Interdimensional Draft Barrager
Autumn thoughts, deejaying in the '90s, and a book review.
Of course the Large Hadron Collider is tearing holes in dimensions.
Of course that thing is creating infinite, concurrent, non-linear timelines within which (among a million other weird-ass occurrences) the bad guys seem to keep winning.
This is scientific fact probably.
Time is moving differently. There’s a rip (or multiple rips) in the universe…
RIP Universe.
The movie, Platoon, opened with a quote from a since-compromised mind, but the quote itself still rings true, “Hell is the impossibility of reason.”
Welcome to Hell.
Since around 2016, nothing at all makes sense.
Someday we’re gonna hear something about these times. Maybe they’ll release all the details about how everything got rigged to work against the righteous and sane.
I see it every day.
The supposedly woke are secretly indifferent, or worse.
The loudly philanthropic are secretly Robert Greenian, and mean.
(I’m taking about rich people, not my good-hearted, broke-ass friends. They of course could never.)
We haven’t even gotten to the gangbangs of greed surrounding modern politics or ongoing natural and man-made disasters.
The algorithm seems to prefer when the wheels of commerce stay spinning.
Perhaps I’ll get in on the action.
I recently purchased DJ Mark Ronson’s new memoir, Night People: How To Be A DJ In ‘90s New York City.
Having written extensively about my own, decidedly less glamorous experiences as a DJ in 1990s New York City nightclubs, I was eager to read Ronson’s perspective on this subject.
Throughout the book’s 250 pages, the Grammy Award-winning record producer (and spawn / sibling of certified “night people” royalty) recalls surreal moments from his unique upbringing, as well as the exhausting struggles of a gig-hustling, heavy-ass-record-crate-lifting, party-rocking workaday DJ on the New York City nightlife scene.
He also tells stories of sleepovers at The Dakota and his friend’s mom, Yoko.
While certainly stirring questions of access, privilege, race, and a wavy modern day class system, Night People encapsulates the essence of the music, parties, clubs and disc jockeys who played major parts in fueling New York City nightlife (and therefore international pop culture) throughout the ‘90s.
Ronson’s writings also reveal old, standing traditions by which the OGs provide an unspoken mentorship to up-and-comers, passing down knowledge, connections, gigs, and most importantly, music and songs.
With Night People, Ronson prominently honors a revered “Senior Class” of important, influential downtown club DJs including Belinda Becker, Kid Capri, Clark Kent, Jules Gayton, Ben Velez, Stretch Armstrong, Frankie Inglese, Mighty Mi, and Max Glazer.
Several years older than me, these DJs (along with Mark Ronson), through their sets, provided endless inspiration and guidance to myself and many others navigating the extensive funk and fuckery of the disc jockey vocation / profession.
These are the deejays I went to hear on my nights off.
In his book, Ronson tells tales that cut close to home, further confirming the existence of certain Downtown “rites of passage”. I was astonished by the stories he told in which I had the same exact experience.
I too begrudgingly trekked uptown to play my records for Marcus Linial at Reminisce.
I too had my deejay name critiqued and adjusted by “Big Frank” Walston
I too faced the wall for months while deejaying at 2i’s.
Unlike Ronson, I did NOT launch projectiles onto Central Park West with an iconic Motown recording artist.
Night People (Mark the) sparks endless conversation, head-nodding nostalgia, and thought-provoking argument, a must-own for anybody interested in the art and science of moving the crowd and rocking the party.
Speaking of partying…
On October 24, 2025 I celebrated 33 years without a drop of alcohol.
That being said, in 2017 I became “California Sober” right here in Nevada when I started using cannabis to alleviate anxiety.
Also proud to say that I currently have 7 years, 6 months, and 25 days without a cigarette or nicotine.
I have 0 (zero) days without doing graffiti.
There was something else I was gonna write about weed, right here, but I totally forgot.
Something about relaxation or drugs.
Relaxation related… I don’t really know what a “Limbic System” is, but apparently I have one and this playlist helps it to relax and chill. Press play, crank it up, and make your home sound like a massage parlor waiting room.
My intention with Paradise Buffet / Substack was always to unload drafts that I normally would’ve tweeted before that app ruined everybody’s minds and destroyed civilization.
By the way, I need to say real quick that the late, great photographer Ricky Powell invented a good kind of “tweeting” long, long ago, on the pages of several print magazines. He’d rattle off funny non-sequiturs, record recommendations, and random observations and musings. I forget what his columns were called and I don’t feel like getting out of my chair to go check (see aforementioned cannabis usage), but he totally did.
Moving forward…
Something else I’ve been wanting to mention for a while now is that my homegirl’s mom went on a swinger’s cruise called “Nauti by Nature”
Also nautically themed… My homie from Storage Based modeled-for and put me on to this dope sweatshirt by TTK. Shout out the whole Utica Ave, especially when they used to be outside cooking late.
In local Las Vegas news…
Las Vegas hospitality workers hate Formula 1.
And
Just like old times, mob spots are getting firebombed again.
In other gastronomic news…
Thanksgiving season got me thinking about pies and how rhubarb is fine I guess but I could totally do without it.
The other night I ordered the Thanksgiving Dinner special from Norm’s and I was disappointed. I usually like Norm’s but their turkey dinner was kind of expensive, had super bland stuffing, and small portions. Thanks for nothing, Norm’s.
My girl Krystal reminded me that Norm’s is trash because they’re suing this guy Norman Chan who has owned a small, mom-and-pop diner in Las Vegas for years before the large chain from California ever opened it’s first Nevada location.
Luckily… There’s a new taco I like at Del Taco that’s mad good and mad cheap. You can read about the Del Dorado taco here.
Oh, I just remembered what I was gonna say about weed, earlier. I wanted to mention that a few months ago I started smoking bowls instead of joints and now my weed lasts like two or three times longer. Look at what I bought on Amazon…
Get yours here
Some bad / sad news…
Musical icon Jimmy Cliff passed away earlier this week.
Rest in peace to the absolute Legend.
That’s it for this week’s buffet.
Let’s end this on a happy note and say Congratulations to 2025 World series Champions… Go Dodgers.
