sing out, sister
I think I'm still hungover from Thursday night. After hitting a photography opening in Chelsea with JP and a (boring) networking event, I was somehow convinced by Goddamn Darren to venture up to 35th Street and rent a room.
That's right, after months of his urging, I finally agreed to a karaoke outing. And so we arrived at 35 Duet, which felt a little like a Happy Ending Spa, though clean and ominously quiet. We were led to our room, big enough to seat 10, and after some creative lighting design (it's great to be gay), we were ready to start the night. GD's two other friends, Michael and Michael, arrived, which I thought would be awkward, considering none of us knew each other. Just add Olivia Newton John — and several vodka tonics, smuggled in by one of the Michaels — and the fun began.
My previous karaoke experiences had been limited to loud bars and one singular inebriated afternoon during D.C. Pride (don't ask), three years in the Men's Glee Club not standing. GD did a great job of breaking the ice, getting us warmed up with a parade of '80s hits, followed by Michael's genius rendition of Kanye West's "Golddigger."
A few lessons learned from the sloppy mess that followed:
1. Slow songs bore people. We all four were guilty of resurrecting a few weepy ballads, which just kills everyone's buzz. Don't be a Debbie Downer; leave the Roberta Flack alone.
2. Don't do Missy Elliott. A few shots later, I thought I could conquer "Work It." Foolish, foolish white boy.
3. Bring your own liquor. Just don't let them see you bring it.
4. Duets. It's not just the name of the club, it's the best part of the night.
5. Watching the videos can be just as fun as suffering through your off-key friends' singing. I've seen public access porn with better production values.
6. Do Madonna sparingly. I tried to play the nostalgia card with "Keep it Together." Which no one remembered in the first place.
7. Know your strengths. For me, it's male singers. Which is hell for gay boys in general.
8. Choose wisely. Because there's a huge difference between the Kris Kristofferson version of "Me and Bobby McGee" and the Janis Joplin.
9. Showtunes bore people. Unless it's the end of the night and you're singing "Seasons of Love," which might call for everyone in the room to join in.
10. Drink lots of water. Jesus god, if only. My head, seriously, still hurts.
Dear Darren: When can we go again?
6 Comments:
Beg to differ on the slow songs. I brought the house down with Celine Dion's "Love is On the Way" in Tokyo. Then again, it was a request. I loooooove karaoke.
so i'm confused....you rented a room?
Yes, you rent a private room for your party. We ended up with a big room — probably could have hosted 7 or 8, though we only had 4 in our group.
Here's the site:
Duet
A Georgia boi meets strangers with alcohol in a rented room of a New York karaoke bar where no one knows your name? Excellent.
But where were the drunken Airborne Rangers with their rented Korean girlfriends? And the ominious yakuza singing Debbie Gibson in the smoke-filled corner? Or the knock-out, red-headed circuit boi alone at the bar, watching the crowd?
I'll have to add a few more characters, but I think I finally have the opening scene of my new book ... ;->
Um... sounds like an upgrade from the days of stealing wall art (a.k.a the "Big M") from the halls of Mary's in East Atlanta. Although nothing can quite match Jimmy's rendition of "Oakie from Muskogee".
MESS!!
jhthI love it!
Can I go the next time Im in NYC?
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