Fridae

When DJ cum dance music legend Manny Lehman says that someone is a "human metronome," you know that someone must be an original.

Such is the case with David Knapp, a regular during the heady summers in P'town and the jock tapped to headline the Splash Tea Dance at Nation.V in Phuket, Thailand, with Lehman on the same weekend.

Widely considered the "Original Circuit DJ" and often referred to as "The People's DJ" because of his unique ability to make each crowd feel like it's the most important party he's ever played, Knapp demures that, at every party he plays, he's truly there for the audience as much as they are there for him.

From residences at Limelight, Twilo and Tunnel in New York City, to Le Dome in Paris to right here in New England's P'town, Knapp is a renaissance DJ. He's also something of a true renaissance man.

In the midst of South Beach's rebirth in the early '90s, Knapp was simultaneously cutting his teeth behind the decks while preparing to graduate from the University of Miami Law School; he went on to pass the state bar exam.

He chose music over law, though, and never looked back. Most recently, he and his partner, Scott, adopted a baby girl to provide a sibling for their 2-year-old son (!) Now, this openly gay phenom is, for all intents and purposes, a DJ, lawyer, partner and father.

With new and awesome responsibilities, Knapp now concentrates much of his time on local gigs in his current hometown of Atlanta. It was there that In Newsweekly caught up with Knapp to discuss his trip to Asia, the state of the party and the joys of fatherhood.

In Newsweekly: It seems that you have no choice but to be a bit of a homebody these days, but you're heading out in a few days for what is widely considered one of Asia's best parties. What are your thoughts on playing Nation?

David: I'm excited to finally be a part of what I have heard is a mega event. I don't know if it feels this way to the other DJs, but I feel like I am part of a unique cultural exchange. I first gained knowledge about the Asian Circuit and the Nation party when the promoters asked me for a demo of my work five years ago. After they heard my live set this year at San Francisco Pride, they immediately got on the horn to my manager to book me. I think this is going to open up a lot of doors.

IN: But you've already had a lot of doors open for you. While most DJs are usually recognised by magazines like Circuit Noize or OUT, you've been recognised as a superstar by the old chestnut, GQ. What was it like to get a nod from that magazine in 2000?

David: That experience was very surreal. It happened when I held my NYC Roxy residency. I was completely honored. It was great that the feature lent publicity to the White Party in Miami, something which has been near and dear to my heart since I started working with them in 1992. Though I am not a fashion victim, I also loved wearing the D&G silk '70s disco threads.

IN: How and why did you go from fashionista to DJ globetrotter to daddy?

David: Back in high school when I was closeted, I always said that when I came out, I would have a family and kids and all the blessings that straight couples have. After years of clubbing and living, eating, and breathing music, I finally took a step back and started to realise that there were many things about myself that I neglected. When I got together with my partner Scott, we both expressed the same desires about raising a family through open adoption. From birth we have had Ryan, who is now two and a half, and Kira, who is now a year old. Our lives are filled with so many amazing moments. I will say that it is very hard on us when I have to go out of town. Scott has had several Emmy-winning Desperate Housewife moments, but he does a great job keeping it all together until I get back to town to resume my share of the responsibilities. In terms of being a party boy, I changed all of that before the kids came along, and this one of the prime examples of how I have benefited in my life.

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IN: Going forward, as a dad, how do you see your professional life evolving with the responsibilities of fatherhood?

David: I could definitely enjoy being home more and DJing a bit less. I'd really like to set up regular, lucrative studio work at home. For now, though, I am still dabbling and educating myself.

IN: Tell us about Scott.

David: Most people don't know that we are all legally the Bellknapp family, but I keep my professional name as David Knapp. We changed our names for the kids, so that they wouldn't feel weird having a last name that is different from ours. My partner, Scott Bellknapp, is an echocardiographer who performs studies on hearts for cardiologists. Scott is also a stay-at-home dad who plans to go back to full time when Ryan starts school. He watches the kids every weekend while I am out of town. Like any single mom out there who has two kids on their hands, he deserves a medal.

IN: Would you encourage your kid to be a DJ?

David: It's funny you ask. Just the other day, I gave DJ lessons to two neighbour girls going off to college. It can be a fun job - it helped put me through college and law school. If my son expresses an interest, I would be glad to teach him how to develop his skills. As for his becoming a star DJ or something, that's not something I could control or would particularly encourage, because there are no guarantees in this business. I would, however, want to teach him how to deal with the trappings of his successes in life, though.

IN: Being a dad, have your opinions on the "scene" changed at all? Do you think the circuit is played out?

David: Well, I think there are so many factors coming in to play. The original circuit people are growing older and going out less. I see a lot of the gay youth enjoying hip hop, which means less new people at the house clubs and circuit parties. Also, I think that as the gay community has gained acceptance, people today feel less need for havens such as nightclubs and circuit parties (which are no longer the central meeting places for a large part of the community). As for the problems, I'm sure that most people know that destructive behavior is going on at the parties as well as throughout our community.

My position is, whatever you are bumping up under the DJ booth or elsewhere; you have ultimate personal responsibility for yourself. I have seen meth use ruin the lives of the most brilliant and in-control people, and they all thought, "well, it will never happen to me." I know people who have died and people who have been in prison. Others I know have lost their jobs and homes, and some are constantly in and out of mental institutions because of the permanent damage they have done to their brains. Through this, many are helping destroy the community, and there are those in the current political administration who couldn't be happier. We need to stop handing our heads to the Bush administration on a silver platter.

Reprinted with permission from Innewsweekly.com

Nation.V Weekend and All Access passes are available at Crowne Plaza Karon Beach Phuket from Nov 3. For more info, please visit www.fridae.asia/nation.