DGAF of the year 2009

American Apparel even got in on the act... yup, we partied like it was 1999 and it was the Frenchest Year ever. We didn't even leave LA. How scary is that? The year started with the Suzanarchist going to eat at the French Market at Disneyland, tipsy off Alizé and Hpnotiq she'd smuggled in Gatorade bottles. It was funny seeing Anoraak at the Echoplex the following month... but as the year continued, stuff like the Ooh La La Festival and the Crème de la Crêpe restaurant by my house happened. And did the Suzanarchist ever anticipate getting called "Gaspard", and so often (and "Mr. Oizo" even once)?? And somehow Shimosh speaks perfect French while all I can say is "I'm funny and lazy". Inside jokes misfired, but our retarded predicaments always hit the target. The end is near! The end of the year, that is (but never our stupidity (unfortunately)); we thought it'd be a fun idea to make our own "best of" list. People, events, moments that have topped our 2009 DGAF list!

Most DGAF DJ (Duo):
2ManyDJs
Sorry Justice, Crookers, The Bloody Beetroots, Mixhell, & others—the DGAF DJ Duo of the year is 2ManyDJs. Have you seen these guys live? They really Don't Give A Fuck. It's amazing. Crookers came a close second for providing the most relentless beats of 2009...

Most DGAF DJ (Solo):
IT'S A TIE!

Peanut Butter Wolf
Crams all the hits while leaving absolutely no room for boredom, and rocks eclecticism you won't find anywhere else (besides 2ManyDJs). The undisputed master of '90s hip hop. Nobody mixes nostalgia and entertainment like PB Wolf. Forget YouTube, it's all about getting your vintage video fixes from his VJ sets! He did a short tour of 9 dates with all 90's videos. He was the "first time they allowed hip hop" at Fuck Yeah Fest. He kicked off that set with Bell Biv Devoe's "Poison." ANYBODY who can effortlessly and seamlessly mix Serge Gainsbourg into Michael Jackson into O.D.B. without missing a beat wins the highest DGAF honor. AND for finishing your set with Wu-Tang's "Triumph" at West Coast shows. Could've played some West Coast hip hop or "California Love" but why be predictable when you can be DGAF?

Mr. Oizo
So DGAF that we had to be him and Flat Eric for Halloween. His DJ set at Control at the Avalon may not have had the visual splendor of 2ManyDJs (but hey, nobody else did) but he set the bar for originality and did not rely on clichés, predictable songs, or formulaic dynamics (even if he DID play Pon De Floor). Hell, he guzzles champagne, smokes, and breaks CD's on his head and throws them out to the audience. He doesn't even need a crowd to party. He will do the Chivers handshake with suspecting and unsuspecting fans alike. He directed Steak. Enough said.

Most DGAF event:
Busy P's Cinespace Birthday
What other event happened during FINALS of Senior Year at Otis, had a collection of drunk French guys, Thomas Bangalter (yes, of Daft Punk) DJing without the robot mask, Kavinsky miming a saxophone on a bottle of Vodka and then distributing said Vodka in the bottle cap to random people, a fight between Kavinsky/Mehdi/So-Me vs Cinespace Bouncers, Busy P telling us to get out, and Kavinsky drunkenly stumbling across Hollywood Blvd. while stopping traffic?

None other, thankyouverymuch.

Most DGAF Pop Performer:
Lady Gaga
So, after seeing Lady Gaga perform at the Nokia Live on Monday, December 21st, 2009, it's super official—Lady Gaga wins at pop, at performance, and at DGAFness in general.

Most DGAF Restaurant:
The Waffle
Fuck Denny's. They're always busy, they have mediocre food, and no vegan menu. The Waffle literally has something for everyone. Even your dog. Now THAT'S DGAF. Where else can you get $12 bottomless Sangrias, Mimosas, Margaritas, and Bloody Marys? Perfect for pre-parties when you know drinks are going to be too expensive where you're going, and perfect for afterparties when you're hungry from dancing all night. Be DGAF while giving a fuck about your food!

Most DGAF Director:
2Michel Gondry
I STILL don't know why he turned down the chance to direct Steak.

Most DGAF friend:
Don
There's too many Don moments this year. Too many stupid Don moments to count. When CMYK go out, we're always certain that "something stupid's gonna happen." When CMYK + Don go out, it's guaranteed that the stupidity is increased tenfold (that's an understatement, but i just want to use the word "tenfold"). Every time we go to a club event, there's always someone on ecstasy the he finds and messed with. If there's anyone who knows how to fuck with rolling e-tards in the funniest way, it's Don. Ex: at Control to see Etienne de Crecy: "DON PATROL!"
Don is truly a pioneer in Not Giving A Fuck about ANYTHING, and for that, we love him. And hate him a lot.

honorable mention:
amanDon
Amanda Blaze Pillon + Don Okuda = amanDon
a pretty DGAF duo. When amanDon gets together, things just get ultra stupid.

