The night Danny Howells went missing
- Mick Boskamp
- 12 mei
- 1 minuten om te lezen
We all know that guest DJ Danny Howells is a superhero in the world of dance music. Unfortunately, even superheroes have their kryptonite. Danny’s happens to be time. Not gigs - he’s never missed one - but getting from A to B with Danny is rarely a straightforward operation. It’s usually an adventure. Sometimes even a small expedition.
Late last summer, Danny was due to play at South Beach in Zandvoort alongside Evoque’s Chris-H at Paal 69. Five minutes before takeover time, Danny had completely vanished.
The organiser’s wife asked nightlife reporter Mick Boskamp to call his old friend. Boskamp walked towards the sea, phone in hand.
Danny answered immediately.
‘Oh Mick… I’m lost.’
‘Where are you?’
Danny explained that he was standing next to an endless bike path. Dunes on the right. Somewhere behind them he could hear dance music.
Boskamp paused for a second.
‘Okay Danny… if you keep walking straight ahead, tomorrow morning we’ll pick you up somewhere near Scheveningen.’
Danny sighed.
‘Listen carefully,’ Boskamp continued. ‘Turn around. Walk back to the boulevard. Take the first path down to the beach, make a left turn at the coastline, and keep walking until you see a sign saying South Beach. I’ll be standing underneath it before you accidentally end up in Belgium.’
Danny eventually arrived - only ten minutes late - and immediately made up for lost time with a wildly energetic set.
Pure class. Pure Danny.
And honestly? On an old 2001 clip from Mick Boskamp’s TV show for The Box, Danny already seemed to be having a complicated relationship with time. Some things never change.