Starting in about 1998, the promotion crew I was involved in, Rotation (Iowa City) brought Terrence Parker to play shows in Iowa City. We brought him in at least 5 times. Since then, other Iowa City promoters brought him 4 or 5 more times. The last time he played here was IIRC 2012.
Throughout that period, TP was the gold standard of 'name' DJs coming through -- he always showed up, he always drew enough of a crowd to more than pay his guarantee and expenses. Furthermore, he was a sincere, lovable guy, who would stand around for an hour in the rain after everyone got booted out of the club to talk to fans. He's always been a friend to me personally. To the extent that I am a judge of character, I've always thought he was honest, sincere, and 100% on the level. Throughout his career, he's tried a lot of different things to try and make a living and not all of them are successful. He moved to Las Vegas and worked as the music director of an evangelical church; he's tried a lot of different record labels and ways of communicating. To some extent you could say Terrence was almost corny -- the intros to his Mix CDs with the Warner Brothers cartoon samples; calling himself DJ Extraordinaire. But anyone who sees him play know that he's one of the real people, a guy with a great ear for house music, great DJ skills, and the ability to read a crowd and make them feel fantastic. I have no idea what the deal is with his current difficulties. I know that a lot has happened in his personal life -- he has declared bankruptcy, lost his home, gotten divorced. That last has to have wounded him the worst -- he was NOT a player, and loved and respected his wife deeply, and I'm sure still does. I have not contributed to his DJ fund, primarily because after putting two kids through college and one through graduate school, I'm broke as a joke. I also do not think that he will raise the kind of money he's looking for. But I have no doubt he is trying to dig himself out of a deep hole and restore his reputation. Whatever the reasons for his difficulties I believe in Terrence's talent, character, and good will. I have no doubt this whole mess of the last two years in his life have been devastating and deeply humiliating for him. I'm not sure the IndieGoGo thing will work but I know why TP is trying it: He really believes in the goodness of people, and is hoping his fans can get him back into a better position so he can do what he's best at. When someone is down, they find out who their friends are. The music business is harsh, and real friends are rare. If you are a friend to TP, it's important for you to let him know that, even if you can't help him out financially. On Wed, Apr 30, 2014 at 8:18 AM, Jurado Daniel <daniel_jur...@hotmail.com>wrote: > They are just talking about what is going on; the fund raising campaign he > initiated and the one from the promoter, thats it. Not siding with any > story. > > > From: mar...@dustscience.com > > Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2014 13:43:50 +0100 > > To: 313@hyperreal.org; barringtonphelo...@gmail.com > > > Subject: Re: (313) Terrence Parker > > > > Hey Rob, > > > > Are CS reading your mail? Bit unusual for some from Spain to say Cheeky… > > http://www.clubbingspain.com/noticias/2014/contra-terrence-parker.html > > > > >