Now there are way many more DGAF and stupid events, but too many to mention here. Video contests, fake Facebook pages, Busy P's blog, drunken encounters in hotel lobbies, random wristband distribution, Thanksgiving Day fasting, the frightening phenomenon that is LMFAO, and of course the many mind-blowing, face-melting events and club nights that the HARD team put on. If you want all the details, read our blog, which only chronicles a fraction of what we get in to and up to.

We have a feeling that 2010 will be an even more DGAF decade. Stay tuned, stay DGAF...

GAGA OOH LA LA...

It's good to live expensive

Seeing the one and only Lady Gaga Live was a very highly anticipated DGAF event of the year. We managed to get score some very inexpensive tickets on eBay a month before the show at the Nokia Theater, and we felt even luckier as we saw tickets to up to hundreds, and even thousands of dollars as the date approached. Neither of us had been to a large-scale pop show before, and we had no idea what we were in for, especially as it was Lady Gaga, who'd proved to be nothing short of a show-stopping spectacle herself. Not only was she a genuine musician and performer, but it there was so much more to her "image" than just her "look". Lady Gaga is an actual multi-talented and multi-dimensional artist who doesn't feel the need to be safe or sterile to win over fans. But she still acknowledges she's a pop singer in an artificial genre: "We're plastic but we still have fun!"


We are the crowd, we're comin' out

We had to dress up of course. When we arrived at a parking lot near the Nokia Theater, we took a next to someone's Hummer with various Lady Gaga motifs drawn on the windows. It was cute. Here's a word to the wise: there is nowhere really fast or inexpensive to eat directly around the Nokia Theatre, and getting the cheapest parking lot possible means you'll only have to walk literally a minute or two from the venue... why pay twice as much because you don't wanna walk for 60 more seconds?

The opening act was Semi-Precious Weapons, who were pretty DGAF. I thought the singer was a fierce tall supermodel woman, and it wasn't until halfway into the set when I realized it was in fact, a fierce man in stilettos!!! Even his voice sounded androgynous, and he rocked everyone in the Nokia Theater like the glamazon that he is. They were raw, energetic, and knew how to put on a show. We're not surprised that Lady Gaga would choose such a DGAF opening act. And awesome that she'd keep it diverse.

We were looking foward to Kid Cudi but to our dismay he never quite materialized. We found out later that the was either kicked off or dropped out of the tour.

But we got over it quickly as we were transported into flashy futuristic darkness... and Lady Gaga emerged out of smoke and a screen of lazers during the glorious "Dance in the Dark", wearing a costume with flashing lights on it. Fucking intense. Wow. It was over the top without trying too hard... but that could be used to describe her entire show.

There were costume changes, avant-garde videos playing during songs, a set that could only be described as abstract... it was theatrical without being cheesy, it was eye-catching without being tacky. Lady Gaga not only invites you to her party, but welcomes you to her world. And yes, she really does sing live! She performed most of the songs from "Fame Monster", which I definitely got more into after seeing them live. "So Happy I Could Die" was a highlight for me. There was a medley of "Money Honey", "Beautiful Dirty Rich", and "The Fame", much to my delight.

Hell, the remix of "Fancy Footwork" by Crookers even played during one of the videos shown during breaks between songs. Could Lady Gaga get any cooler?

She also does understand subtlety, which you would not expect. There were songs like "Alejandro" where she would be the only one on stage, and then of course there's the songs she plays on the piano. She put on an Elton John-like feathery costume and sang a moving rendition "Speechless" and then the magically mind-boggling ragtime acoustic piano version of "Poker Face". Her stage banter seemed unrehearsed and genuine. It may have been rehearsed, but the way Lady Gaga delivered it felt personal.

"Boys Boys Boys" was a total riot, and "Paparazzi" was as mesmerizing and haunting as I've ever heard. You have to see this to believe this, I can't even describe what went on in her performance. Totally captivating. She ended with "Eh Eh [Nothing Else I Can Say]" as she came out of the stage in that giant metal orbit ball, then went into the dance version of the all-conquering "Poker Face", which got the whole theater dancing. The encore, which was the unstoppable "Bad Romance", was the most victorious, anthemic finale that could not be topped.

Believe the hype because Lady Gaga has lived up to it and left a trail DGAF for all of us to follow. It's up to you to catch up and catch her live.

Well, we couldn't finish this story without mentioning something stupid that happened. We thought we were safe until we got back to Shimosh's car and she realized she'd lost her keys.. luckily someone had left them with the attendant.

(I'm going to spare you from a whole bunch of Lady Gaga song title puns right now...)

Armand Van Hell Yes!

