Let the Holidays Begin
To celebrate Alice's birthday, Stella booked a room at the Holiday KTV in Da Li City where we all teach. I'd never been to an actual KTV prior to last night, and man was I missing out! The last place I sang at was this little bar nicknamed the Cave by some expats due to its near complete lack of light (the KTV room was lit entirely by the two monitors and their chessy videos from 1989) and its questionable use of grout as a decorating tool.
The Holiday KTV was a whole different experience. It had several floors and looked almost like the coolest hotel I'd ever been in, with each room holding its own U-shaped couch, low tables, the back wall was painted black with red squares and had a back-lit panel of white translucent discs that looked like huge records. The opposite wall was an enormous screen and the room had surround sound. You could add voice effects to the microphone, change the key of the song, and a button brought a bowing waiter to take your order! There was a private bathroom off to the side, and down the hall was a free buffet. They had songs in Chinese, Taiwanese, English, and Japanese! It was amazing! It was a frenzy of song ordering and singing as loud as we possibly could together, alone, and cheering when someone did a really great job. And every single person in the room sang at some point! I almost peed myself, it was so much fun!
What amazes me is the possible separation of karaoke from alcohol. In the States, the only karaoke you can find is in a bar, unless you've got that extra geeky friend who has his own home karaoke system that plays all the background music using the magic of what sounds like a late-80's era Casio keyboard. Here, chemical alteration is not needed to get silly and let loose. The room isn't silent until round three of drinks have been consumed, and you're not forced to endure the song stylings of the karaoke master (for whom karaoke is just a side gig, until he makes it in the music biz) who sings until the patrons are drunk enough to start singing for everyone. I'm not quite sure how in a culture where face and relative conformity is so important, completely letting go and signing like an ass has become such a phenomenom. But really, who cares? It's damn fun!
The Holiday KTV was a whole different experience. It had several floors and looked almost like the coolest hotel I'd ever been in, with each room holding its own U-shaped couch, low tables, the back wall was painted black with red squares and had a back-lit panel of white translucent discs that looked like huge records. The opposite wall was an enormous screen and the room had surround sound. You could add voice effects to the microphone, change the key of the song, and a button brought a bowing waiter to take your order! There was a private bathroom off to the side, and down the hall was a free buffet. They had songs in Chinese, Taiwanese, English, and Japanese! It was amazing! It was a frenzy of song ordering and singing as loud as we possibly could together, alone, and cheering when someone did a really great job. And every single person in the room sang at some point! I almost peed myself, it was so much fun!
What amazes me is the possible separation of karaoke from alcohol. In the States, the only karaoke you can find is in a bar, unless you've got that extra geeky friend who has his own home karaoke system that plays all the background music using the magic of what sounds like a late-80's era Casio keyboard. Here, chemical alteration is not needed to get silly and let loose. The room isn't silent until round three of drinks have been consumed, and you're not forced to endure the song stylings of the karaoke master (for whom karaoke is just a side gig, until he makes it in the music biz) who sings until the patrons are drunk enough to start singing for everyone. I'm not quite sure how in a culture where face and relative conformity is so important, completely letting go and signing like an ass has become such a phenomenom. But really, who cares? It's damn fun!
posted by CJ at 9:39 PM
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