“Who
are you and why are you calling my home at this hour?”
The
answer is simple: I crave attention, but only when I am doing something
relatively well.
You
probably do too, and that’s okay. That’s
why we do this, you and I. We’re a lot
alike, only you obviously spend a lot more money and attention on your
appearance. But we share a common goal:
We want to be noticed and admired for about four minutes, and then a little bit
after that. (Is the whole “Four Minute Rock Star” thing starting to make sense
yet?)
Attention
is the basis of karaoke. Nobody sings so
that people will leave them alone. We
want to be noticed, admired, perhaps even idolized, but only for a scant moment
in time. Then, we’d like to go home,
drink a lot of water and go to bed.
But
how much is too much?
There
are many types of karaoke singers, and they all crave the love of the crowd. Here they are, with pointers on how to handle
them.
1.
The “Look At How Much I Don’t Care That I Can’t Sing (hiccup)” Guy.
You
know him well. He’s young, possibly so
young that this is his first time in a room full of adults with alcohol. He’s so excited to be a part of the grown-up
party that he wants you all to know that he’s gonna rip into Hotel California
for the sole reason that it’s about a hotel in California, and he has no idea
how long it is or how it goes. He will
also shout very loudly into the microphone, possibly damaging it. He craves your attention because this is his
moment, BAYBEE! Check him out and buy
him a shot! (Don’t.)
2. The “I Can’t Sing But If Somebody Buys Me A Drink I’ll Go Up” Chick.

3. The “I’m Gonna Do My Old Standard Even Though I Clearly Have No Grasp Of It” Guy.

A personal favorite. When the evening began, he remembered he wanted to do that same old chestnut he tackles from time to time, because THIS TIME it’s gonna be GREAT. Seven beers later, he’s lucky if he can remember how legs work and he stumbles his way through a song you used to really enjoy a few minutes before he began. But he’s happy he got through it, you’re happy YOU got through it, and NEXT TIME, he’s gonna be GREAT. He craves your attention because this is all he has, and he needs you to justify that for him one more time, he’d really appreciate that. (Go ahead and high five him gently, then help him back to his stool.)
4. The “Bachelorette Party” Chicks.

5.
The “Deep Cuts” Guy.

6. The “Discover Me” Chick.
![]() |
This is Jewel in disguise, look it up. |
7. The “Game-Show Host” Guy.

Oh,
crap. I just described myself.
Um..
I think we’re done here.
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