Tim Pflueger recently marked 26 years in the VJ booth at Oz New Orleans—quite an accomplishment in an industry where the average bar employee’s tenure is two years or less. I recently had a chance to interview Pflueger about his career, how the gay bar scene has changed, and the devastating effects of the pandemic.
FP: Tell us a little about yourself. How did you end up in New Orleans? TP: I moved here in 1994 from Dallas after the club I was working in closed. A friend told me about an opening at Oz and that they would get in contact with me about coming down for the weekend and auditioning for the job. I had been in New Orleans before a couple times with friends, once during a summer in the ‘70s and a Mardi Gras in the ‘80s.
FP: How long have you been DJ-ing? Anywhere else before Oz? TP: I`ve been a DJ since 1978 at various clubs in Fort Worth, Arlington, and Dallas. As a kid, I loved collecting records and tapes and at one time I had a reel-to-reel recorder. FP: How does the bar scene in Dallas compare to New Orleans? TP: It was a lot different here when I first started. I didn’t know what circuit type music was until I moved here—more high energy and faster beats. The whole scene was different for me, like parties and Southern Decadence, Mardi Gras, etc.
FP: How has the bar scene changed since you started DJ-ing? TP: The music has changed a lot from circuit music to mainstream to hip hop-ish to remakes/covers of older songs to, as it`s called, Electronic Dance Music (EMD). FP: What are some of your favorite memories from DJ-ing? TP: Working with Bianca Del Rio on Monday nights at Oz. We used to have a blast cutting up and doing TV theme songs. Her comedy humor was so much fun. Also, the early morning crowd at Oz is so diverse. I play stuff I like and they like—oldie and retro type music. Persana is fun to work with on show nights. Plus all the entertainers at Oz.
FP: What is your most and least favorite thing about DJ-ing? TP: When the crowd is not sure what kind of music they want to hear and are being picky and hard to read. It’s frustrating. FP: What advice would you give people who want to make requests? TP: Just be nice and don’t be rude. I will try to play it if I have it. And be patient. FP: Oz has been closed since March. What have you been doing during the shutdown? TP: I spend my time playing games online. I have cleaned and rearranged my house, cleaned out stuff to give to Goodwill, online shopping, cooking new recipes.
FP: Anything else you’d like to add? TP: I will be glad to get back to work and get some type of normality back in my life. I wanted a vacation, but this is way too long. I miss all my friends and some of my co-workers and customers.
