Karaoke Forums

Okay this is going to sound absolutely horrible on my end, but I've had it. I have this older man who comes in to sing that is the most annoying individual known to man. He comes in with military garb on, hat and vest with medals. He has never been in the military. He slipped one night and told me they weren't his. He uses it to get free drinks and sympathy. (That was enough to make me want to punch him.) He brings a cane with him and doesn't need it. He'll use the cane all night then get on stage and run around like a 2 yr old. Once he even accidently hit me with it jumping up and down.

When he goes to hand a slip in he'll pull it back and laugh like a psychotic teenager. He did this so many times one night I refused to take a slip from him for 15 minutes because I was tired of playing games. He finally has stopped that nonsense because when he does it now I walk away and then he has to wait longer to sing. He calls me Barb instead of Babs. My name is Babs ! NOT Barb ! When he sings he wants to get directly in my face spitting all over me, so I have to always leave the stage when he sings. No amount of telling him makes him stop.

Wednesday night he was singing (screaming at the top of his lungs) from the crowd over the singers on stage. He was so loud the singers complained. You couldn't hear the singers he was so loud. I went over to him and nonverbally motioned to be quiet by putting my finger to my lips and saying Ssshhh. He stopped, but the whole night he kept coming up to me and doing the Ssshhh finger action in my face.

When he comes up to sing he screams the songs and runs around like a hamster in a cage.

I ignore him every chance I get hoping he'll never come back, but it doesn't work. He doesn't do anything bad enough to get kicked out. He annoys everyone even the bartenders.

How do I get rid of Mr. Annoying?

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Does he DRINK?

I had an older gentlemen who USED to come in everyweek to one of my older shows. He wenty by the name of Johnny Dupree and sand nothing but Duprees and other Doowop type oldies. For a guy in his 70's he could sure sing.
But the kicker was HE TOLD EVERYONE he was a member of the DUPREES and he used to sign autographs and get free drinks. I think he believed it because he always wanted to sing extra songs and didn't like to wait his turn on busy nights.

Funny

He does drink.

The bartender's name on Wed. is Robin. He calls her "Red Breast". She's asked him several times to stop, but him and his imaginary friends think its funny, so he keeps doing it.

He comes in alone. Gee I wonder why?

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[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

He sounds like he has a control trip component to his psychoness which makes it a bit nervewracking as far as what you could safely do with confronting him?

I know the VFW and other veteran's groups don't take kindly to people wearing uniforms/medals they don't derserve and they would take care of that part. But how you could politely deal with him and still have it be effective really is a hard one.

As a vet, I couldn't be more offended.

I'd tell him he's not welcome! If he's offending people, not just you, then you and the bartender should combine your efforts and get the bum out of there. Even if it wasn't the bumming of free drinks, there's a way you behave in public.

No amount of telling isn't helping him stop, yet when you wouldn't take his slip that mysteriously worked on that angle. TRUST me, you deny him the chance to sing or drink he'll listen. 86 him for two months, and see if he comes back changed. Hopefully he just won't come back.

I've had to do that to a customer for a month after he knowingly spiked my microphone. The management wouldn't go along with it as he was a "regular", so I took a walk myself. Gave my notice over that. And I still made the guy pay me back for the microphone. I had JUST bought it, and showed him the receipt in my pocket.

Some people have slammed me for having some pretty strict rules, but not enforcing bar ettiquette just allows stuff like this... because people don't know where you stand.

Babs, you say he hasn't done anything bad enough to get kicked out, but you also say he has insulted you and the bartenders despite warnings, disrupted your show, and upset the other singers/customers.
I would talk seriously with the manager and get this clown booted ASAP.
He is certainly not adding anything to the bar or your show - he instead is taking away from them. He is bad for business, and you don't need any other reason to 86 him.

I agree with Jerry- he HAS done enough to get him barred. Go to the owner/manager ( hopefully WITH Robin) and get it done.

Remember, your annoyance will surface as you work, just as your enjoyment does. He's gotta go.

