Karaoke

My neighbours own a karaoke machine and they hold block parties where people warble old country tunes late into the night. It sounds horrible, and at times it is, but it can also be great fun.

It's always the person who swears he'll never ever get up on stage who you can't drag off at the end of the night. My dad, who is one of the most self-concious singers I know, just loves to sing with his pals.

It's too bad people are made to feel ashamed of their voice if it's less than perfect. People should sing together. It's a wonderful feeling.

I have done Karaoke twice in Japan, on both occasions completely pissed, and it is a highly recommended experience. To see ostensibly sensible businessmen leave their at-table business meeting to sing 'Stayin' Alive' and 'You Aint seen Nothin' Yet' whilst beig totally ignored by their colleagues is cool.

I am ashamed to say that on my last visit to Japan in May 2000, I failed to find any kind of Karaoke Bar in Yokahama, and drank most nights in an 'English Pub'. On the last night I witnessed an Australian 'wobble board and guitar duo' playing hits from the sixties. I had a drunken argument with the guitarist about the correct chords for 'Sunny Afternoon' (he was missing an A7 in a critical place!). Bad.

Do not try "The Real Slim Shady". You can't do it.

What did I sing? "Always On My Mind". Elvis version.

My favorite Chicago karaoke night is at the Marigold Bowl, which draws a fascinatingly mixed crowd of old, haggard barflies, drunk ex- sorority girls and their lawyer/businessman boyfriends, and drag queens. The barflies sing the blues, the sorority girls sing Bon Jovi, and the drag queens sing Madonna and Destiny's Child.

Myself? I have performed (because really, I make up for my lack of singing talent by "peforming") "Like a Virgin," "...Baby One More Time," "The Tide is High" (disappointingly, I can't sing like Deborah Harry is my voice isn't husky and deep enough), and the theme song from "Fame". With "Fame," I was able to hide behind the girl who was singing with me--she was a musical theatre major in college and had this huge, amazing voice.

My favorite all-time karaoke moment? When my friend Nathan sang/yelled/ruined "Born in the U.S.A.," or maybe that time when three drunk guys decided to take on "Stairway to Heaven." It was so bad, it was genius. But I think that's what karaoke's all about--the genius of awfulness. It's lovely to hear someone do an amazing take on an Aretha Franklin song, but I'd rather hear a ridiculous rendition of a cheese-pop classic performed by some drunk folks who are really, really into it.

The concept behind it was to visit various karaoke bars in the area and document the results. I'm guessing the intention was to showcase local talent, but instead it was in turns haunting and hilarious. Keep in mind the time and place: late 80's/early 90's suburban Midwest. 90% of the singers were intoxicated, but that was really the only common denominator: you'd get metalheads, sorority girls, lonely housewives, and lots of Garth Brooks wannabes, among others. Not many tv moments can be matched by the weepy version of "I've Never Been to Me" I saw performed by a middle-aged Hank Hill lookalike.

My second favorite public-access cable story involves Radiohead, so it is best saved for another day.

I sang karaoke on work night out in a pub on Friday, performing Don't You Want Me with one of my ladybosses. I think I might have sucked... half way through I realised that my voice was a bit shagged from the little puppy cold I have.

How quaint and touching this thread is. I used to go to karaoke at the Marigold, too.

There must be a few threads, I seem to remember posting a few pictures from one particular night of honky tonkin.

Which should happen tonight, hopefully, if I'm not stuck at work too late.

i am a house and techno nerd who thinks karaoke is the best.

i sing 'wicked games' and 'touch me' a lot, mostly cuz you can croon like a maniac.

can we talk about 'Duets,' starring the Gwyneth, on this thread? i felt like that movie was so much weirder than people ever gave it credit for.

which is probably why i like karaoke. shit is fuckin weird.

I love 'Duets', probably Gwyneth's best movie. I also always thought it would be cool to have all the parts of a really complex rap song down cold, like a deep cut off an Eminem album, and karaoke it.

interesting that carsmile mentions how the 'private booth' style of karaoke misses the point - these type of karaoke joints seem to be taking over from the old style.

I was told my performance (well, a duet) on "My Heart Will Go On" tonight 'took balls.' Perhaps.

that's all you need. to succeed.

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/US/bad-karaoke-sparks-attacks/story?id=8700134

Sinatra Song Often Strikes Deadly Chord

In the past two years alone, a Malaysian man was fatally stabbed for hogging the microphone at a bar and a Thai man killed eight of his neighbors in a rage after they sang John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” Karaoke-related assaults have also occurred in the United States, including at a Seattle bar where a woman punched a man for singing Coldplay’s “Yellow” after criticizing his version.

Still, the odds of getting killed during karaoke may be higher in the Philippines.

https://vimeo.com/133428328