and when a bunch of sorority gals get up to sing B-52s "Love Shack" - it's time to step outside and smoke a cig.

Drink. Before, during, and after.

OH AIR Guitar... now THAT'S what my routine was missing... I shall definately rock the house now :P hahaha

So I picked up The September issue of Allure - the one with skanky Mariah Carey on the cover (thankfully, we don't have any of her songs at Annie's) and lo and behold, the letter I wrote to the editor about the karaoke piece was in it.

Granted, they edited the crap out of it... and the shout out to Annie's Cocktail Lounge and most of my snarkiness, but at least the "Group song equals drunken mess" and "No Bohemian Rhapsody" comments made it in tho not as originally written.

Here is what I wrote....

As a professional KJ, I found these tips to be mostly good, but extremely basic. While I respect the Event Planning profession, a person that runs karaoke as a special event for celebrities does not have the scope for real tips. That is probably why she allowed "Material Girl" to be sung multiple times in one evening.

I host Punk Rock and Schlock Karaoke at Annie's Cocktail Lounge in San Francisco. I have found that there are maybe two or three rules - don't scream into the mic, don't jump on the furniture and always tip the bar staff. My personal rule - No "Bohemian Rhapsody." Great songs do not always translate into great karaoke songs.

Regarding her "No ballads" tip - I'd rather have a poorly sung ballad over four or five girls doing Girls Just Wanna Have Fun ANY day of the week. Group song is usually code word for drunken mess. Ask any KJ.

Maybe I'm just spoiled because I have such great regulars... The tiny gal who sings "Run To The Hills" with such power that people have put out their cigarettes to come back inside and sit at her feet in deference. The hot, straight guys that harmonize on "Closer To Fine." The burly, tattooed punk who used to sing "Time After Time." Sigh.

That said - it was cool to see karaoke even mentioned in your mag. Maybe you can do a follow up about good places to do karaoke in other cities! San Francisco has few great places.


Here is what was published...

I host karaoke at a alounge and found "How to Sing Karaoke Well" to be good. A few key rules of karaoke" Don't scream into the mic, don't jump on the furniture, and always tip the bar staff. also, great songs do not always translate into great karoake songs, so no "Bohemian Rhapsody." and I'd rather have a poorly sing ballad than five girls singing "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" any day. Group songs are usually code for "drunken mess."