ON THE WRECKORD WITH CRAZY LARRY PART 3

"Rule number 1...learn how to say no. It’s the hardest, but most important rule in the game."

Crazy Larry talks overcoming obstacles, bumps in the road along the way and his future as a DJ in the final installment of our "On the Wreckord" series.

THE WRECKORD: Producing events from house or hip-hop, to mixing as a DJ, to producing tracks, to creating the label we know as Time to get iLL, or the party known as The Lean, which has been most fun for you? What do you feel yourself sticking with long term?

CRAZY LARRY: Well, the only thing I really regret, and I’m not afraid to admit was the label. I was basically trying to keep pace with those around me trying to have a label, sign tracks and put out vinyl. I found out really quickly that trying to put out vinyl is very expensive and not really lucrative at all in the U.S. I didn’t have the heat that I needed to to sell records, so that didn’t last long. My passion has always been DJing, from going to raves as a teenager to today. However, there are a million DJ’s all competing for the same slots, mostly doing the same thing so I knew I had to do something different to have an edge. I'm not the typical good looking, fancy, flashy DJ or person, but I am really good at getting people together and having a lot of fun. I know everyone in the business and I have a passion for entertaining, whether its cooking or music related, or both now! Being able to combine my love for BBQ and my love for music has been amazing. Doing some Lean parties on Output roof with my smoked meats or catering other events for Let’s Pretend and others has been something that no one is really doing right now. I don’t really make a lot of money doing it, but I make people happy (and full) while getting to do something special. You cant beat that!

I have always tried to take that approach with producing events. Make it special, make it memorable. As for long term, I hope to be DJing for a while still and I hope to be doing some more intimate events. I think things have gotten too big and a little out of control here now, so it’s time to go back to our roots and do the friends only fun stuff again. Let’s see what the next few years bring us!

THE WRECKORD: Have there been any significant bumps in the road that you were able to overcome? Any that made you take a different road?

CRAZY LARRY: Yeah, there were a few! Don’t wanna sling any mud here, but I definitely put my trust in a few people that I was partnered with that I shouldn’t have. I come from a smaller market where things aren’t so competitive like they are here. We all kind of worked together to make the scene better there. Here, I can with that same sense of community and quickly learned pretty much everyone is out for themselves. That was a hard lesson. People stealing booking contacts, stealing gigs, stealing business concepts that I developed, all kids of stuff! I had to learn quick who not to deal with, how much to give people, and rule number 1...learn how to say no. It’s the hardest, but most important rule in the game.

This “Techno Scene” is a lifestyle and kind of an addiction. I’ve tried to walk away a few times, but the music and the true friends keep sucking me back in. Once you have a taste of the good life you don’t want to let it go. As long as you can be responsible and handle yourself I see no reason to walk away just yet. I am having fun again, I have some of the best friends anyone can ask for and I live in the greatest city in the world, hard to ask for much more than that.

Put that #OnTheWreckord

Thank YOU Crazy Larry!

#DJ #music #newyorkcity #NYC #house