Karaoke Forums

I was trying to be funny........but yes I have done this, making up my own melody and often words as I go along.....thinking on my feet is one of my only qualities... :)

Eric.....are you and exweedfarmer the same person?.... ....if not, you're two peas in a pod......

Somehow I don't see Eric L on weed.

But the Johnny Reverb thing can be done to good effect. Reminds me of when a young rapper punk put up "End of the World" expecting a sinister modern song and he got the Skeeter Davis thing instead which he had never heard. He did a great job of going along with it all the while asking, "What the H is this?" I'm still laughing 10 years later.

Per JohnnyReverb:



First of all, my success as a KJ is dependent upon maximizing how many people enjoy my show and minimizing how many don't. There is no upside to any businessman, Mr Jreverb, to intentionally p**s off any customer. Particular a whole sub-set of customers. So suggesting that I want to makes fools of singers is sheer foolishness on your part JReverb!

I think the following real story, in response to such narrow thinking, may in some regards make the point I have been trying to subtly make!

My wife has been doing my shows with me, because I believe that a show runs best as do a few others with two people. However, my wife has decided that spending evenings in bars is not really "her cup of tea". So, I've started to look for a someone to replace her.

I took note of and introduced myself to such a candidate the week before last. She is 23 years old and hangs out a local karaoke show! And.... without her knowledge.... I started to audition her for the position to work with me. This week my wife came with me and validated my opinion. So, when I am ready I will consider offering the job to her.

What did the "audition" consist of... an attempt to see how self-confident and open to the unexpected she is. I asked what she like to sing? She said she preferred to sing country. I asked her if she would sing a "Pop" tune for me? She said that she would. And although she indicated that she is not familiar with singing many "Pop" tunes, with input from the KJ who she knew, she sang a pop song that she had never before done.

When my wife came in with me, I wanted my wife to evaluate how the young lady interacted with me. So, I asked the gal if she would do a duet with me. She said, "sure". I asked what she would like to sing and she told me to choose something. I asked if she was familiar with PBTDL (a particularly good song to build interaction during). She said "No, but I'll give it a try. Realizing, of course, that you can't sing that song if you don't know it, I suggested "Crusin'". She also said she didn't know it. But since the Male part starts the song and because I believed that once it started she would recognize it, I felt it was a perfect choice. Well, it started a little rough, took just a little longer than I thought for her to "hear it" but we sang it as best as we could, getting better and better as it went along. She loved singing it and the audience thoroughly enjoyed the effort.

Now, clearly, she could have told me, simply, that she didn't want to sing with me! Or... that she didn't know the song! Or that the KJ had the "wrong" version! Did she say any of those things?

To the contrary, she didn't hesitate one bit. She wasn't concerned about making a fool out of herself.... she didn't hesitate to have a good time!

Now was my goal during all of this interaction to embarrass her or make a fool out of her or upset her? ACTUALLY, NOT. Actually, if I do offer her the job and she accepts, what I did I also did because I needed to start to build her CONFIDENCE IN ME!

In closing... if I screw up a song.... I really don't give a damn! And neither did my singing partner the other night.... a 23 year old with all the confidence in the world!

So, JReverb, if you think my goal is to make a fool of anyone... only they can do that to themselves... My thinking is to help everyone have a good time and not to be intimidated by "proficient' singers. We are all entitle to enjoy karaoke no matter how we sing or how much we practice.

Hmmmmm, maybe she was just a DIVA who is willing to do ANYTHING to get a little extra stage time. I went to a karaoke show last night and there was this one girl who was with a bunch of her friends and it seemed like she had a microphone in her hand on every other song for a while. She was asking all of her friends to put in songs that she knew so she could go up on stage and "HELP" them out. After a while, the KJ caught on and put the breaks on her and her friends taking advantage of the duet loop hole.

Any KJ who puts in the song, "PARADISE BY THE DASH BOARD LIGHT" FOR HIMSELF TO SING, whether he is working the show or not, loses any respect that I might have had for him to begin with. It's just a song for stage hogs..... People who think that quantity of stage time is more important than quality stage time. It's just a way for people to feel like they got three turns all rolled into one. It is a VERY RARE occurence to hear this one done well.

Or... maybe she is exactly what she is? Someone who doesn't require her own discs to have a great time at karaoke? Someone who doesn't even care if she knows the song all that well.

Hardly anyone's definition of a DIVA

I'm like Mickey, I didn't start singing until I was 51. I sing in my car to/from work all the time. I usually discover a song that I like when I go to the Karaoke bars. I practice the song and see if I can sing it. If after a while I realize that I can't hit the high notes, or the song is not my style, I drop it. Some songs are too high for me. I love the songs, but can't hit the notes. I have quite a few songs that I can do well. I have a much larger list of songs that I have given up on. I love to sing and am quite content to sit a home and sing all by myself. I really don't need to sing to a crowd of strangers. I don't need the spotlight. Eventually, I would like to compose my own songs, but I'm not quite there yet.

