothers to come in) and said these exact words, "Hey BOYS! COME ON! Let's wrap it up". I felt like I was in a Twilight Zone entitled "Jim Crow". The two brothers walked in as the security team had a meeting. Needless to say, even his comment bothered me to an extreme! As I watched the brothers walk in, it dawned on me why they where dressed differently than the other security. See, the security "Head Guy" wears a black suit, the other White security guards (that only worked inside the night club) wore black full arm length T shirts, & THE BROTHERS OUTSIDE WORE BLACK WIFE BEATERS! THE REASONING WAS TO DO THE DIRTY WORK OF THE BAR MANAGER! HE LITERALLY USED THOSE BROTHERS TO RACIALLY PROFILE BLACK WOMEN AND MAN, or should I say "THE DARK".
I left DTC's Purple Martini with aspirations to never return.
Racism, I don't know.
This isn't the normal practice of Purple Martini, but if this General Manager continues to be employed by Purple Martini wouldn't they be supporting him?
Bigotry, Guaranteed!
If you're planning to change the atmosphere of a nightclub then promote it. Publicize it using flyers or radio promotions. Hire a RECOGNIZED PROMOTER. Change your dress code. Turn away customer not properly dressed for your event. If you want, even ask the dj to change his play list to appeal to the country crowd, rock crowd, hip hop mainstream, hip hop low end, whatever you choose. BUT NEVER & I MEAN NEVER TURN AWAY PAYING CUSTOMERS SOELY BASED ON THEIR RACE! If that was the case, Alan Iverson should've never been able to attend the event with a wave cap under a baseball cap, in sports attire! At the end of the night, it was disgusting to see Purple Martini's GM hug, laugh and joke with the Bronco players that attended knowing that 5 hours ago he demeaned his kind AND THEIR MONEY!
Bigotry is the best intelligent word.
THE DJ (a close associate of mine) is forced to play music that will not appeal you.
If you choose to attend Purple Martini on Friday Nights (in DTC ONLY) please understand, too many of your faces will become a threat. Please review all of your options for a Friday Night.
Friday Night I will offer you the same thing Purple Martini offers and more at TREO NIGHT CLUB.
Dj Big Spade aka Dr.Xclusive the Mad Scientist.
www.djbigspade.biz
djbigspade@yahoo.com
www.myspace.com/djbigspade1