Karaoke Forums

Did a show last night, usually held on Fridays but a former singer from California was back and requested the Saturday show. Had the regulars and some new singers, and of course the one that always makes me grit my teeth and do my best to be nice.

He came up to me 45 minutes before the show started with a handful of song slips filled out (came from some other host's show). No problem, I'll log them when I'm finished. He wanted to start singing in 15 minutes, I told him that in 45 minutes we will be begin. After this finally got thru to him, then he wanted to chit chat while I'm trying to decode an audio problem, I politely and patiently waited for him to finish his one sided conversation (always about how crappy of a job a certain karaoke host does).

I had a brand new SM58 wired mic but when his first turn came up he insisted on the wireless. Ok that's cool. He starts singing, then looks at me and gives me the "turn my mic up" sign. I turned it up and then he gave me the sign again. Usually he sings with plenty of voice but not this time. So the next singer starts and this guy wants to stay on stage and tell me about a KJ who never gets the mic volume proper. Again bashing other hosts. I did for the second time give him the little speel about mic technique and who knows if I got thru to him.

So every time he came to the stage he wanted something tweaked. I should mention that this guy often sings off key and always tries to add his own flavor of how to sing the song. Nothing wrong with that except it just doesn't work for him.

The second time he came to the stage I had him use the wired mic telling him I needed to change a battery in my wireless. When he was finished he told me that mic sounded so much better than the wireless. Ok? I spent plenty of time getting all my mics to sound the same (all Shure 58's with one being a Beta) and I can't tell the difference but he of course is an obvious Audiophile.

Towards the end of the night he informed me that he had somehow moved in the rotation and he couldn't understand it. I told him I couldn't understand it either since my rotation is automatic with Compuhost. He insisted he had been moved back. I told him he was following the same person he had been for 4 rotations.

The next rotation he came up and angrily told me that he was watching the screen and he had been #6 and now it showed him #4 and he wanted to know why he had been moved back. Now I'm no math major but,,,,,,,,? Anyway I told him after each performance the marquee will show him with a lower number. He just didn't get it.

He is by far my most annoying singer, I wish he would stick to the Quad Cities, they deserve him!

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

Yeh, that's what we call a super-duper-kj-pooper-extraordinaire.........in some countries, there's actually a bounty on them......
Best way to deal with one.....is to kill him.....no one wil care..

I know the type. Had my share of these Mr. Know It All clowns. There’s this guy sober went up the stage to help “tweak my sound because he’s a sound engineer” giving me advice on speaker placement & to set my eq @ smiley face level (the giveaway - sound engineer he’s NOT!) The singer was only 6 ft away from us while he was blubbering words incoherently; actually I wasn’t listening but just keeping my patience at bay.

The last straw was when he touched my mixer knobs & adjusts the settings. The sound level dropped, the singer looked at me like saying WTF. That’s when I smacked his arm really hard while his hand still on top of the mixer I’m positive it left a bruise (lucky for him my cooler temper prevailed it could’ve been worse). Now I can hardly contain myself. He’s in total shock it’s now determination of psych one-upmanship it’s clear I have the upper hand. I asked him where he works. He said assistant mgr, Radio Shack across the street. So, I told him I will be there tomorrow & show him how to do his job, & then I’ll mess with his register & calculating machines to show him how it’s done. “Now get off my effing stage!”. He left fuming, complained to the manager about how rude I was that he’s not coming back anymore. Of course, he was back 3 weeks later with a positive attitude, told me the only time he will come up to the stage is when it’s his turn to sing.

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To be fortunate enough to derive an income from a source as fulfilling as karaoke music has got to be as close to heaven as we can get here on earth!

Had a bit of a problem myself on Saturday night. Usually a nice pleasant gig in a nice little boozer with most singers over the age of 50. Three young lads in, obviously a tad worse for wear, with one who I swear was on something yabbering in my ear as soon I start setting up. So much so I started early just to get him off my back. Wouldn't ya know it, we had a quiet night with only one of the regulars coming in, and he cleared off by 9.30pm! Luckily the three lads headed off into town at 10pm, but it was after the longest 60minutes of my short life as a KJ host so far. We even had a rendition of Hurricane by Bob Dylan. 9 MINUTES long in case anyone else gets a request for it. You must now delete it! Worst of all the chief pest thought he could sing. Oh lord he could not.

I had one of these "self elected must help poor amateur KJ sound engineers" at my show recently, too. He looked at my Presonus digital mixer and tried to explain to me that I definitely needed to get a better mixer that would have an EQ so I can set it to a smilie face settings. I almost fell of my chair laughing...

