D.J. Spotlight: David Gifford
October 22, 2014| By Ron Sparkman
It’s always an interesting story on how people become gentlemen’s club D.J.s. David Gifford, our DJ spotlight this month, was just a guy that like a girl. It was the the early 90’s in Little Rock, Arkansas, and his girlfriend had discovered stripping after doing some lingerie shows in regular bars. His girlfriend hadn’t yet applied for a driver’s license so he became a chauffeur of sorts. They didn’t actually live in Little Rock so he found himself killing a lot of time at the club waiting to take her home every night. After a while, he became very familiar with the staff and was offered a front door/security position. A few months later, the D.J. quit and they asked him to give it a try. Although he had zero experience and no real ambition for the position, the managers were persuasive and talked him into it. “It worked out,” he laughs.
Dave, like many before him, fell into this job and found a passion. He took his position there seriously and started to excel, eventually spending time at three of the top clubs in Little Rock over the next seven years. As he steadily improved his game, his girlfriend at the time attled him with an ultimatum: “I’m moving to Dallas. You can bring your sorry ass with me or stay here. Your choice.” What’s a guy a to do? Like most men in love, Dave left a job he loved and moved to Dallas with zero prospects for work. Within the first week, he lucked into a nice gig at a club called Caligula XXI. He loved this gig, but found himself homeless once again when the club burned to the ground unexpectedly, just months later. Dave was able to spread his wings a bit and took on a gig at Babydolls in Fort Worth. His unique talent presented him with a substantial increase in income, so it started to sink in for him that this was what he wanted to do for a career. Moving to Dallas, where the real clubs were, had changed it all. So when Sammy and Mike Milam from his first club, Caligula, offered him a spot at one of the most original concept clubs in the country, he jumped at the chance. 14 years later, Dave is still working at the The Lodge, a winner of the prestigious Exotic Dancer Club of the Year award, and loves every minute of it.. He’s thankful to his mentor, Bo Ryder for showing him the ropes. And he’s especially thankful to his ex-wife, and still good friend, Christine for being the one to get him to come to Dallas. He knows if it wasn’t for her, or any of the great managers he’s worked with, he wouldn’t be as well established as he is today. Dave’s advice to new D.J.’s is the same as most. Save. Your. Money. Put away 20% for 20 years and you’ll find yourself much better off.
Despite 20+ years in the business, Dave’s had a relatively normal go of it. When asked, he couldn’t recall any stand out crazy moments from his career. Eventually, he admitted that maybe all his great times had been tamed by all the years of enjoying the perks of the job. He’s pretty sure he could try to speculate on where he did NOT enjoy the company of a lady or two at his last club, he decided against it in the end. His only sticky situation was solved with a bit of ‘Mcgyvering’. One unassuming even, he found himself with a dead mic and no back up. He was only able to salvage the night by going on instinct. He plugged his headphones in the mic jack and talked through the cans, problem solved. He recalls that, while it worked surprisingly well, he probably looked like a fighter pilot.
You won’t find better in the Dallas area than David Gifford. With a refreshing laid back style, you’d be hard pressed to find someone more interesting to listen to. He can say a lot in a few words and is known for his originality. The Lodge is known all across the country as one of the great destination spots. And it’s because of top quality talent like David that they’ve achieve such heights. As always, thanks for reading.
