DJ Wood

A playwright in the making, DJ Wood, 29, has plenty to write about. His devastating good looks and his wild past make for some very colorful material. Find out what he's looking for in a leading man!

DJ Wood, you are cute, cute, cute, no doubt about it! You're totally hot. I love that you have two different colored eyes!
Hah! Thank you. Yes, the right one's green and the left one is green on the bottom and brown on the top. It's very rare. Some people have known me for years and never noticed it. And then out of the blue they'll say something about it.
 
I also have a Lauren Hutton gap in my two front teeth.
 
Very sexy. Very Madonna-ish. So your MySpace name is DJ Grand Master Flash. Are you a real DJ?
No. Everyone always asks me that. If I were, I would be called "DJ Squared" because I'm a DJ who DJs! Yes, I know I am a nerd!

Where does the J come in?
I'm named after my father. I'm Danny Jr., but people have always called me DJ. 
 
Well, you're darling, DJ! Where are you working these days?
I'm a server at The Range Steakhouse at Harrah's Metropolis.
 
We love Harrah's Metropolis! They're one of our iList Paducah sponsors. We're co-sponsoring a Little Black Dress party at the Event Center to raise money for the American Cancer Society.
Harrah's is very good about being active in local activities.
 
So you're a graduate of Lone Oak High School.
Yes, I graduated in 1998.

And I hear you went wild after graduation.
Yeah, I have a bit of a crazy past. Growing up, I'd spent so much time being the good kid. I was the younger sibling, and my sister caused so much trouble. I was trying to be the perfect teen.
 
When I turned 19, I did what a lot of kids do: I became completely wild - drinking, drugs, I had no goals. I knew I wanted to write, but I wasn't sure how to do it, and I wasn't all that good at it.
 
So, I have all these crazy stories about things I've done. It's ridiculous.
 
Oh, tell us one!
I'm going to attempt to keep my past a mystery, but I will say that I played CLUE under the influence of marijuana. Here's what happened: The kitchen did it with the knife in the conservatory! And, of course, you had to be there!
 
Oh my! Are you still crazy today?
I'd like to think I'm more stable now. That's what you do when you grow up, you become more stable. In fact, I'm kind of uptight now. So I'm trying to find a happy medium between wild and loose and tightly wound up.
 
You and me both! Hey, congratulations on your new degree!
Thank you! I just got my associate's degree from West Kentucky Community & Technical College in December. It took me three and a half years. I quit partying in early '05 and decided to get my education.

I didn't think I'd stick it out, so it's a real big deal that I did. It's a lot of hard work, and I'm proud of myself for having done it. I encourage everyone to at least get their associate's degree. Preferably right out of high school. It's really difficult to go back when you're older.

What did you focus on?
It's an associate's of arts. I took a lot of literature and writing classes. Whatever had the least amount of math.
;
Hah! That's what I did in school! I also avoided anything that ended in -ology. So what's next for you?
I'm going to Southern Illinois University in Carbondale in January to major in creative writing. It's financially stupid on my part, but I rather do something I love than to have regrets later.
 
Absolutely! Lots of writers out there are making lots of money. What do you want to write?
I'd like to write some plays and screenplays. I watch so much TV, it's ridiculous. I started writing a play last year, and began working on it again a few weeks ago.
 
What's it about?
I don't want to talk about it. It might jinx it.
 
Just a synopsis?
It's a homecoming story. A typical dysfunctional family thing that everyone can relate to. Everyone has a weird relative. So that's what I'm working on. I'm going to get that bad boy finished.
 
Do you also enjoy performing?
I love performing. We had an improv group at school last semester. I loved it. I'm very comfortable on stage. It's a fun outlet and a way of being creative and entertaining. And I really will do anything for a laugh.
 
Right on! I bet you meet celebrities all the time at The Range.
We have a lot of concerts and every time I have no idea who it is. It's always some country singer. And I like country, but it's like last year we had Trace Adkins — I had no clue. The Oak Ridge Boys were here last week — I couldn't tell you what they look like.
 
According to your MySpace, there's one celebrity you'd totally recognize.
Jude Law.

What if he walked in?
Oh my God. I would get fired for not leaving him alone. I don't even know what I'd do. That's my boyfriend right there.
 
He's DARLING!
I love him! He's gorgeous! I'm not an obsessed fan, or anything, but I own a ton of his movies.

The Talented Mr. Ripley?
That's my favorite.
 
Mine, too! DJ, you're gay then.
Yes, totally gay.
 
When did you realize it?
I guess I was young, but back then I didn't know what gay was. I was so naïve — I really didn't know. All these kids who are gay and recognize it when they're really young, it just kills me.

I didn't understand it. I didn't come out until I was 18. And even when I was 16, I thought it was going to go away. It was a different time.
 
You thought it was going to go away?
I was really heavily involved in our church, and I thought I could make it go away. I just thought at some point the girl thing would kick in.
 
It increasingly became more clear that it was not going to go away. And by 18, I had a boyfriend and that's when I came out.
 
How did your family react? Your church?
My mom was fine. She knew — she wasn't stupid. And some friends from church — they didn't make a big deal about it. But I could tell from their tones how they felt. They'd say it was OK, but they didn't really think it was OK.
 
But these days, it's just no big deal.
Yeah, and it's so much easier for young people to come out now. And I'm not one to wear a big rainbow flag anyway. It's not my style. I don't bring it up unless it's brought up. If someone wants to ask question, that's fine.
 
But I'm also not going to shut my mouth about things just because it's going to make everyone uncomfortable.
 
What kind of guy are you looking for?
I like strong men! Not just physically, but what it means to be a man. Honorable, honest — that's my No. 1 thing. Honesty. I can't stand to be with someone who lies.
 
And I definitely need a guy who can make me laugh! Laughter is key to any healthy relationship.
 
But I don't date a lot, anyway.
 
What's the point of being cute and gay if you're not dating?
The guys interested in me, I'm not interested in them; and the ones I'm interested in are not interested in me. I’m this close to eHarmony.
 
You'd be barking up the wrong tree. They like the heteros.
There's other services out there. I was online the other day and found one that offered a private matchmaker for $995. Jesus. I don't need a private matchmaker.

I'd just like to find someone nice to date. I'm like Charlotte in that scene from Sex in the City.
 
Which one?
The one where she says, "I've been dating since I was 16. Where is he?"
 
I know! That's so true. It's so hard to meet the right person!
It is hard! In my last relationship, we had a very adult problem. He did not want to be gay, and I didn't know the full reality of it until we were dating. He even went to one of those to reform camps to try and ungay himself or whatever. "Camp Homo NoMo," I like to call it.
 
No! Did it work?
Of course not. You know, I struggled too, hoping the gay thing would go away. But I was a teenager. This man is in his 40s. Come on! Man up and figure out who you are!
 
That's so sad! Imagine being in your 40s and denying who you really are. What a waste.
Totally. I need a man who's a man. A testosterone-driven dude. All those out there: Come a-knocking, please.
 
Or at least send you an email.
Yes, send me an email — .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
 
Popsicletoes?
Yes, I know. Everyone thinks it's some sort of sexual thing. It's the name of a song by jazz singer Diana Krall. She's one of my favorites.

But I do get cold feet sometimes.
 
Well, we know how to fix that! Rock on, DJ Popsicletoes!

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