The Deaf DJ

June 7, 2005 4:05 AM

You've probably heard of Frankie Wilde, the DJ from Ibiza.He shot to fame at a young age, and lived a life of cocaine, models, cocaine, all night raves, more cocaine and music so loud you could feel it in your bones. And then some more cocaine. Admittedly, he had a face only a mother could love, but the music he made is legendary. He hung out with the likes of Pete Tong and was a frequent guest on his BBC Radio One show. But all too fast, the lifestyle caught up to him. He completely lost his hearing, the drugs took control of his life, and he was quickly dropped by his label, Motor City Records. But more than a year later, during one single legendary night in Ibiza, Frankie Wilde, "The Deaf DJ," proved that he could still amaze a crowd, even if he couldn't hear their reaction. And then, the DJ who had gone from the high point of his career to the low point of his career to the new high point of his career again, simply disappeared off the face of the earth. Perhaps you've bought some of his CDs, or read some of the books written about his life, or maybe you've just read his Wikipedia entry and nothing else. But, if you know nothing else about him at all, at the very least, see the movie about his life. It will tell you everything you need to know.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow (35 comments total)

It's directed by the same guy that did Fubar.
posted by furtive at 4:11 AM on June 7, 2005

I wonder if Paul Kaye's going to be funny again.
posted by NinjaPirate at 4:12 AM on June 7, 2005

i enjoy going to the movies with a cool pepsi blue.
posted by pxe2000 at 4:14 AM on June 7, 2005

So, at the very least, I should go and see the movie. Anything else I need to see/eat/drink? There's plenty of ad-space below this comment.
posted by FieldingGoodney at 4:24 AM on June 7, 2005

great post NotMyselfRightNow, but cocaine doesn't deserve the bad rap. MDMA and alcohol are far and away the drugs of choice on ibiza. it ain't called ecstasy island for nothing.

the combination of hyperthermia caused by 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine coupled with dehydration due to excessive drinking and all-night partying in a hot climate is the number one cause of death and destruction on ibiza. it is not a pretty sight.

FieldingGoodney, drink plenty of water.
posted by three blind mice at 4:32 AM on June 7, 2005

shill
posted by johnny novak at 4:45 AM on June 7, 2005

I bet it will be almost as bad as last time.
posted by ciderwoman at 4:47 AM on June 7, 2005

Can someone explain why British "comedy" films are so bad when we have some excellent TV comedy. Surely the jump between TV and film can't be that huge...
posted by johnny novak at 5:00 AM on June 7, 2005

Fuck, he looks like
Noah Wyle.
posted by orthogonality at 5:33 AM on June 7, 2005

Paul Kaye plays a DJ in a recent dance music video. The track is actually quite decent, I think it's called "I Need to Feel Loved" or something similar. Any connection to the film?

(No bad word about Kaye, btw, he's an incredibly versatile actor. If you're unfamiliar with his work, I suggest you see an episode of Dennis the Pennis and one of 2,000 Acres of Sky back to back.)
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 5:40 AM on June 7, 2005

No intent to shill for the movie, johnny novak. I'm just absolutely fascinated by (A) the impressive amount of fake back story they created and spread out across the Internet (webpages are one thing, MP3s are another), and (B) the number of people who don't get that it's fake. I saw the movie in Harvard Square, in a theater next to a CD place. As soon as the movie cleared out, a handful of people went there and asked for CDs of his music.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 5:48 AM on June 7, 2005

Well, it had me going, albeit a little bemused, right up until the Frankie Wilde brand hummus.
posted by jokeefe at 9:36 AM on June 7, 2005

Holy frickarolees, that is a lot of fake backstory. I was just thinking, "Who the hell is Frankie Wilde? Praised by Tiesto and van Dyk? I gotta hear this guy.", until reading through the comments. Well played.
posted by Bugbread at 9:58 AM on June 7, 2005

Can someone explain why British "comedy" films are so bad when we have some excellent TV comedy. Surely the jump between TV and film can't be that huge...

Exactly how I feel too......British comedy films are always so crap, yet the TV comedies are really good. I cannot explain, but only agree.
posted by FieldingGoodney at 9:59 AM on June 7, 2005

I saw this at a press screening, and there wasn't even a hint in the PR materials that Frankie Wilde wasn't a real DJ. Which sorta ticked me off--it's one thing to make a Christopher Guestish mockumentary, where it's pretty clear that it's a joke, but when you open your movie with the words "Based on a True Story," you're just flat out lying.

Anyway. The movie's ok funny and turns surprisingly sweet in the end. It's good for a few laughs. (My review.)
posted by muckster at 10:12 AM on June 7, 2005

the combination of hyperthermia caused by 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine coupled with dehydration due to excessive drinking and all-night partying in a hot climate is the number one cause of death and destruction on ibiza. it is not a pretty sight.

Do you have any data to back your asssertion that MDMA + alcohol + dancing is the number one cause of "death and destruction" on Ibiza? When I visited Ibiza the weather was mild, partying was done at night and there didn't seen to be an epidemic of any type.

I agree that it's a very bad idea to mix MDMA, inadaquate hydration and heavy exertion, but I think you're engaging in hyperbole. Unfortunately, I've had no luck googling up hard facts to prove one way or the other.

I have been trolled?
posted by mosch at 10:59 AM on June 7, 2005

muckster : "when you open your movie with the words 'Based on a True Story,' you're just flat out lying."