I would say it was the moon, but in my case, it was an early football game that the home team won. I was putting in a new laptop and wanted to make sure everything went well so I showed up an hour and a half early. I had also asked a few regulars to come early and they could get a few songs in while I made sure everything was going to be set for the real show. I walk in and get hit by six drunk ex college guys wanting me to start right then. I'm in "tech mode" and not "show mode" but I still try to explain I won't be starting for a while. So then, an ex bouncer comes up and asks me when I plan to start. He's a guy that would much rather have a bunch of dance music all night instead of karaoke. He explains its his birthday and they just plugged 20 bucks in the juke box. I asked why he did that if he saw me come in and you know what I do here? I tell him I'm not set yet anywhere near ready anyway. It's now 20 minutes since I tried to start and I've gotten no where yet. Normally, the bar just doesn't have much business at 8:30 so it was one of those dumb luck things I guess. So I get set and call a drunk guy up. Another shows up with him and he starts leading college cheers on stage. I normally would have started the song as soon as they get there but this is the first song and I had an issue with the USB sound card (was already at the bar) and breakout. Tis the reason I wanted to shake things down some. Anyway, they appear to be trying to sig as horribly as possible and when the song ends, I always speak right up to keep the "post song speaches" where they belong which is in the trash. But these guys start leading cheers over me so I mute the mics. I usually do that right after I start talking anyway. Of course then they accuse me of not being a fan. I inform them that I'm not.. I'm not in show mode and the last thing I thought I was going to have to deal with is midnight level drunks at 9.
Maybe it was the moon...

Sorry it's not just me. I don't wish this on anybody~

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

I have a deal worked out with my bars. If a person is being a jerk, they get tossed out or I shut down for the night and get full pay and I let all the other singers know just who and why they don't get to sing anymore. I've made sure that my contract say that I'm paid by the show, not by the hour and that I may shut down early at any time if I feel my equipment is in any danger of being damaged in any way. So, in a way, neither me or the bar owners that I work for will put up with crap out of jerks or drunks, period. You all should take up the same policy. Peer pressure from other singers really works too.

As I was reading this thread... I was on the phone with a friend who happens to be a regular at my shows for the last 8+ years.

I was describing the week I had with people acting up and being disrespectful and even breaking some of my stuff.

Wednesday, one guy is upset with me because I won't bump him in front of 8 singers who had been signed up and singing and drinking and waiting their turn. I told him I would give him my spot in the list, which would have put him smack in the middle of the list as the rotation was about 14 or 15 singers at the time. He tried to act indignant and when that didn't influence me, he took his three buddies and left with a glare at me on the way out the door. I just glared back and thought "See ya, ya douche".

Thursday, at about 1:30 am, after having removed myself from the rotation 2 hours before, I got a request from a friend to sing a particular song that doesn't have wide appeal but is a favorite of that person. I'm on the stage doing the song and suddenly a group of young women (early to mid 20's) start yelling obscenities and calling me names and saying they don't want to listen to me or that song and that they want their friend to sing a song for them. They were actually attempting to shut me down and get their friend on the stage in my place! I finished the tune and immediately shut down sign up. I announced that I would only accept verbal requests for the remainder of the show. I cued up the next singer (my assistant) and promptly made myself scarce so that I would not be involved in a confrontation at the venue. I've never encountered that kind of rudeness and disrespect EVER. Ten years ago, I would have torn into them and happily had a huge blow-out. Now, I just go home and beat the heck out of the heavy bag in the garage. I tell myself, it's just karaoke, it isn't serious.

Friday night, a friend shows up and it happens to be his birthday. I don't do "Happy Birthday To You" at adult shows. If the crowd wants to do it 'a capella' then so be it... but I choose "Birthday" by The Beatles when celebrating karaoke style. The DK version has a funny image of a party and I swear it looks like David Lee Roth in the picture. Anyway, I also hand out those little shaker eggs and cheap tambourines and a couple of actual musical shakers (real instruments) as the crowd participates and celebrates. One of those "real instruments" that is not cheap and that I have been bringing to shows for 5+ years suddenly becomes a weapon, then a projectile and then... explodes. Ruined. No more real anything. Sticking to shaker eggs and kiddie tambourines.

Saturday night, a guy I know that has never really been what you would call positive or friendly shows up and wants to sing. He is one of those who doesn't want to use a kiosk to sign up. I've been dealing with him for years so I am willing to add him to the queue. He asks when he is up and I tell him he is 8th in the list and I point at the display screen with the scrolling list of singers at the bottom. He acts all surprised that he's not next and he goes back to his seat. Four songs later he's yelling "Did I get skipped?" across the bar and shrugging his shoulders and waving his arms around like he's being victimized. I preempt his expressions for the next few songs by repeatedly announcing the list of singers until it is his turn. Just to prove no good dead goes unpunished, he proceeds to the stage with at least 3 more drinks in him and starts to mumble the song and compliment the bartenders and wander of the stage with my wireless mic to stick it in the face of some other loudmouth and then return to the stage to stop mumbling, but begin shouting the song. The rest of the night went pretty well considering.

