The Karaoke Gang
DJ Disco Bob at Crofter's Pub

Surprising Karaoke Fact #1: Karaoke DJs have groupies.

As it turns out, people who like to sing Karaoke generally shop around, drifting from one Karaoke bar to the next, until they find a DJ they like, then they follow him around from gig to gig for the rest of his professional career. That's the case with Disco Bob.

Bob Nelson-mill worker by day, pop icon by night-stands behind his equipment on a Friday night, sorting through a huge pile of request slips as he sets up for the evening. He's only been playing at Crofters Pub for a few weeks, but he already has a following. He brought it with him.

"It's sort of a slow night tonight," Disco Bob says, looking around at the 20 or so singers all waiting semi-anxiously for him to get started, "but I had 51 singers here last week."

The singers sit at tables with a good view of Disco Bob's stage, drinking and smoking and drinking and shooting looks at their watches. They range in age from 40s to mid-60s. They seem to come from all different walks of life with only one thing in commonhave stars in their eyes. As Disco Bob finishes setting up and starts announcing singers, each one slides a little closer to the edge of his or her seat and starts fidgeting as his or her request slip starts working its way to the front of the queue.

Surprising Karaoke Fact #2: Some of these singers are really very good.

As the first few singers make their way up to the microphone, it becomes clear that there is some real talent in the room. The variety of songs performed is tremendous, from '80s rock to jazz standards, to Irish folk songs, but by far, the overwhelming favorites are country songs. Say what you will about country music, even if you are the sort of person who would rather be sewn into a bag full of rats than listen to it-when you hear a down-and-dirty, honkytonk country tune being belted out by someone who really likes singing it, you realize that this is what Karaoke was made for. One male singer launches into "Her Favorite Color Is Chrome" and the whole bar, including the bartender, starts singing along with him.

Not-So-Surprising Corollary: Some singers are not so good. Really. Not at all.

The less said about this the better.

Surprising Karaoke Fact #3: Nobody is here by accident.

You'd think that the bulk of people in a Karaoke bar are there for a lark-that they are at a bachelor party before heading for the strip clubs or are there on a dare or may have wandered in off the street and gotten sucked into the spirit of the thing-but look around the room and you'll realize that most of the singers take it very seriously. Talk to them and they'll tell you that they do this every week. Some of them do it several times a week.

There is a weird social dynamic about the room that you can't quite place. Spend a few minutes watching singers settle into "their" seats and exchange notes on what bars they will be singing at next and nodding at each other with cautious respect and you'll eventually put your finger on what that weird dynamic is: This is a gang.

If a bridge club or a bowling league accidentally came in here at the wrong time, there might be a rumble.

-John Fladd

John Fladd can be reached at hippo@hippopress.com.