Karaoke with a Guest....

So it's Tuesday and I make my way to Mad Hatter's to do my normal karaoke routine. The place was not as crowded as I would have expected on Fat Tuesday.

That's right, "Fat Tuesday," I'm an American damn it!!

I get there and one of the regulars was there and I sat next to him. I had a hard time deciding whether or not I should sing "Wishing Well" by Terence Trent D'Arby. I saw a facebook buddy post the old video and thought I'd give it a try. It went pretty well and was looking forward to challenge myself further.

An alternate clip of the song.

Now, facebook is an addiction I have to admit to. I live by myself, it's cold so I spend a lot of time getting updates from people who I haven't seen in a very long time. One guy, Don I haven't seen or talked to for nearly 24 years!

He left messages wanting to hang out at Mad Hatter's and told me he would stop by one of these days. I thought that on a Tuesday night and living about an hour away I didn't expect to see him. I had my eye on the front entrance as I always do. I spotted Don when he walked in, it took me a second to put the updated picture on Facebook to the skinny kid I knew in art class back in the 80's.

I called him over and we got caught up on what has gone on in our lives the last two decades. Both of us are unmarried, no kids. Both of us were engaged twice, both of us moved long distances to be with one of them. This was funny to me that two guys who had not seen each other in 24 years would have that in common.

Anyway, I usually don't have stage fright doing karaoke. I do in one instance over any other. that's when I do it in front of people who I know through other means than karaoke. Like a girl I was trying to impress from my job at Ruth's Chris a few years ago. I talk about my silly interest to co-workers sometimes to the point of turn off.

Anyway after a little chit chat I proceeded to sing my second song. "Cruel to Be Kind" is my "go to" song. A safe choice that I sang flat, I didn't ask "How was it?" because I can't handle the truth sometimes. I'm too sensitive.

Here's a clip of the song.


I decided the next song I would do would be "A Little Less Conversation" by Elvis. Not too hard of a song but it can suffer from being boring and sometimes I trip over the words. I did both. Flat and flabbergasted.

Here's the clip.


Catching up some more with our lives made my voice get scratchy. I went to a "show off" song. This is a song that is challenging that many people do to impress the crowd without being a perfect singer. A prime example would be "End Of the World" by REM, with its fast reading of nonsensical non-sequitors. One of the songs I do is "Hair" from the musical "Hair". I love the Cowsills version and have done it quite well in the past. I like to do it when I have the crazy hair and beard thing going. Anyway the version I chose was from the musical or at least the one from the movie which was different enough from the one I've done many a time to throw me off bad enough that I got gonged!

Yes, gonged! A first for me. Usually it's done to people who really suck, but sometimes only when the song is offensive to the person holding the hammer. I think it was a little of column A and a little of column B.


Anyway, here's the version I did from the movie "Hair"

and the preferred version from the Cowsills that is one of the freakiest clips I have ever seen.


So I continue to talk and talk and talk with Don and my voice is going. I went to another "go to" song, "Sour Girl" by Stone Temple Pilots. My voice was gone to the point where I couldn't hit the high notes.

clip.



I hung out at Mad Hatter's after the scene was over and most of the folks left. It was great to see Don and catch up. He went out of the way to be there and I appreciate it. Every week I get to see an old friend these days. I hope it continues.

One last thing. I have got to stop pretending I'm cool. I don't like to bundle up. I'm not outside long when it's cold. I don't like to put extra thought of what I'm gonna wear when I go out. I rationalize by saying to myself that I'm just gonna be outdoors briefly. So, when I'm talking to people outdoors and it's cold and I'm only wearing a three thin layers, I look like a moron.

The lesson I learned? I should live in San Diego.