Doesn't make it a bad movie. "Fargo" was "based on a true story" as well.

Not saying this movie is good or bad, but the "based on a true story" bit is neither here nor there.
posted by Bugbread at 11:00 AM on June 7, 2005

I used to follow the scene so I was surprised not to have heard of this guy... there was a good reason for that after all.
posted by clevershark at 11:41 AM on June 7, 2005

This movie, as well as fubar, is a great example of a benevolent troll. Much power is placed into it as many many people will watch it and think it's real. Though it's just a movie. If it were something real, and not just a movie, then it would be pretty shameful.
posted by futureproof at 11:42 AM on June 7, 2005

bugbread, I didn't say it was a bad movie. I pointed out the "Based on a True Story" claim because we were discussing the lengths to which the filmmakers went to make Frankie Wilde seem real. I'd forgotten about Fargo, but I'd still say that with the inclusion of fake interviews with real personalities, It's All Gone Pete Tong marks a new high (or low) in confusing fiction, reality, mockumentary, and biopic. I thought that's what this post was ultimately about.

futureproof sums it up very well when he calls the film a "benevolent troll." Although I don't quite understand what the movie gains by creating this confusion--I'm perfectly able to suspend my disbelief without being fooled. The Blair Witch Project attempted a similar thing, but it made more sense because the "true story" aspect was supposed to be the source of the horror and explain the existence of the movie in the first place. With Pete Tong, I think it distracts from the story the film is telling.
posted by muckster at 12:02 PM on June 7, 2005

Can someone explain why British "comedy" films are so bad when we have some excellent TV comedy. Surely the jump between TV and film can't be that huge...

The exception to the rule, of course, is the fucking fantastic Shaun of the Dead.
posted by Marquis at 12:07 PM on June 7, 2005

it is impossible to match beats if you are deaf
posted by a thousand writers drunk at the keyboard at 12:12 PM on June 7, 2005

muckster : "bugbread, I didn't say it was a bad movie...I'd still say that with the inclusion of fake interviews with real personalities, It's All Gone Pete Tong marks a new high (or low) in confusing fiction, reality, mockumentary, and biopic."

Ok, fairly said.
posted by Bugbread at 12:12 PM on June 7, 2005

Can someone explain why British "comedy" films are so bad when we have some excellent TV comedy.

*jaw drops* Will it take a Yank to remind you of Withnail & I?

Seconding Shaun of the Dead for recent wonderful British comedy films, by the way... the bit about throwing the Stone Roses record still makes me laugh.
posted by scody at 12:19 PM on June 7, 2005

> is the fucking fantastic Shaun of the Dead

It was only 'fucking fantastic' by comparison with the rest of the dross. Personally, I thought it was more like a mildly amusing British sitcom,
posted by PeterMcDermott at 12:24 PM on June 7, 2005

shill
posted by crunchland at 12:25 PM on June 7, 2005

MeTa
posted by muckster at 1:16 PM on June 7, 2005

three blind mice : "the combination of hyperthermia caused by 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine coupled with dehydration due to excessive drinking and all-night partying in a hot climate"

MDMA impairs the body's ability to revert if the body's homeostasis is broken, but by itself doesn't shoot up your temperature. During the original MDMA psychiatric sessions 20+ years, rise in core body temp. of 1F (0.55C), were documented.
posted by Gyan at 2:35 PM on June 7, 2005

British comedy films are always so crap, yet the TV comedies are really good. I cannot explain, but only agree..
The TV shows' are shorter.
posted by thomcatspike at 3:48 PM on June 7, 2005

a thousand writers drunk at the keyboard writes "it is impossible to match beats if you are deaf"

Not if the bass is loud enough.
posted by jenovus at 3:56 PM on June 7, 2005

and there's software for that regardless.
posted by imaswinger at 4:23 PM on June 7, 2005

If anything I'm surprised more DJs don't go deaf. Or even club regulars for that matter. I remember going to SoundFactory a few years ago (a couple of months before cops shut down the place -- the offers of E ("pills") were so frequent there it was practically annoying) and my ears had a faint ringing for much of the next day.
posted by clevershark at 4:45 PM on June 7, 2005

Comedy or no, Frankie Wilde was a real dj. He did have a genetic disorder that led to his hearing loss, and his current whereabouts are unknown. I managed to make it to the premiere showing of "It's all gone Pete Tong" in Hollywood, and had an opportunity to speak with the director regarding how he managed to get such big names in the dance community to be a part of the film.

The real gem of the film is in the way the director manages to simulate to the audience what it is like to mix records. They do it by splitting the screen into two shots, and they split the sound across the left and right sides of the theater, so it's like you are wearing the headphones of the dj; very Slick. It gets my reccomendation.
posted by djdrue at 9:54 PM on June 7, 2005

More towards the 24-hour party people lifestyle, is MDMA tablets usually pure MDMA in Ibiza? I was under the imperssion a lot of "Ecstasy" tablets actually contained 2C-B, MDA and a host of other synthetic research chemicals whose effects haven't been explored yet. Not that I'm saying all drugs are intentionally cut, but those research chemicals "spice things up" a bit, no?
posted by geoff. at 8:46 AM on June 8, 2005

Comedy or no, Frankie Wilde was a real dj.

Prove it, please.
posted by the cuban at 5:05 AM on June 9, 2005