Karaoke Forums

So last night someone came up to me and complained about a singer who sung the song A lapdance is so much better when the stripper is cryin' by the BloodHound Gang. This was the first time I have had someone come up to me and complain about a dirty song. (which I don't really think it is that bad, just the Jesus part is a little over the top) My show is quite laid back, I'm in a fishing town in the middle of the Bering Sea, and lets just say the REAL fishermen are nothing like the Gordon's fishermen you see on the TV commercials! (Dirty, smelly and the worst drunks you'll ever meet) Just wondering if any other KJ's have had this happen to them and how they handled it.

dude you have to tailor your show to your crowd, sounds like you have the right attitude for the people who are your bread and butter...how often does the prude frequent your show?
if the complaint is the consensus then maybe remove really offensive stuff from your playlist
but I am soooo freakin negative about the politically correct brigade that they rarely get sympathy from me...
Bring back the cane in schools is my motto  :whistle:

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"Be who you are and say what you feel... Because those that matter... Don't mind...And those that mind... Don't matter."

This was the first time someone has said anything. Im not too worried about the bar caring much. I just don't really know how to act when someone says something like that. I, unlike a few on here, dont really care what songs are being sung just as long as everyone is having a good time. So I have to hear Picture or The Gambler or The devil went down to Georgia every night I have a gig...so what! Im there for the singers (and the bar to make money) Its not really my place to tell them what they can and cant sing.

tell them they're in a place where adults act, and that you have little to no control over what songs someone wants to sing.

It's all good and well to say what I'd do in such a circumstance. I had someone laughingly say "OMG, he said "Fu*k!" to which I said, "It IS a bar you know... most of us in here ARE over 21!" and everyone yuked it up and the gal relaxed.

I also wasn't being snotty but was trying to be humorous. It's all in how you handle the complaint!

Now Lonman's venue doesn't allow any profanity. I don't agree with it, but it IS his show, and he has to satisfy the owners. AND Lonnie's proven several times over that the troubles in the bar mostly went away after the no profanity rule was put in place... so who am I to challenge such wisdom?

I just know that a responsible bartender and wait staff can spot a troublemaker and can cut them off or ask them to leave. To me, it's not about changing the common demoninator, but instead, making people responsible for their own actions.

I also never allowed serious energy to remain... so if a headbanger song was played, I'd mix in some country afterwards as I annoucned the next singer, made fun of a partial lyric in the prev. song to lighten the moment. Again... it's all about personal responsibility!

I'm also big enough and talented enough to break up a situation if it is starting to boil. I don't just sit behind my kj booth, but keep an eye on the room, and walk about it during performances to assure good sound levels are still good, and that people are still havin a great time!

It cheapens the show.

well i think that whoever is complaining is obviously uncomfortable but it's because they don't expect to hear dirty songs. Unfortunately in any open karaoke someone is bound to sing a song's whose lyrics might offend someone. They need to suck it up. you can't tell someone they can't sing a song because it offends someone else i think.

Why not?

What if that someone was your mother, sister, grand mother, aunt, President Bush?

^ hahaha. it wouldn't matter i think. maybe i'm just biased but i've been to karaoke bars where someone sang something i didn't particularly like and found offensive but i'm not going to take it personally. i just ignore it.

My mother has seen plenty of movies where the word "f**k" is used and somehow she's managed to survive.  And I'm sure President Bush is more than familiar with "a$$hole".

People have freedom of choice.  If you can't handle an occasional profanity, you should probably stay away from bars in the first place.  You shouldn't expect the world to tailor itself to your ridiculously delicate sensibilities.

^ yeah bars don't seem to be the most politically correct places.     so why go and expect that. Now if it's obviously a family environment then of course that's different.

Many shows take place in bar/restaurants.

Had a guy 3 weeks ago had is daughters in the BAR from 10 -12 AM.  Those girls were maybe 6 & 8.  

Maybe he  was trawling for broads that would see the cute kids and feel sorry for him..

Regardless the girls should have been in bed and he should have had his a&& kicked for draggiing them around.

But there are also kids that are older in B/R and they are still under 21, but they are allowed to be there with a parent or guardian.  So do you let the show fly or tone it down, out of respect?

A KJ friend of mine has shows at two different venues that just happen to be Bar & Restaurant type places.  Basically the rule is that he won't play the songs with "colorful" language until the restaurant closes or if there are minors present.  His book has all of these type songs followed by a ** and a notation at the bottom of every page that these songs are played "at the KJ's discretion".  

The song in question by the Bloodhound Gang is one I really don't care for personally due to the subject matter.

If every song that "offended" someone was taken out of a karaoke book there would be a lot of songs missing.  Some people get all worked up if they hear the "F Bomb" but have no problem listening to songs about murder ("Delilah", "Goodbye Earl") or male-bashing songs like "Men".  

There are people who get offended if someone pulls out a Christian song (I've heard the complaints from people).  Or what about "Counting Blue Cars" - Dishwalla in which God is referred to in the female gender (I had someone approach me about this one after I sung it one night)?  

Remember, MOST karaoke shows are in bars open to those 21 and over.

man oh man...sum people.  I have one guy that sings that song ALOT and every time EVERYONE laughs and enjoys it!  I can't think of any time that someone came up to me to say please don't play a song....hmmmm....nope can't think of one....suppose that is a good thing!!!

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I know..its crazy! Here in Dutch you have to be 21 and up to get in to the bar. I can understand if there are kids around that that song wouldnt fly!

yea, that is the one thing I sometimes watch out for, cause one of the places I work at is a bar that's attached to a bowling alley and sometimes parents bring in their little ones and that's when I gotta pay attention and not let them kind of songs be sung!!!  How bout that Adam Sandler song..."At A Medium Pace"....I only hear laughs all the time...!!!

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I couldn't agree more.

If someone is so offended by hearing a swear word, they need to stay at home with their head in the sand.

That Adam Sandler song is great ...there is an Adam Sandler with a car someone sang a few months back. I dont remeber the name though. so funny!!

ah yes...that one is called "Ode To My Car" I have that one toooo....!!

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, I sing ode to my car pretty often. My partner and I both have old muscle cars, I re arrange the words to pick on his. he stand on stage and kind of "mimes" along with it like he is using the coat hanger to open his door, getting poked in the ball$ by the seat spring ect. it gets a HUGE laugh.

Ive never had any complaints about swearing, One of my shows has a bunch of outcasts from another show in town where the KJ will not let them swear or change up words to make a song dirty. If anyone says anything I will tell them "it IS a fawking bar last time i checked." if people want to cus and be perverts thats part of being in a bar. my show continues to build while the "PC" show has gone quite flat since we opened up.

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the voices arent real, but they have some good ideas

ok you prove my point

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"Be who you are and say what you feel... Because those that matter... Don't mind...And those that mind... Don't matter."