I popped my cherry!

My karaoke cherry that is...

I love going to my usual dive karaoke bar, where at this point I know the owner by name -- something very convenient when it's your friend's birthday and you want to surprise her with a "we gonna partay like it's ya birthday" song with all her friends singing on stage, at 9pm on the dot, while he brings her cake out, with all candles lit up (yes, she was ecstatic about that).

I also know that on Friday nights, if I have no plans, I can just drive over there, that I'll bump into a couple of the regulars I know, and won't have to sit alone at the bar.

However, as much as I have a blast at karaoke -- singing along, dancing (yep, we dance), and just being silly with my friends, I have yet to pick up the microphone and belt out a tune.

Don't get me wrong -- I'm not afraid of a crowd, I'm far from shy, and public speaking was never a fear of mine (presentations at school & college were always a breeze). But you know the first couple of episodes on American Idol, when they have the really bad awful people singing that we all point and laugh at? Yeah, that's me. Except I'm not delusional and know that I sound awful. It all sounds really good in my head, mind you. It just comes out as if I'm tune deaf once it crosses my vocal cords.

So on Saturday, I heard that the regulars from the dive I like, visit another karaoke dive, which is on my street, only a couple of miles down the road. So not wanting to go to the party I had been invited to (big club parties are not really my thing anymore -- I'm getting old, what can I say?), I decided to give this place a try.

There were a lot of awesome singers, just like my regular spot. But there were also a lot of really bad singers (something you don't see at the other place), so the thought of getting the microphone and making a fool of myself started to sound like a good idea. This place didn't have much of a dive feel, it was a lot more of a "family friendly restaurant" feel (surprisingly, considering the location). Also, the stage was missing, so the microphone was placed right in between the tables. Ah, and at 11:30pm, free appetizers are served (chicken fingers and mozzarella sticks anyone?), so all in all, a repeat visit is in order, despite liking my old spot a lot more.

So I asked one of the guys I know "will you sing Snow with me?" -- granted, that song is not really much "singing" as is "talking with a rhythm" hence why the thought of me blurting it out on a microphone, would cause less cringing from the audience. So up we went, and it wasn't so bad.

By the end of the night, though I was completely sober among all the drunk folks, I got the nerve to go up by myself and sang Semi Charmed Life (another song that I know all the words to). It was horrendous, I admit. I didn't really keep up with the lines, sang too fast, I could hear myself out of tune, but luckily everyone still cheered me on and high fived me afterwards (they had to, after all, they were forewarned of my lack of ability).

So there you have it, after a little over a year going to the karaoke bar, I finally sang for the first time. Will it happen again? Maybe. At least on days that making a fool of myself, don't sound like such a terrible idea.