Oh It's Just Getting Boring.....

Yeah, I did the karaoke this Tuesday at the Mad Hatters. I was denied the opportunity to sing on St. Patrick's Day. But I was bored. Mad Hatters is a better environment than Jack's but it's losing its luster. But still I must sing, I must do karaoke, I must fool myself in thinking I am more than my job, more than a struggling cartoonist, more than a loner who doesn't want to be alone, Oh, and I need to control my snob factor too. so I do the karaoke.


I went in not knowing what I would sing, but that makes it fun. I went for safe for my first song. A Stones song. "Beast Of Burden" is a song I've done only a few times, but it's a song that other people, many people have done and usually badly. But that was in Seattle. I'm in Jersey and it's been more than three years since I heard anyone do it, so I thought I'd do it. It's a crowd pleaser. I pleased the crowd, and you see, three's a crowd. I pleased three.

Anyway, here's a clip of the Stones doing it in 1981, a lousy tour.


My voice was strong but the falsetto was off. The second song I did was "Sara Smile" by Hall and Oates. I love two songs from Hall and Oates. "Sara Smiles" and "She's Gone". Both were songs that other people performed better than me. Of the two, I do Sara more. When I was in a maudlin mood over a failed relationship with Sonya, I break out "She's Gone". I sang it when another girlfriend I had had left me for the other coast but felt no need to sing it when SHE left me.

I digress. "Sara Smile" went well. I was able to hit the tenor key. I squeaked once though.

Here's a clip of Hall and Oates doing "Sara Smile" in their MTV heyday. They do it like they can't wait to get to their new hit "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)"


So I saw the movie "I Love You, Man" Tuesday. It's a Judd Apatow like movie with no involvement from him. The band Rush, not the fat man Rush, figures prominently in the movie, as a matter of fact they appear in movie performing "Limelight" from the album that is widely considered their best, Moving Pictures.

I like Rush, the band and really respect them but with Geddy Lee's weird voice, I rarely do Rush songs at karaoke. "New World Man" is one and "Limelight" is another. My voice was able to handle the high notes of the song, but once again I squeaked. I got cocky.

Here's a video I saw on the USA Network show "Night Flight" back before we got MTV. It's so Canadian. I love this video because it shows a great band at their peak recording a classic.

It wasn't busy at Mad Hatters. A few of the regulars I don't talk to are there, including a cutie pie who likes to flirt with my buddy Wayne. I try to get her attention, but alas, I don't have Wayne's charisma. So I wasn't caring what I sang so I threw in a Who song I hadn't sung before. "The Seeker" had escaped my notice. I've done most of those that are available. I hadn't done this one. No one knew this song, even the old drunk who knew "Limelight". I didn't care.


Here's the most excellent clip from German TV.

So, I reveal my old fogeyness with the songs I sang, so it was time to do one from this century. That means White Stripes. This night it was "Denial Twist" a song from the "Get Behind Me Satan" album. I love the song and the video is very trippy.

I continue to have a crush on Meg White.

I love Nirvana. I know a lot of people think they're overrated, but they were THE band of the early 90's. It's been 15 years since Kurt Cobain killed himself and I'm still pissed. Their first album "Bleach" has the song "About A Girl" that is a favorite. When Nirvana did it for MTV Unplugged, it became a hit. I will never sing "Smells Like Teen Spirit" because I don't do the scream well. This song doesn't do the Kurt scream. So I do it.



Everyone left when I sang it.


Maybe it was late...here's the video.