The Mysterious Allure of Karaoke

I hate hearing other people sing. Unless they're professionals backed up by a band, the sound of another person's voice makes me want to claw out my eyes. It's a silly and hypocritical pet peeve, but there it is. It's one of the many reasons why I wouldn't be caught dead watching American Idol.

But I must confess it - I love karaoke. Last night we went to a karaoke bar in celebration of a friend's completed PhD (congratulations Stephanie!). When I showed up I was kind of down in the dumps, but a few minutes into the festivities I was happy as could be.

It's not just that I like to sing karaoke - which I do. It's that I actually enjoy hearing other people sing. It doesn't matter whether they're good at it or not. In fact, the worse a singer is, the more fun it is.

There's some sort of mystical force that takes hold when you're in a bar listening to strangers sing songs (badly). You're transformed from a self-regarding ass into a member of a community. It's a really nice feeling.

I bet conservatives hate karaoke.