I hit Sapphire's around 8:30. The place is a relative dive. If you ever went to Oliver's, it's comparable. Many, many townies there. (In discussions later, I'm informed Nuzback's is *also* a dive, but a better one, so fingers crossed.)
I get my drink, and am looking for a place near the front to sit, when Bill (one of the two guys who runs the karaoke company,) comes up and says hi. And remembers my name, which is weird because I met him all of twice. He asks if I have my card there. I confess to having no idea what he's talking about. Apparently all the regulars have an index card with their standard songs on there, so they don't have to write them out every time. Now, my first thought is "I'm a regular now?" but I start dutifully filling out my card after he introduces me to tonight's KJ and a couple other people.
(Card filling out pressure! I didn't know what to put down, since I haven't sung the same song twice. So I figured I would just write down a couple that I know I did decently, since I can always add more later. End up with Blue Monday, Sympathy for the Devil, Paint It Black, and Suspicious Minds, and lots of room to expand. Chen, the female singer who kicks out the jams, has [and I am not exaggerating here] like fifteen cards paperclipped together.)
So I end up at a table with a bunch of other regulars, so I guess I am a regular. Huh. THese things sneak up on you. After my second song (list below,) a girl I vaguely recognize comes up to me and tells me I met her at a party or two at the Fish's place. I confess to not remembering her. She's "Becca" (code name to come later,) the girlfriend of a co-worker from CST ("JD," for those in the know.) She brings me back to her table, where I find one "Aaron W."! A welcome surprise. She's been doing karaoke for like three years (just not on Thursdays, which is why she's never seen me there before. Oh, and "AW" just goes to hang out, he oddly enough doesn't sing. Heh. Apparently they've gotten some other people from CST there to drink/watch karaoke, usually Saturday, so I will have to hit that sooner or later, and bet "Max" into participating.
I also have a funny joke to tell in person about her boyfriend, so ask me next time you see me.
So, good time was had there. Becca's really good, too, but luckily after me in the rotation. All in all, a low-key but fun night, and I never got past tipsy, thank heavens. Oh, and my hair was braided at some point, but that's a story for another time.
SONGS I DID:
* Urge Overkill, "Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon"
* Rod Stewart, "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" (this went over well.) (And yes, my version was closer to the Revolting Cocks one.)
* Orgy, "Blue Monday"
SONGS OTHER PEOPLE DID:
* That Kid Rock/Sheryl Crow duet.
* Sk8er Boi (sung by that 8 year old girl who shows up all the time.)
* Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me (yes, the son from Lost Boys</b>, sung by TK, that bastard.)
* Two guys did a duet of "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'."
* Alanis Morrisette's "Uninvited" (Becca)
* Easy Like Sunday Morning (!) followed by Turn the Page.
* that Evanescence song (Becca again.) (I didn't even know they *had* Evanescence.)
* Two of the guys at our table got up there and dedicated "Safety Dance" to me. (We were joking about it and how sad it was they didn't have any FLock of Seagulls.)(Oh, and they technically dedicated it to "X", since they didn't know my name, but I was wearing my Earth X shirt that night.)
SONGS FROM THE CATALOG FOR LATER REFERENCE:
OK, I got a huge number here, like I always do. And tonight, I found out they had a separate section labeled "Duets." But I will just mention the top three...
* Madonna, "La Isla Bonita"
* that "Neutron Dance" song, which I've mostly only heard in cartoons.
* Whitesnake, "Here I Go Again"
DAMNIT, IT TURNS OUT THEY DON'T HAVE:
* Superfly
My new karaoke plan: do three songs - one new song I know I will botch, but wanna do anyways. One new song I will do OK at, to try it out, and one song on my list, so I actually get good at a few.