Pauly D is coming to Atlantic City. And he will be here a lot. The reality TV star from MTV's "Jersey Shore" will show off his musical skills once a month after recently signing a deal for a 2012 DJ residency at The Pool After Dark at Harrah's Resort.
Paul Delvicchio, aka Pauly D, may be known for his fist-pumping, tan and awesome blowout on the reality series, but he was a DJ long before he made girls swoon over him on cable TV.
Aside from "Jersey Shore," which will wrap its fifth season March 15, Pauly D's spinoff show, "The Pauly D Project" will premiere on MTV on March 29, showing more of the musical side of the reality star, who was named Vibe Magazine's No. 8 Best DJ in America in 2010, and one of the "Top 6 DJs Who Rocked 2011" by the same mag.
His first two residency gigs at The Pool will be Saturdays, March 31 and April 28, with more dates to be announced soon. He may also perform there Memorial Day weekend.
In this exclusive interview, the candid and personable Pauly D talks about everything from his blowout to Snooki's pregnancy to his stalker, and, of course, his residency.
Q: So, you will be playing The Pool every month. Is this your first residency of this magnitiude?
A: It's my first one on the East Coast and I'm super excited about it. The best thing about the residency at The Pool is that I will be spinning for all my friends and family who don't have to drive that far to come check me out. It just worked out perfect.
Q: What's cool about spinning at Harrah's?
A: No doubt I love spinning there. It's like a mini-Vegas to me. It's like our Las Vegas, and I love spinning in Las Vegas. And the cool thing about The Pool is that everyone goes there with one thing in mind: to party and have a great time. It's a big, huge party every single time.
Q: The Pool's dome must definitely present some different sound challenges for you.
A: It's different, but I like it. And I just have to adjust. I like spinning in different places because you have to figure it out. But The Pool has a lot of energy, and that's the best things for DJs. It is one of my favorite places to spin in the world. I get the same energy at Harrah's that I get in Vegas. That's why I love it. You just let loose and have a good time and it will end up being a great party.
Q: How will you keep the residency fresh?
A: The best thing about me is I can play the same place every single day of the week and it will always be different. I don't make a predetermined setlist. It's all about how I feel. I put my personality into my music. I feed off the crowd, so it's a different experience every time I spin. I play a little of everything: good, new music, dance music that's hot right now, some hip-hop, some rock.
Q: How about a Jersey shore mix with some Bon Jovi and Springsteen?
A: (Laughs) Absolutely! Exactly!
Q: So fist-pumping is a rare thing in A.C. Do you plan to change that?
A: I have to keep the fist-pumping trend thing going. The open palm fist pump is big right now. So I want to bring that to Harrah's.
Q: Because you achieved success through "Jersey Shore," is respect hard to come by from other DJs.
A: They are all skeptical. When they found out I was a DJ, they said, "He's just another reality-show DJ." But I love to prove skeptics wrong. I was a DJ since I was 16. Fame and popularity got me more gigs and residencies, but when they see me and hear me, they realize I am a kid with talent. I pack the crowds in.
Q: So will we see the more musical Pauly on "The Pauly D Project?"
A: Absolutely. The best thing about it is that you get to see me outside of "Jersey Shore." You go into my house and get to see me all over the world DJing. You see my family and where I come from. It was really cool. I love filming "Jersey Shore," but this was the best thing yet. I got to take my boys on the road with me and show them the world.
Q: So how do you keep grenades away from you when you are DJing?
A: My security team is highly trained on dodging grenades.
Q: OK, we have to know, what keeps your hair perfect all of the time.
A: It's some pretty serious stuff. It's no joke. It's called Spiker. And I think it can withstand anything. I was on my bike doing over 150 mph, and I came off and it was perfect.
Q: You always come across as the nice guy of "Jersey Shore." How do you stay away from the drama?
A: For me, it's not my personality. I am not about the drama. I am about always having a good time and a good laugh. That said, I enjoy being in the house with the drama. I am a fan of it.
Q: So you have another stalker this season on "Jersey Shore." Is that resolved yet?
A: No. That's not resolved. I feel like she will be at Harrah's. She comes everywhere I Dj on the East Coast no matter what, even talk shows. It's weird and creepy. There's fans and then there's her. She looks at me with that creepy look and you don't know what she wants and she has this garbage bag that she carries around and you don't know what's in it. My boys know to keep an eye on her. They did some research on her and found she is a professional stalker. She does this to others, too.
Q: Where does "Jersey Shore" go from here?
A: You never know. It seems like we always don't know until the last minute. But I love to do it, so hopefully we'll do it again.
Q: So what about Snooki being pregnant?
A: Yeah, I don't know, man. I heard the same thing, but I haven't talked to her. It's crazy. If it's true, congrats to her and I am happy for her. If not, it's a stupid rumor.
Q: What is the biggest misconception of you?
A: I guess that I am a cocky guy. I think people think of that with my looks and my hair and my tan, but I am not cocky.
Q: Does all of this celebrity stuff still blow your mind?
A: It blows me away. I still can't believe it. They just started airing the trailer for my new show and the commercials have been on constantly, and I can't believe that's my name on the screen. And I can't believe other celebrities know me. The first time I was star struck was when I was in Vegas to see Rev Run from Run-DMC and he gave me a shout-out and brought me into the DJ booth with him. That was awesome.
