The Karaoke Phenomanon
When people think of karaoke, in general, I know what comes to mind the most. Okay,
almost anyone knows what stereotypical settings come to mind; The dimly lit, tiny bar/lounge with
a handful of people sitting on bar stools (or at randomly placed tables) drinking way too much while listening to terrible
renditions of today's most popular tunes as well as the oldies but goodies. Oh! Let's not forget that one guy who's
making the rounds trying to hit on every woman in the place.
At the oposite end of the spectrum is the very loud, well lit venue that holds
fixed contests every month (where the judges are usually friends of friends), and this kind of place is usually so packed
that the singers sing only once. There is, however, a few really good singers in the place. There is also that one guy trying
to get all the ladies' phone numbers.
A lot of what people don't catch in the scheme of things is that there are a few
places that have karaoke where it IS fun and there ARE good singers. Some of these places might just be bars or lounges, but the
people that go for the karaoke are so much fun that they come back week after week. (There dosen't even have to be
a hook or a gimmick or contests to keep them coming back, either!) Believe it or not, sometimes they come out because they
like it. Heh. Really. They get to sing a handful of times in the night, and the regulars that don't sing really enjoy listening
to the regulars that do.
I've even seen people meet at a karaoke bar, start dating, fall in love and get
married! No kidding! Well, it was over a period of years, but yah. They started out only having a love for music in common
and the next thing you know they really have some magic there. Hey, it's happened. I've seen it. The phenomanon of karaoke
can be quite deep. Deeper than what you see at a glance. Way deeper than just some people singing today's top tunes.
Sometimes, there's folks who like to go to karaoke joints to get the party started.
In a big way. You'll know them when you see them...they travel in packs. There's uaually one person in their group who
can sing up a storm and the rest of them dance whenever their friend is singing. If you don't know any of these guys
personally, it's good to get to know them when you can. They're fun people. They know how to boogie, and boy can they drink!
Note to self: Keep your eyes open for partiers at karaoke bars. They're good people.
One of my favorite things to see while at karaoke is a scenario that kind of works
itself out like this: This girl gets up to sing something and she happens to be REALLY, REALLY good. There's a guy in the
back who wants to sing a duet with her, but he dosen't know her. Now, since I'm the DJ, I happen to be the one HE asks to
ask HER. Get it? I become the messenger. The next thing you know they're singing a great duet, and everyone's into it.
I love it when things work out like that. Now I see them out at karaoke all the time. Hanging out. Karaoke brought them together.
See?
I guess what I'm saying is that the karaoke phenomanon is more than what
is seen on the surface; it's nice to see people from all walks of life come together through music. When it seems easy
to have someone "figured out", they may just pick up a karaoke microphone and surprise you!
