Pauly D spinning music, picking up groupies at Vegas clubs
Pauly D is surrounded by women when he DJs at Vanity nightclub. But the “Jersey Shore” housemate — who stars in MTV’s “The Pauly D Project” starting March 29 — is used to the groupie lifestyle.
He picked up girls at his very first DJ gig at a sweet 16 party when he was 16.
“It was at a firehouse in Johnston, R.I.,” Pauly says. “It was the most important gig of my life, I think, because I killed it. I was just DJing in my bedroom before that, every single night.”
He arrived at the firehouse prepared to conquer the sweet 16 demographic. He carried in speakers, crates of pop vinyl and a gray Technics SL-1200 turntable.
The job led to other sweet 16 parties, building his reputation, which eventually led to nightclub jobs and ultimately to “Jersey Shore.”
So that first sweet 16 party put him on a career path and on the female warpath.
“I was killing it with the girls, and I had no girlfriend, so,” he says, “the girl that actually booked me for the party, I ended up hooking up with her.”
Thus, a DJ was born.
Women in clubs do love DJs. The reason is pretty obvious, he says.
“They like the sense of control. When you’re a DJ, you control the crowd. You’re playing the music. You’re providing the entertainment. That’s why.”
For the past few years in Vegas, Pauly has DJ’d at the Palms, and now at the Hard Rock Hotel, where he is a 2012 resident at Vanity nightclub and Rehab dayclub.
Last year, he opened for Spears on tour. In 2010, he was voted the eighth best American DJ in a DJ Times magazine poll.
His DJ Times ranking rankled some purists, who derided him as a reality TV guy cashing in on club culture, even though Pauly D, 31, was spinning music long before “Jersey Shore” came along.
“They were like, ‘Oh, he’s just DJing because of the show.’ So all the other DJs would hate on that — until they came to see me spin. And they were like, ‘Oh, this kid’s legit.’
“I love to point out the skeptics and make them believe.”
His DJ productions are high-energy music at pool parties, with some deeper house at Vanity.
He’s a people pleaser. He plays requests, dance hits, dubstep, some hip-hop and rock. And he doesn’t arrive with a set list.
“I’ve never made a set (list) in my whole life, because I feel like I don’t want to be dialed in exactly to what I have to play,” he says.
“I’m playing for the crowd. I want them to remember the experience. I just have to feed off their energy. I can tell what they’re digging and what they’re not.”
He’s more approachable than most star DJs. He talks to fans, male and female, and asks them where they’re from and what they’re up to. He’s charming, quick with a smile, seemingly the happiest guy in a room.
In the studio, Pauly D just produced a remix of Chris Brown’s “Turn Up the Music” for 50 Cent’s G-Note label. He wants to put out an album this year with collaborations of DJ-producers and singers (he’s hoping for Spears and Rihanna).
He vows that MTV’s “Pauly D Project” is good stuff, featuring the Vegas Strip and Vegas strippers. I asked him how many girls he hooked up with during filming, which is completed.
“Oof. I don’t know exactly how many, but there was a lot for sure. I’m a single guy.”
Women line up for him at clubs.
“Yeah, I mean, you’re gonna get the groupies that try to make their way after the club. Because after the club, they want to go to the after party. So the boldest ones will get there.”
Some free advice: Maybe he should add a doctor to his entourage.
“For real — somebody to check their IDs and test for STDs,” he says.
He would like to have kids someday. But getting into a relationship would be too hard to juggle into his busy schedule. And due to fame, he’s not sure what women really want from him.
“You gotta question their intentions and motives. And I’m in a different nightclub every single night. I don’t have time.”
So he’s just enjoying his plate at Vanity. And he can’t wait to go to Rehab.
“I’m really looking forward to it — girls everywhere.”
Doug Elfman’s column appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Email him at delfman@reviewjournal.com. He blogs at reviewjournal.com/elfman.
