Karaoke Forums

Babs, I hate to say it but your sexist side is showing... Empathy is a prime trait of any good host, male or female.

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Good music, good friends, howling good times!

Here we come, walkin'
Down the street.
We get the funniest looks from
Ev'ry one on KS we meet.
Hey, hey, we're the KJ Monkees
And people say we monkey around.
But we're too busy singing
To put anybody down.

We Karaoke wherever we want to,
do what we like to do
We don't have time to get restless,
There's always something new.
Hey, hey, we're the KJ Monkees
And people say we monkey around.
But we're too busy singing
To put anybody down.

We're just tryin' to be friendly,
Come and watch us sing and play,
We're the karaoke generation,
And we've got something to say.

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

I think one can work on their personality and end up being a more hostful, garcious host. If one were to watch some of the long time tv professionals, people like Jay Leno, David Letterman, and the late Johnny Carson, one could probably pick up some good points on how to host. These people are on the spot with their guests for x-amount of time, and they deal with a wide variety of personalities, and they have to be able to make that time be entertaining and fun, and make both the guest and audience want to come back. It's a work of art.

You are right, Koyote - but I think it is easier for the majority of women to do that "nurturing" thing than men - which is what, I think, Babs is saying here. Of course there are empathetic men...geesh...I'm married to one!

To tie this back to the OP, a genial personality is what will promote adherence to your show's rules. Being open and welcoming will encourage patrons to behave like adults and realize that the rules are in place to help the show run smoothly and insure a fair rotation for EVERYONE'S enjoyment.

My tact is to quickly shut down those who want to ruin other people's fun. For instance, I have a rule about singers putting in their own songs. Occasionally someone will sign up their buddies to sing. Their buddies have no idea they were signed up to sing, and, in many cases, don't even know the song well enough to sing it. That results in people coming up on stage, looking awkward and either mumbling for 4 minutes or freestyling their own lyrics which are usually some sing-songy words like "I don't know this song...I don't know this song."

If I suspect this (and my intuition is usually good) when the singers come up on stage, I simply ask, "What song are you singing?" If they tell me they don't know, I tell them they can't sing, reiterate on the mic that people need to sign up their own songs, and immediately call the next singer. Most always the surprised friend will leave the stage relieved, and whoever signed them up will be in front of the stage laughing.

I don't scold them like a schoolchild, nor make the show come to a screeching halt. I say it matter-of-factly with humor and then move on. IMHO that's where personality comes into play. Being able to keep the show moving through the good and the bad without it affecting the energy of the room or being a downer to the audience.

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When someone puts in a song for someone else without permission, I have my own way of dealing with it.
You are fortunate that they even come up to the stage. That RARELY happens with me. They don't show and I can usually scan the crowd and tell right away who it was. I then generally ask who put the song in and because they are new (regs know better) they generally unsuspectingly fess up. I then tell them (over the mic so everyone hears) that unless they have the express permission of the person they're signing up, I will make them sing it. I let them know it holds up the show for singers who actually want to come up and wastes their time. And if they have no issue with singing it, I then tell them that I get to pick the song (Usually like a virgin for guys and maybe some nasty death metal for girls) they have to sing. That usually stops them dead in their tracks and the whole crowd gets a laugh at just the thought of it. They usually decline, and I then tell them that next time, I WILL make them sing. The person they signed up ends up looking incredibly relieved, and I've even had a few come up and thank me later.
I've only had one person come up and sing the song (again, like a virgin - it was a guy) ever, and it was humorous enough for the whole crowd because he was a good sport about it. But the lesson got through.

It's all about the personality for me. I thoroughly enjoy a good kj with a great personality over a high-tech sound engineer any day. Hell, I go to a show here locally for the sole purpose of the kj hosting it. Her setup is very average at best and her song selection is limited to say the least but she is a firecracker on the mic. She has great energy and vibe and people feed off it.
When I go pitch to a potential venue owner/manager I sell a show. It's not karaoke... it's a SHOW!! My wife and I both have outgoing personalities and think it helps with hosting. I am by trade an auctioneer so being up in front of people is second nature to me. I try to make everyone feel comfortable and have a good time. I also tell that prospective owner that we have a minimum of two people at all of our shows. One to run the board and one to work the room. We always mingle with our custies and they seem to like it.

It happens rarely to me that someone will sign someone else up and them not know. If it does happen and they actually come to the stage and don't want to sing the song I simply tell them if they'd like to sing pick out a different song and I'll put them in the next rotation and move on. People usually don't try to pull this kind of stunt twice because it didn't work the first time. If they do it again I'm aware of what's going on, so will go ask them if the person actually knows, if not, I don't put it in. It's not really a problem for me on a regular basis, so I don't do anything fancy.

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

Personality is a definate plus, but it isn't a must for me. I'd just like a KJ that is friendly and actually pays attention to who's singing. There is nothing worse than going up to the Kj after being skipped over several times in rotation and asking what's up and they dig through a pile of slips and says, who are you? Aaaarg!

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

Wow! You're lucky. It's been happening more and more for me lately. I've begun to attract a younger crowd who think it's funny to put their buddies up without their knowledge. They tend to be newbies to the bar scene and because of their maturity level think it's hilarious, so It's getting to be a bit of a regular thing. I can usually spot the obvious ones (putting two buddies up for Islands In The Stream, for example, happened last night), but there are some that slip through.


