Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Top 10 Things I Learned from Karaoke



Last Friday night, I had my first karaoke experience. It was in a tiny, dimly lit local hot spot below ground somewhere near our train station. I emerged Saturday morning a woman wiser in the ways of karaoke. What follows is a distillation of what I learned in that cozy cellar, dense with cigarette smoke and the haze of musical genius.
 10. A true karaoke pro can fall asleep, wake when his song comes on, sing his heart out, have another drink, and go back to sleep until his next turn.
   9. My friend Karen is very good at playing the tambourine.
   8. Not everyone truly appreciates Johnny Cash.  
   7. It is not physically possible for me to sing bass (which might have made appreciation of Cash challenging). 
   6. The Japanese make some seriously strange videos to play at karaoke bars.
   5. My husband looks very cute when he is channeling Jim Morrison.
   4. One Japanese pop song is an interesting cultural experience. Two is torture.
   3. Beer may not enhance performance, but it sure makes listening easier.
   2. What happens at karaoke does not stay at karaoke. You will be given grief for days and, in most cases, you will deserve it.
And the number one thing I learned from karaoke is…
   1. It is possible to injure yourself clapping (sorry – no additional details available).

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