Karaoke

“So I've always been someone with stage fright. But last night. I was really wanting to get up there, I kept going back and forth thinking "Do it! Dont to it! DO IT!" One guy went up there to do Through Glass by Stone Sour. He kept messing up and couldnt get past the first verse. So I went up there and asked them to put me in his place. So they got me in the rotation. I was nervous as hell. One of our friends asked if I needed another drink for courage, he was buying. I told him get me a shot of the strongest they got. Whatever it was, Burned like hell. But it was good. Finally, it was time for me to go up. My heart was beating and I even said "This is my first time, Lets hope I don't embarrass myself!" This one drunk girl came up and sang with me and I fuckin killed it! It probably helped that she came up and helped out.”

“Needless to say I've never taken the mic and subjected anyone to a solo. That is until the other night. Friends were insistent I do a little number. "Out of the question, " I retorted. Finally, a song came to mind that just maybe, I could pull off though I hadn't heard it in many years. It's one of those songs that tells a colorful story and requires plenty of animation. As the music played, I came out of my shell and sang "Marie Laveau," which is perhaps better performed by New Orleans blues singer Dr. John. It's a song that doesn't require highly skilled vocals. The performance required no fewer than five "growls" which I seemed to get better at as we went along. Those growls felt liberating. A doctor could not have ordered a better diversion and outlet, as the singing and dancing and even the growling were therapeutic during a stressful time.”

“Last week, I was at a wedding at an all-inclusive resort. The night before, everyone ended up at the karaoke bar. Family, friends, people I admire, people I hadn’t seen in forever, people I wanted to impress. I wanted to do it… but I was nervous as hell. Then someone sang My Way, and I knew what song I should sing. I signed up for That’s Life, one of my most heavily rehearsed songs. One missed lyric, one weird sounding note, or one bored look from an audience member can cause me to become too aware of myself and stage fright can take over, making me lose the flow of everything. With the songs I chose.. even when that happened a tiny bit, I was able to easily recover. I didn’t need to look at the screen for the lyrics or worry about any parts of the song. Despite my practice, I still don’t think I have the best ear for pitch, so the more variables I am able to lock down and stop worrying about, the more comfortable and confident I am with nailing the pitch.”