Confessions of a DJ Rich Morris, Ice Cream

Alternative gay night Ice Cream returns to The Cockpit. We get the lowdown

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Can you imagine dreaming about Paul McCartney every night for a month? That’s what Rich Morris once went through and lived to tell the tale - here the Ice Cream resident gives us the details.

What can a newcomer to Leeds expect from a night at Ice Cream?
To hear familiar tunes thrown into new contexts through juxtaposition with more esoteric fare. To have their preconceptions about what ‘pop’ is challenged a little. To find themselves at home in a space where people aren’t judged for looking or behaving ‘differently’. And most importantly, to drink, be merry and dance, dance, dance.

How does the Ice Cream music policy differ from other gay nights?
Well, firstly, Ice Cream isn’t just for gays. It’s for anyone who’s open-minded. We’re not interested in re-enforcing a stereotyped, and lucrative, idea of what ‘gay’ is. Ice Cream isn’t about opportunistically pumping the pink pound and appealing to the lowest common denominator. Unlike most nights on the Leeds gay scene and most ‘gay nights’ in straight clubs, we like to credit gay people with intelligence and diverse music tastes.

What are your favorite tunes that you regularly play at the night?
We never have pre-arranged playlists because we like to keep things a little random, but we do have what we call our big guns - tunes like ‘Fuck the Pain Away’ by Peaches, ‘Heartbeats’ by The Knife and ‘Decepticon’ by Le Tigre. Those tunes really get the party started.

Have you had any strange requests while DJing?
We play quite a broad range of stuff - from Kylie to the Ramones - so the strange requests we get have to be completely from leftfield. The really weird ones are people who honestly seem to believe they’re at a bassline night, despite aural evidence to the contrary, or people who just walk up to the DJ booth and say “what have you got?” like they expect a menu.

What artists/bands are you into right now?
I really love all the fierce female artists who have risen to prominence in the last year - VV Brown, Kid Sister, Ladyhawke, Santigold. Hopefully they signal the death of all the rubbish indie-by-numbers bands of the last few years. I’ve also just discovered a mental Japanese art-rock band called Les Rallizes Denudes - check ‘em out on YouTube.

Tell us a surprising fact about yourself.
I once dreamed about Paul McCartney every night for a month. At first it was really fun, but after a week or so his rubbish anecdotes really got to me. John and Yoko were there too, but they wouldn’t talk to me.

Which five people (past or present) would you invite to your dream dinner party?
Eddie Izzard, Eartha Kitt, Debbie Harry, Alison Bechdel (author of Dykes to Watch Out For) and Nick Frost, so I’d have something to drool over.

Ice Cream in on 9 April and 14 May, then monthly from September at The Cockpit, Swinegate, LS1 4AG, 0113 244 1573, 11pm-2.30am, £3

Posted on Wednesday 1st April 2009
SO'H

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