It’s a picture perfect gig for this Post photographer.
A paparazzo for the paper who moonlights as a DJ is going from breaking news to breaking out the hits this weekend opening for Steve Aoki on Long Island.
“I photographed weddings for 30 years, and in most cases, I would say the DJ stunk,” Dennis A. Clark said of what sparked his second career as DJ Dennis the Menace.
“The vibe wasn’t there, the DJ had his head down the whole time, doing nothing.
“I wanted to go change that. I dance with people in the crowd and make everybody have fun. DJs forget it’s our job to make sure people are having fun, not just playing music.”
Clark’s up-tempo style is an ideal match for Aoki, whose schtick is throwing cakes into the high-octane crowd.
The dessert and dancing will take place at a free Nassau County concert at Eisenhower Park, where doors open at 5 p.m. on Friday, and Clark will go on at 6:30 p.m.
“My stage name is DJ Dennis the Menace, and I live up to it,” said Wantagh resident Clark, 59, who prides himself on mixing live and never pre-records his sets.
“I’m going to give the audience a sugar rush before Aoki takes the stage.”
Clark has been shooting for the New York Post for more than two decades, documenting tragedies like the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the crash of American Airlines Flight 587 in Queens — while mixing in celebrity pics of big-name stars like Danny DeVito, Shaquille O’Neal, Paris Hilton, and Lindsay Lohan.
“As a photojournalist, I’m always chasing after people — but as a DJ, they’re coming to me,” he laughed.
Clark branched out to open an entertainment company as a side hustle in 2021, where he received a crash course on modern digital DJ equipment, having only casually spun old-school records on vinyl as a high schooler in the 1980s.
“After my third lesson in 2021, my instructor said, ‘you don’t need me, you’ve got this,” he boasted.
Quickly, Clark’s reputation for big energy and fun for all preceded him.
By 2022, swanky Hamptons clubs started calling, while he was also spinning in huge wedding and event venues, such as the overwhelmingly elegant 620 Loft and Garden at Rockefeller Center.
Adrenaline is no issue when it comes time to take the stage, as Clark has previously flown with the Blue Angels, dove with sharks, and was suspended from a helicopter to photograph Trump’s Mar-A-Lago wedding.
“Still, you never get used to it; each rush is different in its own way, but you learn to thrive on it,” Clark said, adding that this weekend will be the biggest crowd he’s ever had, as the 2024 show drew 30,000.
“If I ever wanted there to be a snapshot taken of my life, it would be Friday night.”
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