One man whose 2023 is even busier than his 2022 – and that’s saying something – is John Summit. The DJ, who recently became a Florida resident to reduce his tax bill, has an extremely punishing schedule of gigs this year – which shows no sign of slowing down until at least October.
Ears To The House has been told on numerous occasions by very reliable sources that Summit – real name John Schuster – is one of the hardest working DJs in the industry at the moment. Speaking to us last year, one of them told us “He’s no one’s fool. Behind the facade of drink and exuberance is a serious business brain. He trusts few people in the industry and knows his worth. John is only 29 years old, but is one of the most savvy individuals I’ve ever met.”.
Strong words indeed. But one thing about Schuster that we’ve had misgivings on is the way he frequently refers to going on “benders”, an informal phrase which means to drink a large amount of alcohol in a short time. And over the 4th July celebrations in the US, he apparently had another one…
The responses to the comment thread weren’t entirely positive, with one person taking issue with Schuster’s claim that the “bender took 7 years off my life, but it was worth it” – saying “Gotta argue that it wasn’t. You’re worth too much to this world to lose 7 years. Obviously I know you’re kidding but stay cool my guy, you got too much to give us.”.
Another was even more forthright, merely saying “Bender is not a brand, John” – so what exactly is the truth behind this? Is Schuster really the hard drinker he claims to be – or is this just an act, an image that he plays up on social media, knowing it’s going to get him noticed?
We reached out to our regular sources, and the message was pretty universal – it’s at least partially true. One who knows him “fairly well” said “John can drink with the best of them, but the idea his whole life is just one bender is just a joke. I think the image he pushes is going to have to change as he gets older, though. A guy in his 40s talking about going on benders would just look pathetic.”.
Another, however, mentioned something interesting – “the references to benders have become less frequent over the past few months. I think part of that is because he’s busier with work, and I think part of it is business. John isn’t stupid. He keeps a close eye on social media, and he knows there are people who plain don’t like all the talk of alcohol. It’s a balancing act.”.
The jury’s still out on this one…
