Karaoke

What pushes us to become pop diva's at the instant the lights dim and the words flash out to you on the TV?
How does someone make "Total Eclipse of the Heart" a hard rock ballad?

Tricks and traps for young players:

1. Don't go out hard on the first 2 or 3 tracks of the night...you'll be ruined. Pace yourself with a Rick Astley classic like "Never Gonna Give You Up"
2. Be drunk.
3. Like, really drunk.
4. Memorise your fave song codes off by heart, no need to flick through the song books, and you'll be first in line.
5. Pick crowd-pleasing melodies eg "Catch My Disease" by Ben Lee, so that other people will join in, and you sound wonderful.
6. Split your group into "Fools" and "Serious Idols"...this usually ends up as guys and girls.
7. 2 hours is definitely not enough for the quality that is produced!

More comments and suggestions!

Damn! eight cheap calls already:

You gotta watch out for the closet boy band wannabes *cough* Bernie *cough* :P
PeeDz - 13 August '05 - 17:48

it was interesting to see the boys all groan and point fingers when Rick Ashley came on but then ALL started crooning out the song knowing ALL the lyrics!!! :P

Meanwhile Belinda Carlisle still Rocks!
addy - 14 August '05 - 07:06

All the reaaal signers know the harmony sections of songs...esp those boy band tracks.

Signature, crowd pleasing tracks are also important, e.g. Get Low by Simon Watt.

3 hours for a group our size should be mandatory. Two just leaves you wondering...what if?
ricegrains (link) - 14 August '05 - 14:28

yeah and we gotta keep that remote away from 'button-happy' peedz :P

Skeet skeet skeet......
Addy - 15 August '05 - 12:59

Oi, I even sacrifice my own "Never done before U2 not so famous hit" for the pleasure of my fellow singers :) No finger pointing over here!
PeeDz - 16 August '05 - 20:06

It's Bernie "Boy Band" Wai :)
Yes, Peedz, I was waiting for some U2 that night. Till next time...
JookBoy (link) - 21 August '05 - 07:58

Ok let me tell a karaoke story that I posted elsewhere recently.


* * * * *


Call me a n00b, but I didn't realise that karaoke boxes here on Japan are intended for having sex in. I'd heard vague references to this phenomenon, but I guess people just assume that everyone knows this.

To be honest, it's not possible in Sydney's karaoke boxes (well, a friend had one room in one particular karaoke box that he reckoned could be used for doing the deed). And this is coming from me, the guy who has managed to find places all over the Sydney CBD.

I spent a couple of days in Tokyo this week, meeting up with friends I had made in Sydney over the years. One of which was a korean girl who would never let me make love to her in Australia because of her boyfriend back in korea, so I had to settle for sucking her tits and receving oral sex.

It was just coincidence that we were both in Tokyo at the same time - we were both there for two nights, and one night happened to overlap. We met in Shibuya and went to a Japanese "izakaya" bar for a beer and some food.

At about 9pm we left the izakaya and headed over to the seedy half of Shibuya. I suggested karaoke and she was cool with that. Of course, when we got into the room there were no korean song books, and so I took the hint and said that there were no English songs either. Our drinks arrived, and after a sip of beer I put a POWER MOVE™ into action and the rest is history.

Oh yeah, some points about these places being made for sex (just in case there are other n00bs out there like me)

* there are tissues there
* the seats are all vinyl = easy to clean
* if you're not entering songs in, the karaoke machine is making plenty of noise to mask any sounds you or her might make
* when you turn the lights off, I doubt you can see a lot from outside. And even if someone were to come and have a look (and they don't) they would have to be coming specifically to look for that kind of thing. They don't do this. They just don't.
* no cameras in there. Unless they are really well hidden. And even if there are cameras, and we were being watched, the staff didn't say anything.
* after 50 minutes when the courtesy call comes, you just pick up the phone and say you'd like to extend for an hour, and go back to whatever you were doing. ***TIP*** the phone can be reached from most places (and postitions) in the karaoke box.
* there are all kinds of possibilities for positions and so forth in there. Table, sofa/bed,... ok, there isn't *that* much scope, but for creative people it can be like a poor-man's love hotel.

Anyway, I'm excited about this new discovery! Can't wait to get back to Tokyo and do it all again!

RC
randomcow (email) - 26 September '05 - 08:31

Haha, seems like you've become quite the veteran :)

However, I feel that everyone in Sydney karaoke bars looks into your room as they go past. Some of them even start singing the song you're singing!

Hope Japan is treating you well up in Otaru.
JookBoy (link) - 02 October '05 - 07:20