Part 06 | Lucky Fucking Eddie Amador
With the events doing better than ever and constantly expanding, Blaz recounts the lessons he has learned in dealing with people and the importance of that in the event world.
Blaz:
Charlie Chaplin said it best “Success in entertainment is 10% talent and 90% personality.” I wish I knew that back in 1990.
You see, no one is ever in the business they think they are. From designing houses or military machinery, to developing new chemical cleaners or manufacturing the little plastic fasteners on the back of earrings, there is only one business in the world – people. Your product is secondary because if people don’t like you, they won’t deal with you and you won’t sell a thing. It took my arrogant pocho ass a long time to figure that out, and with dire results. Not so for some people, they just get it.
Eddie Amador, or as I used to call him “Lucky Fucking Eddie” always got the best gigs, the hottest women and seemed to have things happen just the way he wanted without trying. I busted my ass every day! How the hell did he do it?
I heard once that the definition of luck is opportunity meeting preparedness. That was Eddie’s kind of luck – always humble, always creating, very persistent and making you feel like the most important person in the world. He was ready for any opportunity in the DJ world and also created his own. What can I say? People didn’t just like his music, they liked him.
When Eddie came on the scene, my events were already well known, and Eddie really wanted to DJ at them, but no one knew who he was. So here’s what he did…
I used to go to Madness (more about Madness a bit later) Hair Salon to get my hair cut. Eddie was dating a girl who worked there. She introduced us and after a while, Eddie magically appeared every time I was there and we’d talk shop or just shoot the shit while getting haircuts. I didn’t know it then, but Eddie would come in and check the appointment book to see when I would be there getting a haircut, then schedule his at the same time. He’d saunter in, point at me and say “No way! What are you doing here?” After a few conversations I gave him my number and he’d call me two or three times a week, just to talk. One day he asked me what records to get and I told him that anything on DJ International was bound to be good. The next day he called a record store in Chicago and ordered their top five DJ International records. He works fast…
Eventually Eddie started to show up at my events. He’d pay the cover and say hi to me and would only stay for about ten to fifteen minutes. After that, he’d leave, saying it was a little too crazy for him. I later found out that he would go home and use his own records and create mixes inspired by what he heard from his short visits at my events. He practiced like a demon! He even made a metal box for his DJ international records he loved them so much.
But his persistence didn’t stop there. Soon he would stop by without asking when I was setting up the events and offer to help hang art, the lights or check sound, basically do anything I needed. He did anything and everything, even bringing tacos and Gatorade.
Chris Flores eventually left to start his residency at the Newport Yacht Club near LA. I was now doing the events all by myself. “G” was first event after Chris left, I was DJ’ing, getting Sandra Collins and Kelly off the speakers, fixing the lights, helping with the door and getting people out from behind the bar. Not to mention that all my friends from Madness (and about 30 of their friends) were coming and we were already at capacity. I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off – it was going to be a hellish night.
Then along comes Eddie. This guy pays to get in walks right up to me and says “What can I do?” I asked him if he had his five international DJ records with him. He said “Yes they’re in my car” I told him to go get them. He ran but he forgot to get a stamp and paid yet again to get in! I showed him my records, told him where to start and work his way backwards into the crate and playing the song with the star. He spun like a madman and saved me from going nuts. That night started his career as an internationally known House Music Producer/remixer and world-class DJ.
Lucky Fucking Eddie? Luck I think not – Humility, Persistence, Likeable and Talent that’s what makes Eddie Amador who he is.