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As a Vet I am also offended

If he is coming in wearing a uniform that shows rank of any sort he is in violation of FEDERAL law.

"In accordance with chapter 45, section 771, title 10, United States
Code ( 10 USC 771 ), no person except a member of the U.S. Army may
wear the uniform, or a distinctive part of the uniform of the U.S.
Army unless otherwise authorized by law. Additionally, no person
except a member of the U.S. Army may wear a uniform, any part of which is similar to a distinctive part of the U.S. Army uniform."

U.S. Army Publishing Agency: Army Regulation 670-1
http://docs.usapa.belvoir.army.mil/jw2/ ... 1/main.asp

Here is the applicable federal statute:

Sec. 771. - Unauthorized wearing prohibited

Except as otherwise provided by law, no person except a member of the
Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marine Corps, as the case may be, may wear -

(1)
the uniform, or a distinctive part of the uniform, of the Army, Navy,
Air Force, or Marine Corps; or

(2)
a uniform any part of which is similar to a distinctive part of the
uniform of the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marine Corps


So next time he comes in ask him for his DD214 to prove that he was in the military, if he can't ask him to leave.

Lone Wolf

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As a decorated Marine Corp. Vet, I would not only be offended, I would have said something, and it wouldn't of been nice, and it would have been loud enough so everyone could hear. This should embarass him so He doesn't want to stay.

As far as the guy claiming to be in that band. That is funny as heck. I had a guy come in once who claimed to be one of the Temptations. Everybody was talking about it and getting excited. They guy couldn't sing on key, or even close. He had to look at the words to sing the song. I don't know about anybody else, but if I was a professional singer, singing my own songs, looking at the words would not be neccessary. Heck I can sing at least 20 songs without looking at the words. I cue up songs, take new request while singing all the time. I went up to him and said, "I thought all of the Temptations were dead, what is your name"? He said, "oh, I wasn't one of the original members, but I was there from the beginning". I said, "I saw a sign in front of the Indian casino advertising a temptation gig, and non of the guys looked like you, what was your name again." I politely left and then told everyone quietly that there was no way in hell this guy was a temptation. Needless to say, he got the heck out of Dodge, and never came back.

Remember Babs, it's your gig. Like any business, you have the right to refuse service to anybody. Maybe it is easy for me being an agressive male, but I would just tell him not to bother putting up song slips anymore, because I am not letting him sing anymore. I have had to do this once, and he was my most consistent regular. He was making my other people uncomfortable, and he broke many of the standard Karaoke rules. Singing so loud while someone else is singing that I could hear him sitting 30 feet away over the person singing right next to me with speakers facing me much closer than he was sitting. He also made the bar tender cry. I 86'd him without a thought, and never regretted it.

Upon hearing I banned him, other local KJ's he frequented ended up banishing him too. Karaoke is supposed to be fun, even for the KJ. I refuse to be unhappy at my own gig.

Felix the KJ

He's done. He doesn't sing, period, the end.

Talk to the manager, explain the situation and ask that he be barred. Tell him you also fear for your safety, and if the guy gets rowdy with you over the fact you won't let him sing, you're gonna put him in jain (call 911). If he touches you in any way, even just a finger touch, that's assualt... lock him up.

In all likelyhood, the manager will take care of it before it gets that far as he won't want the cops there.

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Lone Wolf - I love it ! I will ask him ! It maybe the best way to get rid of him.

I have banned a singer for the night from singing before because they broke the rules, but this guy is just annoying as heck. I just don't know how I would handle it. Your banned from singing because your annoying?

The owner is wierd about kicking people out. I could ask, but I know he wouldn't do it. The manager I know would love to get rid of this guy, but she has to also get permission from the owner.

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[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

You don't have to have him kicked out of the bar. Just don't let him sing. The bar owner doesn't tell me how to run my show, I don't tell him how to run his bar. He will either stop comming, or he will complain to management. Definately talk to the manager to prepare them for this. If a bar owner told me I had to put up with it, I would just walk away, along with all my singers. If I am not there, like on Fridays, the place has no business. Being a man of my own principals, I would walk away in a heartbeat if the owner tried to dictate how I do things.

