I love singing. Singing in the car. Singing in the shower. Singing in the rain. Doesn't matter. I love singing and I think I'm good at it, especially after a few drinks, which is where Karaoke fits into my lifestyle. I like to say, I put the "Okie" in "Kara-Okie".
Whenever I say this I hear many groans and some complaints.
Some of my favorite songs include oldies like "Blue Suede Shoes" in the key of Elvis Presley, "It's still Rock and Roll to Me" by piano man Billy Joel, and "Rapper's Delight" by the ever funky Sugar Hill Gang. Some of my other favorites include a collection of hazy recollection..in other words I don't remember much after Rapper's Delight most nights.
My day job is rather mundane. I don't interact with anyone except my dog. I'm online all-the-time. The only sound I hear is my aquarium bubbling in the background. I'm not complaining. I'm just providing a backdrop for the reason I enjoy singing in front of strangers. Sometimes I get button-finger and the only cure is Karaoke.
I need something different from my every-day button-pushing to keep me entertained. The same could be said if I worked in a shoulder-to-shoulder noisy-as-hell cube farm overseen by a ring of "supervisors". Yes, I've been there too. I would pine for something completely opposite of what I do on a day-to-day basis. In those days it was a Nerf free-for-all or Airsoft to blow off steam. Shooting things is a good stress relief.
For me, I need some excitement and noise...and beer. Hence, Karaoke! It is, what Robert Frost might call, the path less traveled. Of a room full of people, who are primed and ready to do something foolish, only a few get up on the hot mic and belt out a tune. In the times of the pandemic this means sanitizing everything between songs, then putting a "condom" on the mic. The pandemic has added a grander sense of fear to Karaoke.
Yet, Karaoke must live on, and I must live for Karaoke. Making a fool of myself and enjoying every minute of it must go on. I'm hopeful the pandemic fades away as suddenly as it appeared. When the pandemic is but a story in a history book I hope to be getting out of the house every other week or so, slurping a beer while anticipating the DJ to call my name.
King Brad, you're next!
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