A Thomas Jefferson graduate, DJ Squizzy Taylor achieved a Denver kid's dream: the game-day DJ at Broncos home games at Empower Field Mile High. Squizzy spun some tales for The Denver Gazette in our weekly Q&A:
The Denver Gazette: Is it still OK to hate the Raiders?
DJ Squizzy Taylor: "Absolutely! We're supposed to hate the Raiders. There's something wrong with you if you don't. Sunday's going to be a good day for an (butt) whooping."
The DG: Where do these Broncos throwbacks rank on your jersey list?
Squizzy: “Fashion-wise, they’re awesome. You don't have to be at the game to wear those. As far as the new (line of) uniforms, these are my personal favorites. We’re bringing it back. Soon as I saw the new uniforms, I said, 'I’ve got to get one before that Raiders game.' I can’t wait to see 'PS2' (Pat Surtain II) in it. It’s my favorite of all the Denver uniforms, all the sports. That’s the classic. We should wear it every week.”
The DG: Pierre Allen, two-time Colorado Mr. Basketball — and your backcourt partner at Thomas Jefferson. Tell us about those days.
Squizzy: "Back-to-back state champs (in 2005-06). It doesn't get better than that. With Pierre, it was everything you'd think. He was incredible. He was a freak of nature. There was nothing he couldn’t do on a basketball court — or anywhere. Give him the ball and get out of the way. That was a good play.”
The DG: As a kid, who was your guy with the Broncos?
Squizzy: “Tough one. I would have to say Shannon Sharpe. Everybody loved John Elway. He was the guy. John Elway will always be the guy. He changed the city! But Shannon Sharpe had that swagger. Then there was Steve Atwater, who was always the coolest person. And he still is the coolest person. That's the nicest guy you ever met. And he always made the big plays when we needed one.
For the younger generation, as I get older, Von Miller and Demaryius Thomas. I still talk to Von all the time. Von would be my favorite Bronco of all-time. (Note: Squizzy was the DJ for Miller's events.) Demaryius was my guy. I guess he was everybody's guy, just such a sweet person. When we played the Steelers (in Week 2 this season) I had the all-DT (outfit). Every time he was in the room, he had that sponge personality. You could feel the love. I miss DT. He was one of a kind.”
The DG: How do you prepare a play list for a Broncos game?
Squizzy: “For the Broncos, the prep starts probably two days prior to the game if I have the time. At first, I focus on the pregame game mix. That’s the longest set list — when the players are out there for warmups. That's an important time for us to get ready for the game. I know it's important for our guys."
The DG: How do you determine that play list?
Squizzy: "First off, I’ll hit up some players to learn what they’re feeling, the artists, what they're listening to. What did they like from last week? What are they listening to this week? What do I take take out and what do I add?
"Then I'll spend some time on the Internet. A lot of the players are way younger than me. (Laughs.) So I’ll check out YouTube and TikTok. What’s hot right now? In a perfect world, I’ll have 45 songs for the pregame. You never want to run out. I want to move fast. I want to DJ fast. It’s not like I’m playing the whole song, so I like to have 45 (songs). Then you’re switching it up, and I might only play 25. But I want those extras so I'm not thinking. I'm just going. I'm just moving fast.
"You also think about during-the-game songs. When there’s a big play, you want to have at least 10 bangers. If you use two, you add two. If it’s a fumble or a touchdown, whatever the case may be, I’ll have 15-20 songs that get the energy up. You don’t want to be thinking too hard in the moment. Preparation is everything. What’s going to work? Not doing prep is a recipe for disaster. I want to move fast."
The DG: Which players have good taste in music?
Squizzy: 'PS2' has great taste in music. He's a go-to for me. And he's an awesome player. I mean, come on. 'PS2' likes Kodak Black, BossMan DLo, Lil Wayne.
"PJ Locke has great taste in music. Javonte Williams, he’s got good taste win music. And Courtland Sutton."
The DG: That's a lot of Texas and Southern boys.
Squizzy: "That’s why they like a lot of Southern music! And I just found out last week Josh Reynolds is a super-big Lil Wayne fan. The guys from the Lions told me that. So we'll be ramping up the Lil Wayne this week."
The DG: So there's a fraternity of NFL DJs who bounce ideas off each other?
Squizzy: "Absolutely. It's a small fraternity, you know? There's only 32 of us. We'll see each other on Instagram, so you follow them and get to know what they're playing. It's like a little fraternity. When Josh Reynolds got traded here, the Lions' DJ hit me up and let me know what he likes. So we'll get that going.
"Now the Lions have (ex-Broncos wide receiver) Tim Patrick and he loves west coast music. So I let them know about that. We stick together.”
The DG: What other requests have you had?
Squizzy: "Riley Moss likes 'Enter Sandman' by Metallica. So that will be a regular addition."
The DG: In Year 2 as the Broncos' DJ, how is the gig relative to your expectations?
Squizzy: "It’s everything. I love it. I love it so much. I don’t even have the words. As crazy as it is to say, it’s even bigger than I thought it was going to be. Interacting with the people, getting to know the Broncos, it's amazing. It's the people. It’s everything."
The DG: Your evaluation so far of Bo Nix?
Squizzy: “He’s still young. But he’s super exciting. You can tell the team’s behind him. The guys love him and like playing with him. His confidence is there. He has the arm talent. They keep raving about his mind. I think he’s going to be great. I think he’s going to be a staple in Denver for 10-15 years.”
The DG: OK, we need a prediction for Sunday.
Squizzy: “Oh, we're rolling. We’re going to stomp the Raiders. We can’t just barely win. It's time to end this losing streak to them. We make them look bad. We don’t let up this time. That (streak) is over with. I’ve got 27-10."
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