Felix the KJ

I think since the first post established he was never in the military the DD Form 214 approach would have little significance.

A more covert course of action would be to make it known to all who frequent the establishment thereby removing his false facade. While not a guarantee, I would hope this would help to take some of the wind out of his "blown-hard" sales.

Having retired from the Air Force myself, I too am offended; not for myself, but for all the young men and women who currently put themselves in harm's way so that people such as he may safely run a-muck as he does without thought of those who have made, or make it, possible.

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EveningStar Entertainment & Events
JR & Michele LaPorte
Peoria, AZ

I agree with almost everything that has already been said. You may not be able to boot the guy from the bar, but how you operate your show IS your business and your livelihood. I had to ban a person from EVER coming to any of my shows, for a similar situation. She was annoying everyone she came in contact with. So she was asked to just plainly not come around when I was there. It didn't mean she was banned from the bar, but only on the nights I was there. She was bad for business, and made people leave. You can't let one person dictate how many others will spend their earned money on entertainment.

Good luck Babs!!! I know you will do the right thing.

Scott

I hope you get backup from the bar Babs. The best way to handle those types is to simultaneously have security lay down the law and the manager threaten to 86 them if they keep it up. A two on one.

Except in my place there would be no threat. Any disruptive behavior gets kicked out immediately for at least the night, and longer if it's an habitual offender. Nothing in the eyes of the management gets in the way of the efficiency of the karaoke show.

Sometimes I don't realize how lucky I am.

If someone is bothering you, and you tell them straight up one time that it bothers you, and they continue the activity, plain and simple it is harrassment. Tell him, and if he doesn't take it to heart, tell the owner that you've asked him not to act in this manner and if is to be considered harassment. Harrassment does NOT have to be sexual by nature to be considreed harrassment.

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KingBing Entertainment C'mon Up! I have a song for you!!! [font=MS Sans Serif][/font]

BABS..............Tell (DONT ASK, TELL) your owner to 86 this guy RIGHT NOW.

He will piss off any ex-military that may come to visit(maybe cause an incident), and most any other custy in the place.

He IS A DISRUPTION and his ANTICS ARE NOT WELCOME BY ANYONE IN THE ROOM.

His BEHAVIOR IS ABNORMAL AND IS CLEARLY PSYCHOTIC and/or SCHIZOPHRENIC.

Is your owner willing to take the chance that this guy will turn violent and provoke an incident or attempt to HARM YOU????(he already acts like he might).

Either way he should not be around booze and clearly not encouraged to be the center of attention in a barrom setting.

86 HIM NOW.

NO QUESTIONS ASKED.

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"You know that I sing the Blues and I do not suffer fools. When I'm on that silver mic, it's gonna cut ya, just like a knife"-The SWINGCAT

Go to the nearest VFW, and explain the situation. See if they'd like to stop bye, and have a chat with the guy. Maybe between you and the bartenders, you could buy the nice (real)Vets a drink, and maybe they could even sing a song or two. Make sure they let the imposter know they'll be coming around often, now that they've found this place, which might actually turn out to be true.......he'll have to find some place else to commit his fraud........good luck........Greg

Babs,

Guys like this can kill your show. I can only suggest that you AND the owner nip this in the bud. I used to hang out at a place called The Sports Fan in Fayetteville, NC that had an older black guy named Charllie who came in (already drunk) and hit on ALL the women. He only sang, "Strokin'" by Clarence Carter, and bummed everyone for drinks. No one at the bar did anything about him, and after two three visits, I quit going. I couldn't stand having him around because he made the experience worse for not only me, but everybody. (And I have a high tolerance for idiots...) I don't care if you sing bad. If you have the stones to sing, I'm gonna clap for you. But don't DELIBERATELY ruin it for us.

P.S. I work as a Civilian for the Army and am offended that this guy never served. I can't imagine what our Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen think. This guy is just wasted space and needs to be extricated like the wart he is...

My prayers are with you...

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