12/18/2009 Control @ the Avalon in Hollywood: the one year anniversary crazy super party extravaganza with none other than THE Armand Van Helden. We tried to get in for free, but we didn't make it. We still got in for cheaper than the regular price of $25, but it definitely still would have been worth that. Shit, this is Armand Van Helden we're talking about here... bringing us another party like it's 1999.

James Monroe helped kick it off, and all we can say she is one badass DJ who knows how to get the crowd started. We'd definitely like to catch her again!

Now a sign of a good DJ is when their 2-hour set seemed more like 20 minutes, and they completely wear you out from dancing, only to drop a track that revives your energy for another half hour. A good DJ never lets up for a second, not even near the end when everyone's getting tired. Armand Van Helden accomplished all these with flying colors. He came out with a steady start, then continued to work his nonstop magic.



I was really, really happy when he dropped this track. Armand Van Helden rocked the party hard! Unfortunately, Shimosh couldn't bring in the camera, so there's no ridiculous pictures of our friends, but as always, Suzanarchist was being dumb, and Don was dancing with people who were fucked up on E. It's always fun to watch that.

There was a couple who were dancing together, if you can call it that. They were close to passed out over each other's shoulders, swaying back and forth, eyes closed, hair swinging everywhere. It would have been THAT funny if the couple still hadn't been doing the EXACT same thing literally over half an hour later. We are not exaggerating. If that couple is reading this now, thank you for contributing to an insanely funny night.

I was seriously starting to fade over halfway into the set, but when he played his 1999 classic "You Don't Know Me" I suddenly came back to life. That burst of energy burned me out though, and by the time we were approaching the end, I was feeling totally beat (no pun intended). Suddenly, he hits us with the BEST MIX OF "LET THE BASS KICK" I HAVE EVER HEARD, and I was once again resurrected from the dead. Armand Van Helden is a legend. Without a doubt one of the best DJ sets of the year.

So I guess we can go to Control if we can't have any...

ATN de Crecy?

Justice and just Don

Since Discotheque went on hiatus, we've been getting our Friday night fixes at the Avalon lately. As we await its return, we continue to check out the consistently good guest DJs at Control and get up to our usual adventures in our electro playground. Something stupid always happens, and tonight was no exception. DGAF's very own Don managed to befriend a group of men who were convinced that he had E. He was nicnkamed "Don Patrol", while Shimosh was dubbed "Amy Patrol" when she was mistaken for Don's sister. It's times like these were you actually HOPE certain people ARE on drugs.


Don won't slow your roll

I don't know what was funnier, Mr. Oizo being called Mr. Oye-zo or Etienne De Crecy being called "ATN" the whole night by both Mr. White and people from the crowd. Come on, peeps, that's just one letter off from an Automated Teller Machine.


No control at Control

Etienne was a pretty solid DJ, and he kept the crowd going for over 2 hours (he still wasn't done when we left!). So mad props to him! Don't get me wrong, he's a great DJ, but his dynamics were pretty similar throughout and his drops got sort of predictable. But hey, if the formula works and keeps everyone dancing, there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. I just like to hear more twists and turns and standout tracks in the mix, but that's just me.


A,T, and N... three capital letters

It would be DGAF if ATN was from the ATL.

Steve Aoki's Happy Hipster Birthday Bash

Tuesday, 12/08/2009 — Steve Aoki's birthday bash @ Cinespace!


the lineup

So Steve Aoki had a birthday party, and we decided it would probably be ridiculous, and we were right. It was a ridiculous night of fun times, fun music, and craaaazy kids. Special secret international DJs turned out to be Adam Freeland, along with Richard Vission and LA Riots. Hippest birthday in town. Oddly not as epic as the now infamous Busy P Birthday Bash earlier this year in April, at the same place, however... google that shit and you'll see what we mean.


mark "the cobrasnake" hunter

Of course, Steve's good friend The Cobrasnake was there.


adam freeland










omg!



crazy party

FREAKBOT!!!

Breakbot is an artist on the Ed Banger record label based in Paris, France. He is a crazy man.

flier for Control

No, just kidding. But he did DJ in Hollywood at the Avalon, at Control on Friday, November 27th, 2009 (yeah, yeah, this post is really late. We DGAF).


Dancing in the infinity net

CMYK and Ed Banger—we just can't resist their French charm. The night started off with the opening acts C-Town, Sleazemore, and resident Mr. White.


OHHH BREAKBOT

For some reason, DGAF and friends went really overboard with freaking the entire night. We apologize to Breakbot if we freaked him out in any way, because he's pretty low key. But it was a sign of good times, and let's face it, Breakbot dropped every tune like it was hot. We just wanna thank him for tolerating us and putting on a freak-worthy set. That's quite a feat.


Breakbot surrounded by a bunch of crazy LA kids

Next superstar DJ of Ed Banger? I don't see why not!