Funny how the kettle always calls the pot black... ....Eric....you ask questions........and then you tell us the answers......you might consider if it's possible, that you're the one that is narrow minded....what works for one, might not work for all, but you act like everything you say is gospel.....I'm going to visit your show some day in the not so distant future.....and I'm bringing my video camera........

I personally, would never "audition" anyone without their knowledge.... it would be a waste of my time. I also would never consider any candidate that has a limited genre of songs, in this case lots of country and little of anything else.

I have people come up to me and say "I'd like to be a host because I'm a really good rock singer!"

Guess what? I don't need "rock singers" at all.... I need a "host" that can sing rock, country, duets, Oldies, pop, comedy, standards and just about anything thrown at them and maintain a pleasant and fun personality.

I also explain to them that the job is NOT about them singing. If they want to sing alot, go to a karaoke bar as a patron, because your job as a host is not to utilize the system to put on your own "concert night." Our hosts sing only when absolutely necessary or requested to sing a duet. I've seen plenty of "KJ mic hogs" out there and it drives me nuts..... expecially when they sing about every 4th song and issue the same disclaimer: "This is by request." When they never identify the "requestor" because they don't have one.

So, as a singer should you practice? I don't think it matters. If you're at a show with your friends and having a good time, who cares? But if you're there to "perform for the crowd" then you'd better be something worth watching/listening to.

well everyone interprets life and events from their own experience.

I used the term "audition" simply because there is no other way to describe what I was doing. If you have a better word (not phrase of words), provide it and I'll be happy to edit my post to satisfy you.

And..... singing is not what I expect from someone working with me... my wife can't sing a stitch and has sung in public once at one of my shows only because a personal friend of hers dragged her up to the stage

and if anyone wants to tape my show... come on down! Good, bad or indifferent it is what it is. And I will never be embarrassed by what it is. So come on down! But please note, for own best interest, that I have never, ever made any assertion about the quality, popularity, nature of, success etc of my show. So pray tell what would you hope to accomplish?

geesh so many ridiculous swipes!!!

I'm a little late as usual...but i absolutely practice songs and try to sound as close to the original artist as i can for better entertainment value.

Only a very FEW singers can make a song their own and blow away the crowd here in hawaii, as we have a lot of amazing singers both homegrown and visiting from the northwest and california- where they take it very seriously.

And i make it a point to NEVER sing a FEMALE song as most male singers get made fun of (unbeknownst to them in most cases) and get the "WTF look" thrown at me- especially being the host.

I sing mostly modern rock, old school R&b, and a few hip hop songs.

I Don't even think i could find a FEMALE song i would want to sing to sound like a female, but i'm sure there are a few guys here that don't mind, or aren't aware YET that dudes doing girl's songs get looked at funny by other dudes!

There seems to be a different standard for women- they ROCK guys songs WELL here all the time.

...may be different in other parts of the country (disclaimer)

I (in my head) while waiting to sing. My head is stuffed with soooo many songs, that my biggest problem is that when I go to a show, my mind becomes a complete BLANK, and I can't think of a song to sing. So I spend more time trying to sift through my mental database, than practicing. That is ONE really good reason why I prefer to go to a show that STILL has books. I can usually open the book, and within a page or two, I can find SOMETHING to sing.

Rosario

ps. I can sing MANY female songs WELL, and I'm sure people aren't laughing, unless it's one that I do to PURPOSELY get peoples attain (VOGUE) is one example I can think of right off hand. 6'8" long haired guy singing Vogue, that will get their attention.

DANG...6'8 that's super tall! Yea, Vogue would get you lots of laughs here!

The younger crowds here would give you "funny looks" for even trying to sing a Bee Gees or Air Supply Song, unless you were playing around, let alone a female song.

But of course it happens.. i choose to not supply ammo, that's all- although i do have a good sense of humor and don't mind ribbing of other sorts.

I sing MJ songs and dance like him for entertainment, but wouldn't think of doing "Like a Virgin" or "It's Raining Men"- seen toooo many guys BOMB trying to be funny singing female songs...NOT Worth It!

I have never considered who originated a song when I choose to do it. I've just noted in a couple of recent posts that I actually practiced a song and it was by Anne Murray!

Example of other such songs I have sung, include:

Why'd You Come In Here by Dolly Parton (BTW: the words, which I have to change slightly, make me think it was originally written for a male to sing.)

Killing Me Softy by Roberta Flack (requires change of one word)

Sha La La La La by Venga Boys (requires change of a couple of words)

Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? by Shirelles (requires no change in words)

Somewhere Tonight by Highway 101 (requires no change of words)

Just Say Yes by Highway 101 (requires no change of words)

Long Gone by Bailey & The Boys (requires no change of words)

Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Judy Garland (requires no change of words)

When You Say Nothing At All by Alison Kraus (which was originally made by Keith Whitley 10 years before)

I always try to bring something new each week so practice is not always an option. Sometimes I will hear a song walking through a store and try it that night. You learn quickly if it is a keeper or not!