Behind the BNOC: Dallying with Dipper

Hello dear friends, and welcome to another term! I decided to take a deep dive into people known around the Oxford community–whether for their advocacy, positivity, or large social media presence. So of course my first stop had to be the one and only DJ Dipper, Daniel the History and Politics finalist at Magdalen. Besides his stint DJing for events around Oxford, Daniel has been a vocal advocate speaking out for people of low socio-economic backgrounds and disabilities, as well as doing charity work, being librarian of the Oxford Union, and a year as president of the Magdalen JCR.  We met at Cafe Creme and had a long chat over a smoothie and hot chocolate– two hours that were only broken by the fact that I had to leave for dinner, filled with chat about music and work.

Our long conversation was split between the two activities he was most well-known for– his social advocacy and his DJing skills. On his advocacy, we chatted about his work.  He said, “If I see a change, I want to make it…If you see that you have the ability, you should put yourself forward. I could manage those commitments and I learned things from each of them.” Some of it was through making changes to help disabled people during events in the Union as Librarian, some of it through writing (like an article in our paper from last year!), and some outside of Oxford. He in fact was going to London for charity events a few times in the future, which I admired, especially while studying for finals. He told me about an event two terms ago speaking about Magdalen environmental protections while he was JCR president–Magdalen’s planning on being carbon-neutral by 2035, which many other colleges should really take on. 

Then came DJing. Daniel and I talked about his upcoming events: a stint at the Varsity Club, a birthday party, and many a Magdalen bop. When asked about his residency, he said, “Magdalen, they sometimes see me three weeks in a row. Trying to change things up while bringing joy at the same time is challenging, because I go with the flow each time and don’t plan it.” Daniel’s Aviici fanhood is certainly a sign of good taste, and people certainly agree– he’s been to around a hundred balls and events, something he didn’t think was possible before arriving.  “Coming from a low socio-economic background,” he says,  “allowed me to enjoy a lot of things… every term I’d be getting sometimes hundreds of pounds worth of tickets or drinks or dinners by doing these things so I could go to these events I couldn’t otherwise.” 

How much sleep does a guy who does so much get every night? Considering how I only get six-ish on a good night without having done much charity work, I was surprised when Daniel said he gets seven to nine hours on a good night. It was only during 2022, especially his stint running for Oxford Union president, that he didn’t get much sleep. “I was so tired I did not sleep in my own bed… I was on random sofas and random floors. They once found me asleep, on the floor, with my laptop on top of me… it was brutal, in some ways…but ultimately I enjoyed the experience.”

Enjoying what you do seems to be Daniel’s key to success. He’s doing well in his degree, has built strong friendships, keeps himself relatively healthy, and makes a visible difference in the community around him, so perhaps the enjoyment route would be the way to go for all my procrastinators stuck in their rooms.