inthemix | International News | ‘World’s richest DJ’ grumbles about private jets

Pete Tong chatted candidly about his day to day life as a superstar DJ in the Daily Mail this week, and revealed that as well as cannily accruing an estimated fortune of £20 million he’s also developed a curiously unsatisfying addiction to flying in private jets.

“I do have one crippling vice, though: private jets,” the radio 1 icon confessed, “The luxury is you get through the airport quicker (but) private jets aren’t even comfortable. That surprises everyone,” he added.

Fellow private jet aficionado/ superstar DJ Dave Clarke disagreed, however, telling Skrufff ‘that’s so funny, he’s trying to sit in the middle and be the people’s millionaire, i.e. ‘poor, poor me, for sitting uncomfortably on a private jet’.

“Rubbish, get a grip, chap,” the always outspoken Skrufff contributor chuckled, “Private jets can sometimes be cramped (like the one I once took with Pete and Darren from Ibiza to Dancevalley), but most of the time they are very, very comfortable, have good food and, as Pete says, no waiting time.”

Pete also chatted to the Mail about being relentlessly targeted by gold digger groupies (‘being a DJ might be the best job in the world, but I guess Brad Pitt has fun, too’) and the ‘pretty mad’ DJ fees he regularly gets (£20,000 a set, the Mai suggested).

“By most people’s standards I get an astronomical fee,” he admitted, “You can never justify the money, especially when people talk about the six-figure sums that DJs were being paid in the Nineties.”

Dave also disputed the Mail’s description of Pete as ‘the world’s richest DJ’ (‘I know a lot of genre specific, ultra talented DJs who earn more’) and blasted the tabloid’s entire article as ‘horrendous’.

“I’m shocked by this article it really gives the impression that Pete is proudly a product of Thatcherite Britain,” Dave suggested, “What ever happened to stealth wealth? Why not talk about Pete’s achievements first and foremost?”

“Did he sign some great crossover acts at FFRR in the late eighties early nineties. Yes. Has he a good voice for radio? Yes, Did he re-break Leo Sayer? Unfortunately so. Did his film do well? Now I’m struggling,” he teased.