I still love my job.

I too, think is was the moon.

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Never the same show twice!

I only need one thing clear with the bar. I run the show and I decide who sings and when. If I say someone it out of the rotation, then they are out. They are welcome to stay in the bar if they like as long as they haven't done something with the bar to get kicked out. I've only had to drop someone from singing less than a handful of times. As for the jerks I delt with, that is what the bar pays me to do, deal with them. In almost all cases, I keep them in check just fine. My guys have been in many times before and this was a first they acted like this. They had been drinking and were keyed up from the game. They also had spent a bunch on drink and food and if I had been in show mode, this would have been controlled. That does not give them the freedom to overrun the stage and I would have made them wait until official start time if I had known. I had a few regs that came in, but after these guys had asked, and I usually go with who is in the bar and asks first, even before the show.

It all worked out; got things going and got on the game. The guys sang one more time then left. Ahh, the beauty of people who drink themselves out early and leave..

I just thought it was interesting to see there was some sort of rash of this type thing this weekend. Wife says it was a new moon, which can be just as bad as a full one.

I'm hardnosed about my requirements for working at a bar and this is one major thing I insist upon. I HAVE FULL CONTROL OF THE SHOW/STAGE and I don't answer to bartenders. Now, keep in mind that I use Shure Super 55's at My show (Commonly referred to as the "Elvis Mic"). I had a customer come up after singing and complain that he couldn't hear himself. well he grabbed the mic and sang into the Top of it (Which of course is not where the hot spot of these mics is located) I told him after his song that he needed to sing into the front of the mike where the "Dot" (Shure Logo) is. he promptly told me that it was MY job to make him sound good no matter what he does on stage and that he had been in Radio for 4 years and I shouldn't be telling him how to use a mic. he of course said this in much more colorful language. I of Course told him to get the hell off my stage and banned him from singing for the night (He was from out of town staying at a local motel, so it didn't matter much anyway). The Bartenders had no problem with that and I have full support of the owner things like this. After 16 years of KJ'ing I have little patience for butt heads like that.

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Sal "Kjmann" Esquivel
Karaoke With Sal - Website

The fact that he thought this was some kind of badge of honor made me laugh out loud! Anyone still in radio today is a fool.

Sorry for the slight hijack (apologies), but yes - shock-jock Howard Stern, not the am/fm we're accustomed to growing up. He's at Siruis xm sat radio raking in $400 mil 5yr contract equal to $80 mil a yr. I'll take that in a heartbeat.
More info: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2 ... tract.html

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To be fortunate enough to derive an income from a source as fulfilling as karaoke music has got to be as close to heaven as we can get here on earth!

I am very familiar with Howard & Sirius/XM, both professionally and personally. But he is literally the "one in a million" morning guy in the radio industry. Much like actors, for every super-star there are tens of thousands of wanna-be's.

My best friend C. Staley will back me up on this. In radio, if you want to make any kind of a decent salary, you have to be a morning guy. And there are less than 20 morning jobs in every big city, even less in medium and small markets. The mid-day, afternoon and night hosts (if they even exist at all and aren't voice-tracked) make on average less than $30,000 a year nationwide. They pay you in fun and the ego-stroke illusion of "fame" like the singing Radio DJ talked about above. "Free T-shirts and all the CD's you can carry home" we used to say. MANY a DJ has said "Hey! It beats having a real job!" which is 100% true when in your 20's. Not so much in your 30's and 40's.

Speaking of Howard, I bid on the "America's Got Talent 2012 Cast & Crew Wrap Party" in NYC. They wanted to do karaoke, then sadly changed their mind. I was hoping to see Howard sing.

...and now back to you regularly scheduled thread.

Or they simply wanted a change of pace from repeating the phrase; "you want fries with that?"

Contrary to popular belief, WKRP in Cincinnati was a documentary – not a comedy.

And I have a very simple rule:

I don't need your "help." If you touch my equipment, you don't sing.

You hit that one right on the head old buddy old pal!

I usually tell people that if they want to make money in radio, then they have to be "a personality." Wolfman Jack, Howard Stern, and even Paul Harvey were radio station personalities. A newbie would be lucky to make over minimum wage if a standard "station jock."

And he's right; when you're in your 20s and you've got weirdo groupies calling you in the middle of the night, and you get to go to concerts free while little teenage girls are looking at you like you're some kind of rock star, you're being paid with "glamour." Because you're certainly not being paid with money.

Even in the theme song from the television show WKRP in Cincinnati, the lyrics say; "town to town, up and down the dial."

And that's simply because most radio station jocks these days are always looking for a job that pays a few pennies more than what they're currently being paid. They wait for the ratings to come out for certain shows slots, and if by some miracle of nature their sliot has picked up a point or two, they suddenly believe they're worth thousands more and they start job-hopping.