12/22/2006 and 12/29/2006 Selections
I arrived pretty late for karaoke at Winslow's on 12/22, but having just left my company's Christmas party I brought about half of my co-workers and their significant others with me. It was a standing room only crowd but I still managed to get a few songs in. My solo efforts were Elvira, Folsom Prison Blues, and the Elvis version of Here Comes Santa Claus. I also got to do Jackson as a duet, and YMCA and Lean On Me as group efforts with several of my co-workers. One of the regulars was miffed that I got to do all those songs while he only got to do three, but I think it helps when they see that you brought half the night's business in with you. :)
On 12/29 a few of my friends showed up on a night that was already slightly busier than usual: Seth, Shaun, Bev, Aaron, and also my brother Kevin and his wife Angie. This was a lot of fun singing with them and hearing their voices in song. My brother's voice stunned me as his singing voice sounds absolutely nothing like his talking voice.
My 12/29 solo efforts were Elvira, Folsom Prison Blues, Ring of Fire, and One Piece At A Time -- which I hadn't done before an I didn't do too well. Again I did Jackson as a duet. Later I did Take Me Home, Country Roads as part of a group.
The highlight though came as the night was winding down. We were mindlessly flipping through the song books when one of us noticed that there were songs listed from The Phantom of The Opera. There was some chuckling about how dorky it would be to sing those songs at karaoke. I was mindlessly tearing a paper towel at the time and tore off a piece that vaguley resembled The Phantom's mask. I quickly ripped out two eye holes, held it to my face, and said "I'm the Phantom of the Opera!"
"Dude, here's five bucks if you sing one of these songs wearing that mask!" said Aaron, laying a fiver on the table.
"Sure, whatever," I said, knowing there'd be no way to get a song in this late.
A moment later Aaron was up talking to the karaoke guy. A few moments later my name was surprisingly called.
I grabbed my mask and some scotch tape and went to the microphone. As I scotch-taped the mask to my face several people began to chuckle.... but then the name of the song I would be singing came up on the screen they got the joke and the chuckling turned to full blown laughter.
So I began singing Music of the Night with this paper towel mask strapped to my face. I started struggling, having not heard it for a while, and also because I forgot it's a duet. Thankfully Shaun came to my rescue and sat himself nearby, grabbed a microphone, and started backing me up. I then serenaded the remainder of the song to him.
After the song was over I jokingly said to Aaron, "Where's my five bucks, bitch?"
"I paid it to the guy to move you to the front of the line," he replied.
Nice. :)
It's really one of those "you had to be there" things, but if you go to Seth's blog you can read his take on the night as well as see a photo of me and my mask.
Tonight I'm going to a NYE karaoke party in KCK. This ought to be an adventure. Details tomorrow!