David Guetta: F*ck Him, He’s Famous

By Alif Omar Mahfix  •  in Interview
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JUICE spoke to dance’s undisputed champion David Guetta before his set last Friday 12 October at Sepang International Circuit. We could furnish you with more deets on his career, but we’re sure DJ Mag’s no. 1 DJ doesn’t need any more introduction beyond “holy crap, Guetta spun in Malaysia!” Read on as he reveals to us his thoughts on haters and how he came up with the phrase “f*ck me, I’m famous.”

You’ve been spinning for more than 20 years now, does it ever feel like too much work?
Late work! (Laughs) I don’t know, it’s never like that because since I was 17, I’ve been going to bed at 6am, so it’s like my lifestyle, I’m used to it. Actually, I play a little less in the clubs and more for concerts and festivals. To be honest, aside from Ibiza that finishes really late, I finish earlier than I have ever finished in my life now. But I love this lifestyle, I could never work a 9 to 5 job in the office, it would be very difficult for me now.

When artists from formerly underground genres make it big, fans have a tendency to call them sellouts, unfairly or not, what do you think? Is there truth to that?
I never saw music like this. First, this behaviour was never done by people who were making music because no musician in the world would say such a thing, it’s stupid. Music is music and good music is good music, it doesn’t really matter what genre, I make house music because that’s what I do. That’s what I’m best at, I could make any type of music, I would still love it, I listen to different types of music. This isn’t a war between the best music versus the rest of the world, this is about the music and your sincerity in the music you make and how true you are to your fans. If anyone is good and successful in music, how could anyone blame them for that? I support new artists all the time such as Nicky Romero and Afrojack. As much as I work with major label artists, I also work with the underground, to me this doesn’t mean anything.

Studios used to be integral to music production, now you could simply use a laptop. Do you feel that music production has become too easy these days?
I couldn’t have the life I have if there weren’t technology. I’ve learned from that, I’ve never been an old school kind of producer, I don’t even know how to work on a big SSL, I know the principle of course but I’ve never done it. Music making has become way more democratic, anybody can make music now, it doesn’t mean it’s gonna be good but everybody has access to the tools. It’s also amazing for me to make music wherever I go, even on the plane.

When you won world’s no.1 DJ from last year’s DJ Mag poll, many were unhappy with it, how do you deal with haters?
Of course the hate is no more than Armin (Van Buuren) fans being unhappy because they wanted Armin to win, but I guess if this year Armin wins then my fans won’t be happy, but really it doesn’t matter and it’s childish. We’re not talking about changing the world or curing AIDS or Cancer, It’s a little bit ridiculous to be emotional about it, and I think if people have so much energy, they should channel it into making music or creating something interesting instead of spending hours on the internet. I can’t imagine how people could spend hours writing messages, such negative energy, I don’t really care, to be honest. Some people are positive and creative but other people aren’t, but I’m trying not to see those people really.

How’d you get the name “F*ck me, I’m famous”?
(Laughs) When I came up with that idea, I wasn’t famous, which makes it kind of funny in an ironic way. Now it just sounds a bit stranger. At the time, I just covered Ibiza, and in Ibiza it was all American DJs and big UK promoters, and at the time, French electronic was not respected yet as it is now, that was before Daft Punk. I had to come up with a concept that was really strong, so I came up with the t-shirts and gave it to the coolest people on the island, the sexy girls and hot boys, and everybody was like “Wow, this is so cool, what is it?”, then they came to the party, and that’s how it started.

You’re heading to Malaysia this month, what can fans expect?
They can expect the biggest party ever probably, that’s what I do, I come and have a big, big, big, big party! When I have a good time, people have a good time. I think people will get really surprised because they know my old records, but I’m a DJ, and the music I play balances some of my big records with a lot of new music, it’s exciting. It’s gonna be my first time in Malaysia, it’s always very special for me when I play for the first time in any country, I get nervous, I love it!

We’ll be wearing your “F*ck me, I’m famous” tee and see if the line works there. 

Guetta spun at Sepang International Circuit last Friday 12 October. Check out Guetta’s Facebook at www.facebook.com/DavidGuetta.