reminiscing...

Wednesday night some of the old gang got together for karaoke at a relatively new bar called Bamboo Betty's. My friend Brenda, who has one of the most beautiful voices, personalities, and faces in the known universe was the hostess.


Chad Dutton, whom I have been friends with for over 10 years and I sang the Muppets "Rainbow Connection".
When I say Muppets I mean we sing in the voices of Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Animal, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Beaker, Sam the Eagle, Janice, and the Swedish Chef.

I also sang Neil Diamond's Sweet Caroline which was a hit; the audience was singing right back to me.

Robin, the host who was at the 90's when I started singing karaoke was also there and he sang with Brenda. Bobby (Spanky) sounded good too! It was good to see some of the folks that I first started doing karaoke with.

until next time...

puttin' on the ritz...

What an evening! I attended the ICON Awards Sunday with my buddy Joe.

It was nice to get all dressed up in a Calvin Klein "chocolate" tuxedo. It was a little strange to hear my voice all evening and not be the anonymous voice behind the scenes, but "exposed" to the audience. However; I made some great contacts and heard a lot of positive feedback from those in attendance. At one point, there was a technical glitch in the playback, and it cut off the last word of a sentence. I was able to instantly recall the phrase and finished it "live". When it cut off I said in my announcer voice "...theme!", with the audience laughing in surprise.

After the awards, Joe and I stayed for a bit and socialized while listening to the Minnesota Jazz Orchestra belting out Cole Porter and Nat King Cole tunes, among others. The band, especially the female lead vocalist Deb, kept looking over at Joe and I, amazed we knew the words to these American Songbook standards. I guess we are not your typical folks...there's a plethora of lyrics and melody's stored up in our brains; me from radio and Joe from his experience as a musician. Of course Joe and I both love karaoke, where we met in 1999. I would say 80% of my friends are a direct result of meeting at karaoke. What's wonderful about it is that you instantly have something in common; love of music!

until next time...

the freaks come out at night...

Now the party's jumpin', the place is packed
And when the crowd's like this, I'm ready to rap
But before I could bust a rhyme on the mic
Freaks are all over me like white on rice
Freaks come in all shapes, sizes and colors
But what I like about 'em most is that they're real good lovers
They do it in the park, they do it in the dark
But most freaks are known for breakin' hearts
You could never tell what a freak was thinkin' of
And you may never catch a freak without at least one glove
And they don't walk, when they step, they strut
And nine times out of ten they drive you nuts
But take my advice, you don't stand a chance
Freaks are so bad they got their own dance
So if you wanna live a nice quiet life
Do yourself a favor, don't come out at night, 'cause
The freaks come out at night

Went to Halloween party with Matthew on Friday night. The party was at Jamie and Jeremy's house in Shakopee.

It was a mild night, which was good since Matthew was dressed as a caveman, and several people had revealing costumes. The bonfire was nice and warm, and the backyard was filled with spooky fog. I did not dress in costume. I thought I would be the only one, but there were others who chose not to dress in costume, including my roommate, Kevin. In my "former life" as a full-time radio personality, I had to dress up every Halloween to host parties, contests, etc several times during the week of the holiday, and I just don't find it appealing anymore. Matthew and I only stayed at the party for a couple of hours - we were both tired and just not feeling in a party mood for whatever reason. Saturday I just stayed home, and that evening Kevin and I spent a rare Saturday night in, watching Poltergeist, SNL, and some DVR television shows. Sunday night Kevin and I went to karaoke at Rumours & Innuendo, which was fun. We were home by midnight to start the new week.

until next time...