As one of the most sought-after DJ maestros of celebrity parties and exclusive night clubs in Los Angeles, New York, Las Vegas and Miami, Adam Goldstein -- otherwise known as DJ AM -- knows how to keep bodies on the dance floor with his eclectic techno mixes and hip hop beats. But long before he set up court behind two turntables, he was dreaming of life as an intergalactic bounty hunter.
"After seeing The Empire Strikes Back as a kid, I always dressed like Boba Fett for Halloween," Goldstein says. "Boba Fett was the silent cool guy. I love that and always wanted to be him."
Goldstein's introduction to Star Wars occurred like many fans -- sitting in the theater seeing A New Hope the year it opened. "Episode IV made me a fan at four years old in 1977," Goldstein says. "In fact, I remember I was home sick one day and my mom brought me home a Star Wars calendar," Goldstein says. "My birthday is in March so I went right to that month to see what my picture was and it was a shot from the trash compactor scene. That was my favorite scene in Episode IV so I was thrilled."
Though Goldstein was happy to daydream about bounty hunters and trash compactors, it was the dangerous and deadly Great Pit of Carkoon that made it to the top of his favorite scenes list. "Return of the Jedi is still my favorite film with the best scene being the Sarlacc pit," Goldstein says. "I used to try to use the Jedi mind trick on my teachers. But it never worked."
Goldstein found himself as a kid obsessed with collecting Star Wars action figures including a particularly loyal astromech droid. "I had 90% of the action figures including five R2-D2s!" However, now that he's an adult and his collection of toys seems to have disappeared over the years, he regrets not keeping a tighter grip on a few of the Mon Calamari. "Sadly I don't continue to collect figures," Goldstein says. "However, I had a few Admiral Ackbar figures that came out right after Empire and that had REVENGE of the Jedi on them. I have no clue what happened to them but I so wish I kept them!"
Considering Goldstein's jet-setting career as the celebrity DJ AM, he doesn't have much time to collect Star Wars memorabilia these days. Spinning at hot clubs like Avalon, El Centro, Las Palmas and Concorde & Joseph's, Goldstein's A-list fans include Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie and Ashton Kutcher. Celebrities Tom Cruise, Tobey Maguire, Brittany Murphy, Penelope Cruz, Kate Hudson, Demi Moore, and Heather Graham all requested DJ AM to spin at their birthday parties. His mixes have appeared on albums for Madonna, Will Smith, Babyface, Powerman 5000, Bubba Sparxx, Nikki Costa and Papa Roach.
With his ears trained as a DJ to appreciate all kinds of music, Goldstein admits he has an obvious soft spot for music composer John Williams, and sometimes pays tribute to his Star Wars scores with his own dance mixes. "The music is as important as the dialogue," Goldstein explains. "John is the Kobe Bryant of scoring film. Just look at his resume! He made more themes people know than anyone else. I would love to shake his hand some day. His work has influenced me to have a few different Star Wars mixes."
When Revenge of the Sith hit theaters in May 2005, Goldstein was eager to hear Williams' new music and see the ultimate battle between Jedi and Sith unfold on the big screen. "I went to Mann's Chinese Theater in Hollywood and saw the 3:30 a.m. show opening morning, as I did with Episodes I and II," Goldstein says. "The duel between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader on Mustafar was truly amazing!"
Now that the films have come full circle, Goldstein has his own theories as to why they have stood the test of time and entertained generations of fans around the world. "The Star Wars saga is the most timeless story of good versus evil ever told in the coolest fashion," Goldstein explains. "The films have style, brains and visually stunning graphics. I am a very proud fan and Star Wars will never go away for me."
To find out more about DJ AM and where he's spinning next visit his official site here.
