RS: How have you seen the rise of the DJ affect the club world?
WH: Considering that when I first started going out in 1970 we danced to the music that blared from a jukebox, I would say that it's affected the club world enormously starting with the fact that there's no pauses between the songs. The popularity and price of the DJ will, more often than not, affect the cover charge which can be the difference of going/not going to the consumer especially when the economy is bad. The rise of circuit parties have also hit local clubs hard as people without expendable incomes have had to pick and choose the times/places they go out much more carefully.
RS: What's it like living in a resort town like Provincetown?
WH: Heaven. I will always consider it home. The summers are hectic with WAY too many people in town but it's part of the package that comes with living in a resort town.The winters are tranquil and indescribably beautiful. Little things like having the first footprints in the snow in Beech Forest after a snowfall makes it SO worth being there and keeps you living in gratitude and appreciation for the beauty of nature. Too many people come to town and never even know the Natl. Seashore is there. The day to day pace is slower. The townies look at the tourists and wonder why they're in such a hurry. BUT, like most seaside resort communities, P'town has succumbed to the greed and wealth that permeates our country right now. People with money are buying up properties where yearrounders live and are turning them into weekly rentals thereby displacing yearrounders who can't afford the escalated rents of what few yearround apartments are available. New realty companies are opening to cash in on the boom. Fewer and fewer people come to P'town because they can't afford the outrageous prices of accomodations and food in restaurants. There are more "help wanted" signs in businesses than ever as seasonal rentals become more and more unaffordable for the average person. The whole fabric of the town has changed and, like most yearrounders who don't own property, I will be packing up and leaving at the beginning of October as I continue to have a hard time staying ahead financially. This is an EXTREMELY delicate subject that I'm having a real hard time dealing with.
RS: Describe the experience of releasing the Pride mixed compilation CD you did for Centaur.
WH: It was exhilerating!! I passed out promos to the businesses that line Commercial St. in P'town and you could hear it blaring from doorways as you walked up and down the street. It was the #1 selling CD at Strangeways, our local record store, for the whole month of July in 2000 and sat proudly in it's position on the wall where the top selling 30 CD's of the time are displayed. It also cultivated a great relationship with Julian Marsh who, to this day, remains a close friend. We worked very closely together on the project. In fact, I recorded my CD in his living room!
RS: When you did a Centaur Pride CD with Julian Marsh, your career seemed to take off. What happened exactly?
WH: It gave me international exposure. Simple as that. People often ask if I have other commercially available CD's. I don't......yet.
RS: Is it true that you taught David Knapp to be a DJ?
WH: No. I didn't teach him how to be a DJ but I did help him get one of his first jobs at a little club called Stray Dog (now Grillfish Restaurant) in Miami Beach. And I helped him become familiar with the classic disco songs of the 70's. I'd go to his apartment at least once a week with a pile of records that he'd put on cassettes, listen to repeatedly and, ultimately, would search for in the bins of retro records at Yesterday & Today, a store where most DJ's on the beach bought music.
Thanks for reminding me of that..... it's a special memory I hold dear to my heart.
