By Kelly Breckunitch kbreckunitch@kansan.com
Public speaking is Americans' No. I fear. Singing in public, though, is a whole different story. Maybe having the words right in front of them provides a safety net for wannabe singers. Fact is, talented vocalists or drunken fools do it with the same amount of enthusiasm, so you shouldn't be embarrassed to give it a try. In some ways, it's a very liberating experience.
Bars are known to have karaoke, but restaurants such as Encore Café offer karaoke options as well. Denny Wong, manager of Encore Café, 1007 Massachusetts Street, says the karaoke experience at Encore is different from others around town.
Encore has five private rooms with karaoke set-ups. Some rooms can hold 12 people, and others can hold up to 20. In China, karaoke is a private experience in an enclosed environment with friends, Wong says.
Americanized karaoke, though, is exhibitionist in nature. Participants get on stage and perform to a crowd of people, many of whom they do not know. Karaoke works like this on Saturday nights at Set 'Em Up Jacks, 1800 East 23rd Street. Karaoke takes place in the main room of the restaurant.
Neither restaurant is lacking for participants, either. "It's gotten so popular that sometimes people don't get to sing more than once," says Set 'Em Up Jacks owner Danny Koehn.
Wong says Fridays and Saturdays are the busiest nights for Encore's karaoke rooms. Both restaurants also have a group of regulars who come in."Mostly they come here for karaoke, not for eating," Wong says. At Set 'Em Up Jacks, the regulars are a little crazier. "Some people have their own choreographed routines," Koehn says.
You don't have to go out, though, to have a good time doing karaoke. You can always rent a machine. Shinichi Takenouchi owns Karaoke Entertainment, a rental company in Kansas City, Missouri. Takenouchi says the best part about karaoke is that it's fun for any occasion. Some people may be more willing to burst into song in a private setting. Takenouchi says the machines are easy to use as well. "It's like a jukebox. You just punch this number and that number." Takenouchi says.
Logan Walker, Holcomb senior, tries to go out to a karaoke night every other week and says people shouldn't be discouraged from trying it. "You don't have to be a good singer to be good at karaoke," Walker says. Besides, karaoke opens up the opportunity for some wild times. Walker recalls one specific night doing karaoke with some friends.
"All the girls decided to sign up all of the guys for singing without telling us. They called all of our names to go up there at the same time and it ended up being an *NSYNC song. They (the girls) started screaming and being like crazy fans, and it was a good time," Walker says.
Koehn sees this behavior often from the singers at Set 'Em Up Jacks and understands why they can cut loose." It lets them pretend like they're a rock star," Koehn says.
Karaoke can provide people with the opportunity to get wild and put their nerves behind them. Koehn has seen some mediocre performers on stage, so you shouldn't be afraid to do your thing.
Takenouchi passes on some words of wisdom for anyone who still has doubts as well. "Take a drink and what the heck," he says. A drop of liquid courage may be just what you need to party like a rock star. JP
Photos by Tyler Waugh
BY Tyler Waugh
Emily Franzenburg, Keystone, lowa, graduated student, says she loves to perform karaoke. "People just get up and have a good time," she says. Go to Kansan.com/jayplay to view an audio slideshow of Set Em' Up Jack's karaoke night.
So you think you can't sing ...
I sat in my car minutes before performing at Set 'Em Up Jack's karaoke night. I was listening to my song choice making sure I wouldn't screw up the lyrics, because, let's face it, there are a lot of confusing lyrics in some of the most popular songs (thank you Kurt Cobain!). Here are some of the more confusing lyrics from '80s, '90s and today.
"Smells Like Teen Spirit" — Nirvana
Misheard lyric: Here we are now,in containers
Actual lyric: Here we are now, entertain us
"Livin' on a Prayer"—Bon Jovi
"Livin' on a Prayer - Don't join Misheard lyric: It doesn't make a difference if we're naked or not Actual lyric: It doesn't make a difference if we make it or not
"Hey Ya"—Outkast
Actual lyric: Shake it like a Polaroid picture
"Bohemian Rhapsody" — Queen
Misheard lyric: Shake it like a polar bear ninja
Misheard lyric:The algebra has a devil for a sidekick eckeee ...
Actual lyric: Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me
"Hollaback Girl!" — Gwen Stefani
Misheard lyric: I ain't no Harlem black girl
Actual lyric: I ain't no hollaback girl
"Dude (Looks Like a Lady)" — Aerosmith
Misheard lyric: Do me like a lady
Actual lyric: Dude looks like a lady
Source: www.kissthisguy.com
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