In the Team USA House at the Paris Olympics, the nation’s greatest athletes are cheering each other on every day to tunes curated by an Arlington resident.
James Morrison — stage name: TMMPO — is the team’s first-ever resident DJ. From noon to midnight in the historic Palais Brongniart, the Cherrydale resident is responsible for hyping up world-class athletes, including Arlington’s own Torri Huske, and helping their friends and family feel at home in France.
“Team USA has done the best job I’ve ever seen anywhere at bringing this larger-than-life experience into a foreign country,” Morrison told ARLnow.
Morrison is no stranger to bringing energy to sports. He spent 10 seasons as the DJ for Virginia Tech Athletics before being tapped by a Hokie connection at Team USA’s programming and stage entertainment group, he told ARLnow.
“To come here because of that connection, it’s a special thing,” said Morrison, a Virginia Tech alum. “At the end of the day, I don’t deserve this any more than anyone else. It’s just been the people and the path that have made this happen.”
In addition to being a place for the nation’s Olympians to gather with loved ones and former athletes, the Team USA House — inside a former 19th-century stock exchange building commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte — can also be accessed by members of the public for $351 a day.
A slew of former Olympic legends are slated to guest host alongside Morrison, including five-time Olympic medalist Missy Franklin, who competed in 2012 and 2016, and the legendary Mike Powell, who competed in 1988 and 1992 and still holds the world record for the long jump. Current Olympic competitors, meanwhile, often come by just hours after their events are shown on the building’s jumbo screens.
“We’re just screaming our minds out, and then [Olympians are] in-person less than 12 hours later,” Morrison said.
Celebrity fans including Flavor Flav have also made appearances. Morrison said the rapper has “become the biggest Team USA supporter,” as he currently sponsors USA Water Polo and is the “official hype man” of the women’s team.
Palais Brongniart is gorgeous on its own, but Morrison thinks it looks even better as it is currently decked out in patriotic red, white and blue. He was shown digital renderings of the house months ago, but he said it’s nothing compared to real thing. It’s like “a home stadium in an away stadium’s country.”
“And then to morph that with these Olympians that have literally just come off the highest of highs of winning a medal in their sport… it’s a surreal opportunity,” Morrison said.
As the resident DJ, Morrison doesn’t receive song requests as much as he curates the venue’s music, he said. When asked if he had any favorite songs to play for fans and returning athletes, a certain Metallica song came to mind.
“One that’s near and dear to my heart is ‘Enter Sandman,’ for obvious reasons,” Morrison said. “That is Virginia Tech’s staple entrance, and I save that for those golden medal moments.”
Morrison has gone by stage name TMMPO for over a decade through his music career. He’s opened as a DJ for the likes of 2 Chainz, Juicy J and Sage the Gemini. He’s also the production director for Hill City Church DC in Alexandria.
“I’ve been doing events for a long time, and I’ve never seen anything more grandiose and more American. I love it,” Morrison said. “And they’ve just done a phenomenal job.”
