In 2005, I was fired live on stage by Billy Idol in front of thousands of people, but this experience turned me into a bullet proof performer. At the time, I was on-air personality for a retro radio station in Kansas City, and I DJed in bars and clubs around the area. Billy Idol's opening act got sick and the called the radio station looking for someone to fill in. Since I was the live DJ in the group, I got the opportunity to play music on stage for an hour before he came out to do his concert.

I met with Billy and his manager, and they made me a very poor offer of compensation that I accepted for the resume building opportunity. They said play mostly rock music, no Billy Idol songs, and whatever we play on the retro station was fine. At the time, I didn't know we were playing a game of two truths and a lie...

I set up my equipment before they opened the doors, did a quick sound check, and I was on... I started playing retro rock songs like Jessie's Girl and Jenny (867-5309). Billy Idol's audience in 2005 was largely middle-aged soccer moms, so I thought I was crushing it until his manager came out and told me to play "rock music, like the Rolling Stones!" That's when panic set in.

In 2005, there was no Wi-Fi or any way for me to get more or different songs. The only thing I had to play were the 100 or so CDs that I brought with me. And incase you didn't know, in the bars, there are only a few classic rock songs people dance to... So I played You Shook Me All Night Long and Pour Some Sugar On Me as I frantically looked for something else that would fit. I think I found one Rolling Stones song, and I was now about 20 minutes into my hour.

I figured I had built some good will with three rock songs in a row, and I needed to stretch my time and engage the audience so I went for a bit of risk. I played Get Down Tonight by KC & The Sunshine Band, so I could make a joke about doing a little dance and getting down being OK, but please save the making love for the end of the night.

That's when the lights came down, my music faded out, and house music came on instead. I looked over to the side of the stage, and the manager made the throat-cut gesture and said, "You're done."

I didn't collect $200 or pass Go, I just collected my equipment and slinked out the backdoor. I met my radio station friends who were broadcasting the front to tell them that I was done.

It was probably one of the most embarrassing moments in my life, but I love telling the story because that is the moment I became invincible as a performer. My stage fright is almost completely gone. Nothing can happen on a podcast or corporate speaking gig that is going to be worse than that! I have since performed on thousands of other stages, and any time I find myself starting to worry I just think, "What's the worst that can happen?"

I later opened for Frankie Valley in front of over 10,000 people and had a great time, and I have been pepper sprayed by police on stage, sexual assaulted, heckled, and had numerous equipment failures, but each time I handle it the best I can and keep going. You don't get to be good without being bad first, and you don't get incredible experiences without the risk, either.

In 2005, I was fired live on stage by Billy Idol in front of thousands of people, but this experience turned me into a bullet proof performer. At the time, I was on-air personality for a retro radio station in Kansas City, and I DJed in bars and clubs around the area. Billy Idol's opening act got sick and the called the radio station looking for someone to fill in. Since I was the live DJ in the group, I got the opportunity to play music on stage for an hour before he came out to do his concert.

I met with Billy and his manager, and they made me a very poor offer of compensation that I accepted for the resume building opportunity. They said play mostly rock music, no Billy Idol songs, and whatever we play on the retro station was fine. At the time, I didn't know we were playing a game of two truths and a lie...

I set up my equipment before they opened the doors, did a quick sound check, and I was on... I started playing retro rock songs like Jessie's Girl and Jenny (867-5309). Billy Idol's audience in 2005 was largely middle-aged soccer moms, so I thought I was crushing it until his manager came out and told me to play "rock music, like the Rolling Stones!" That's when panic set in.

In 2005, there was no Wi-Fi or any way for me to get more or different songs. The only thing I had to play were the 100 or so CDs that I brought with me. And incase you didn't know, in the bars, there are only a few classic rock songs people dance to... So I played You Shook Me All Night Long and Pour Some Sugar On Me as I frantically looked for something else that would fit. I think I found one Rolling Stones song, and I was now about 20 minutes into my hour.

I figured I had built some good will with three rock songs in a row, and I needed to stretch my time and engage the audience so I went for a bit of risk. I played Get Down Tonight by KC & The Sunshine Band, so I could make a joke about doing a little dance and getting down being OK, but please save the making love for the end of the night.

That's when the lights came down, my music faded out, and house music came on instead. I looked over to the side of the stage, and the manager made the throat-cut gesture and said, "You're done."

I didn't collect $200 or pass Go, I just collected my equipment and slinked out the backdoor. I met my radio station friends who were broadcasting the front to tell them that I was done.

It was probably one of the most embarrassing moments in my life, but I love telling the story because that is the moment I became invincible as a performer. My stage fright is almost completely gone. Nothing can happen on a podcast or corporate speaking gig that is going to be worse than that! I have since performed on thousands of other stages, and any time I find myself starting to worry I just think, "What's the worst that can happen?"

I later opened for Frankie Valley in front of over 10,000 people and had a great time, and I have been pepper sprayed by police on stage, sexual assaulted, heckled, and had numerous equipment failures, but each time I handle it the best I can and keep going. You don't get to be good without being bad first, and you don't get incredible experiences without the risk, either.