special citation from the judges.
The early rounds held in the afternoon from Monday to Thursday
were quick affairs. There was little flash or hype, just hundreds
of professionals doing their job. Judging was based on speed,
mix, and technique with discretionary points available to the
judges for rhythm and timing. Most of the amateur DJs were eliminated
at this stage the longest survivor being Miriam Bell, a librarian,
from Surrey, England, who was not eliminated until the first evening
stage.
By 8pm on Friday the Convention Center was packed as those
with final competition-only tickets began arriving.
The main events were the team and individual contests. The
variety of techniques and tools were amazing. The team events
were generally faster but less engrossing. In the finals the Koreans
were incredibly quick individualists but the Italians -- with
the help of their corporate sponsors, Fiat -- had evolved a production
line technique that had knocked everyone else out with pure speed.
Both teams had the latest in technology: automatic tape dispensers,
carbon-fiber rulers, and individual tables -- or in the Italian
case, stools at their long team table -- precisely suited to their
height and technique. While the Koreans all worked at separate
desks, the Italians worked at one long table skimming books and
dustjackets along in front of them in an almost balletic performance.
Neither team had the any outstanding single performers, although
Simon Park, the Korean captain made it through to the semi-finals
of the individual competition.
The winners were, unsurprisingly, the Italians, who have taken
the team event for the past three years. The Koreans made the
strongest showing of anyone against them yet, giving hope to those
bored by the rather mechanistic Italian techniques.
The crowds around the second dais were loud and patriotic.
After the Chilean performer Alex A. complained about Brazilian
fans singing during his quarterfinal round against the reigning
champion Renaldo 'Deluxe' De Quin -- an announcement was made
asking fans to give the performers more time and space. The crowd,
noisy and happy in the darkening convention center reacted as
expected and the noise level predictably went up.
A dark horse from Ireland, Patrick Mulgahy, rode a wave of
Boston Irish excitement to the semi finals where he knocked out
Park and qualified for the final. Park was unemotional as his
manager gathered his equipment to join his team for the final
on the other dais but Mulgahy was wild. He was lifted by the crowd
and danced through the hall to the sound of the Pogues' "Irish
Rover."
Despite the crowd's backing last year's champ Deluxe De Quin
was knocked out in the semis by hometown hero Cassandra Silvia
who took Mulgahy in the finals by 98 to 43, the highest score
ever in any final. Silvia, who says she learned from a master,
was a flurry of efficient motion. In the fifteen minute period
she covered 22 books without mistake -- compared to Mulgahy's
14 complete of 16 covered. Mulgahy later attributed his score
to the celebratory two or three pints of Murphy's he had between
the semi-final and the final. Silvia showed off her competency
of the multitude of skills necessary as she covered children's
picture books, regular size novels and even an oversize French
dictionary without flaw.
During the finals the hall had been cleared of all other demonstration
stands and stalls and after the final the DJ (music, this time)
Dave Fox got the crowd dancing. Most of the contestants stayed
around although some spilled over into a winner's party at Avenue
Victor Hugo Bookshop.
Next year's competition will be held from December 3-8, 2001
at the Hynes Convention Center. Applications and Information can
be got from World DJ Championship 2001, 339 Newbury Street, Boston,
MA 02115, USA.
*On Tuesday I volunteered as a translator and
spent the day with DJ Ikeda from Kinki University, Japan and Frances
'Mac the Knife' McCourt from Edinburgh, Scotland's Napier University
School of Applied Technology.
- Apocryphal.
- AVH sells dustjacketing paper, either in large rolls or small
packets of a couple of individual wrappers.
Sidebar What Is DJing?
DJing, or 'dustjacketing,' is the addictive pastime of covering
the pictorial dustwrapper of hardcover books in a protective jacket
such as those made by Demco, Inc. The dustwrapper is taken off
the book, slipped into the dustjacket protective wrapper made
from paper and an inert plastic.
While some people object to the pastime, there is no downside.
A dj'd book will survive bumps and stains much better than a non-dj'd
book. The minute you see one of your favorite books surviving
a fall or a spill you will probably be converted to the practice.
