This article originally appeared on Business Insider.
A 71-year-old DJ became a viral sensation on TikTok when he was filmed using his CD collection to play at a wedding, but he said he doesn’t understand why people on the app took a liking to him.
“Went to a wedding and they had the cutest old DJ who used his CD collection for all the music,” read a caption on a TikTok video posted on October 10 by a creator named Miranda Dolph.
The clip showcased Brian Phoenix, who lives in Saco, Maine, and who has been DJing at weddings for over 40 years, handling his CDs in the corner of the venue. He told Insider that he always uses his collection of CDs and his laptop to play music at events.
Dolph, 37, told Insider via Instagram DM that she filmed the clip of Phoenix while she was on the dancefloor at a friend’s wedding.
@mirandameganne I dont know if he needs this job or still does it out of passion but he needs to protected at all costs #dj #wedding #weddingtiktok #djs #cute #weddingtok #music #dance #musictok #cd #innocent #weekendvibes #protectthisman #dancefloor #monday #mondaypost #nostalgia #djremix ♬ M83 Outro Versaille Intro – yaten82
“Brian and his CD collection were a topic of discussion at the wedding. It was awesome. I’m old enough to appreciate CDs and you don’t often see someone still DJing weddings with them,” she said.
The video of Phoenix went viral, receiving 6 million views, and Phoenix told Insider he first watched the clip after a friend sent it to him but had no idea why it was so popular.
“It’s like 10 seconds of me standing there, which I don’t understand what the big deal is,” he said, describing his reaction to the post.
“It’s what I’ve done for the last 40 years at weddings. It was another wedding and I did my usual ‘best I can do, give them everything I got,’ wedding,” he said.
@mirandameganne Replying to @Finn’s dog mom ask and you shall recieve ? #dj #wedding #djs #cute #weddingtiktok #weddingtok #music #dance #musictok #innocent #cd #repsonse #weekendvibes #monday #protectthisman #dancefloor #djremix #nostalgia #mondaypost #hereyougo ♬ original sound – Miranda Dolph
In a version of the clip posted by Dolph which uses the original audio, Phoenix played “Levitating” by Dua Lipa ft. Da Baby, which was released in 2020.
Phoenix told Insider that he personally prefers music from the 1950s and 60s, but at weddings he makes an effort to play songs that will appeal to the different age groups, saying he often plays contemporary and hip-hop music for younger people. He said he has often thought people watching him in action look at him and think to themselves, “How does this guy know this music?”
The 71-year-old credited his decades of experience as a DJ at weddings and on the radio, as well as around 18 years of prior experience DJing at a nightclub, for enabling him to become knowledgeable about what music people like.
Though Phoenix told Insider he feels he “didn’t do anything that spectacular” in the clip, commenters appeared to find the video heartwarming, and a number of users suggested they would like to have Phoenix DJ at their own events.
“Please post his business details, tik Tok wants to hire him for our next events!” read one top comment with over 34,000 likes.
Dolph went on to post another clip of Phoenix on TikTok, an excerpt of a video of the 71-year-old talking about his passion for DJing originally posted on YouTube by The Music Man DJ Service, which represents Pheonix. The company’s owner Jason Strycharz told Insider via email that they have already received inquiries about Pheonix’s availability off the back of his viral moment.
Dolph told Insider, “I think seeing someone just being themselves and following their passion, no matter their age, is what people enjoyed so much about the video.”
@mirandameganne Replying to @Cynthia May the video you’ve all been waiting for ☺️ #dj #wedding #djs #cute #weddingtiktok #weddingtok #fy #music #dance #musictok #wholesome #cd #repsonse #weekendvibes #djremix #protectthisman #dancefloor #nostalgia #mondaypost #hereyougo #maine ♬ beauty of pixar – nilsodinson
One commenter under Dolph’s first video about Phoenix said they felt “sad to see our elderly working,” receiving 2,196 likes, but Phoenix told Insider he doesn’t want to retire. He said that he spends 52 hours a week on average DJing, doing radio work from Monday to Friday, and playing weddings at the weekends.
“I want to be out there. I want to be a part of it. I can do it, I’m good at it,” he said.
A number of other comments referred to Phoenix as “elderly” or “old,” but he said he wasn’t insulted by it, rather he felt proud, he said. “I’m still sharp, I’m on my game and I’m 71 years old. That’s quite an accomplishment,” he told Insider.
Read the full article here
