Thursday, July 1, 2010

Ode to Korean Karaoke

It usually happens after midnight. It started off as a special occasion thing, something I only did a couple times a year to celebrate a friend's birthday or bachelorette. I never thought it would become a weekly thing. I didn't think I was that kind of of girl-- the kind of girl that ends up at a Korean karaoke bar until 3am on a weeknight, just because and often.

Since April I've Korean karaoked at least a dozen times. For those of you who don't live in a city with a bustling Korean population, it's important to explain that this culture's version of karaoke is little like the traditional. No quiet stage or judgemental crowd. Korean karaoke takes place in a small dark private room typically containing giant leather couches, rainbow-colored walls and a big screen tv flashing absurd 1980s video montages for each song.



You get two microphones and song books stuffed with any tune your drunk heart might desire. You order pitchers of beers and shots of this Korean liquor I can never remember the name of. Everyone in the room sings. You don't check your watch or remember that outside the room in four hours there's work to go to. You belt out Billy Joel, The Boss, one-hit-wonder 80s bands, Jay-Z, the Sister Act soundtrack, pa-pa-pa poker face, Kings of Leon and a riveting rendition of Janet Jackson's "Again" until the very friendly spikey-gel-haired young Korean dude that works there flips the lights on your room.

Truth is, I'm very OK with this addiction.

3 comments:

  1. Hahahaha...I want to go in November!

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  2. Omg...I found one in Tampa!

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  3. I'm taking to this public forum to call you out on being a huge slacker on the blogging front. I ACTUALLY read the business section of the Times today because there were no blog posts to be read. Boo for that.

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