I can't imagine running a rotation so shoddily that someone gets missed even once, never mind several times. If I had to chooses, I'd choose the same way as you, Babs.
It's only happened a couple of times where someone turns in a slip, but puts it in the completely wrong place so I don't find it right away. Only ever happens when I'm in the biffy or away for a moment. One night, I had several newbies throwing their slips in my prize draw box. Slips went in there AFTER they got sung. Was a real mess trying to figure it out. ARRG! I ended up having to "hide" the box".

DITTO

And, Seattle, inclusive in what those hosts do that make them so likable is their ability to keep their guests at the center of attention and of prime importance. And don't discount how they make everybody comfortable even during some unbelievable embarrassing moments!

I've said for years that too many KJ have the opinion that the primary ingredient in creating a successful show is the equipment. I have maintained that in most cases the KJ personality is the main factor in determining success.

That's why I have always argued that it is best for a newbie to consider getting the cheapest equipment he can get away with when starting out, unless he has prior experience hosting similar activities and already knows that he is good at it.

So, if he does not have the prior experiences and finds that he DOESN'T have the personality or temperament to pull off karaoke hosting, he won't be out a "ton of money". If successful, he will have plenty of opportunity to upgrade the equipment.

I think when your talking personality your talking about a lot of different scenarios.

A good personality could be simply a gracious host that isn't rude or it could mean a host that is entertaining.

As long as the host does a good job and isn't rude to anyone I'm happy. If they are entertaining without taking away from the singers it's a plus.

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

I believe that when i's really busy, then a host needs to concentrate on the rotation, keep the personality to a minimum but always be kind. Unless you have a cohost, there's usually too much to do and you shouldn't waste other people's time jabbering.

If it's slower, then you should be more entertaining and pay extra attention to the singers you do have and make them feel appreciated, wanted, and needed.

An OVER THE TOP personality is mostly annoying to me, but one that is playful and full of wit and makes friendly eye contact, i believe does much better at connecting with an audience of any size.

Yes, an "over the top" personality is a personality. Most of us use that particular description, though, to indicate a negative rather than a positive trait.

And in fact, everyone has a "personality", good bad or indifferent. Some people are outgoing, some more introverted, some are in between. Some people are funny, some aren't, some are in between. Some who try to be funny aren't and what they say might lead us to call them "over the top"!

Some people are warm and some are cold and some are in between. Some people are talkative and others say what they need to with a minimum of words and some fall in between. Some KJ's have a laid back demeanor while others put on a "party hat" and whoop it up and some are in between.

Some KJ's get off the "stage" as soon as they can to greet each arriving singer with a hug; some simple wave or nod; some don't "say" hello. Some say goodnight to each leaving singer, some are too busy to notice.

Some KJ's say "thank you" for each request slip they receive, others offer no response.

Some KJ's enthusiastically encourage recognition for each singer's effort while others hurriedly get the next singer up without encouraging the audience to acknowledge either the last singer or the new singer.

Some KJ's are better than others at "persuading" new singers to get up for the first time.

And, by no means last, some KJ's just have the knack to make you glad you are at their show rather than at someone else's and they contribute to you having a good time in ways that you may not even be able to put your finger on.

On the other hand, maybe it is simply a matter of not having a bad personality that is required in order to be successful as a KJ?

Exactly !

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

Nahh, I don't think so. If it were simply a matter of not having a bad personality along with adhering to the accepted basic principles of hosting as discussed on this forum, just about every host who follows those stated principles would be successful!

I would also add that in life I have found few attributes to be more beneficial than consistency. So.... I can't ascribe to the following philosophy.


Making everyone feel appreciated, wanted and needed is important even if your show is teeming with singers. Even with a co-host I sometimes lose sight of the singers and making them feel special.

And if you don't have the "personality", you won't be successful in making people feel that they are special even if you are making the effort to do that!

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For instance, I have a rule about singers putting in their own songs. Occasionally someone will sign up their buddies to sing. Their buddies have no idea they were signed up to sing, and, in many cases, don't even know the song well enough to sing it.



Hi All again. I do bring my own songs as they are in my key, and I know the words.
I went to a show on Fr. he had just converted to laptop. He swore he could not play a karaoke ( a purchased one ) cg+g. I could see his drive blinking but he was adament!!! I have quit the place as arguing is too much like work!


I used to go there as he does have 20,000 songs, but not the right 20,000

It's been "so long" since I read this I almost forgot about it!

I remember, as a kid growing up in Brooklyn, that when the school day ended we would stop at the "candy store" on the way home.

For the uninitiated, a candy store was a place where you could get candy, snacks, ice cream, fountain drinks as well as soda pop in a bottle. In my neighborhood, we had three candy stores to choose from, and each was owned by a family from the immediate neighborhood.

I preferred to frequent one store in particular. That store was owned by a man who was genuinely funny, easy to talk to and who seemed to really enjoy having us there.

There were, on the other hand, candy stores in the general area where the owner would "bark" at the kids (and we could be a handful) and didn't hesitate to let you know he was watching your every move in case you were thinking of pocketing some candy!

In my youth, I frequented scores of candy stores in NYC and it's been many years since I was last in one. Yet, I still find myself reminiscing about my favorite candy store to this day!

But the following post pretty much says it all for me!