TEMPT NOT

So, Erin had her birthday party last night at Planet Rose on Avenue A (can I say 'Alphabet City'? Ooh, it just makes me fee so OVER THE MOON)...a karaoke place with a strange mixture of passive-aggressive screechy girls, Really Serious Karaoke Dudes, bros with baseball caps, and our gang.

Anyway, I've never done karaoke before, and put a lot of thought into what I would sing when the moment finally came. I decided on '(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding?' by Elvis Costello and The Attractions partially as a homage to Bill Murray's karaoke in Lost in Translation, and partially because I of course love Elvis. Now, as it happens, I wound up only singing a duet with the birthday gal on 'Paradise By the Dashboard Light' which was more that fine, considering that it was the realization of long-time dreams for both of us. Good.

Now, the point of this post is not to talk Meatloaf-- the point is that my eyes were opened to the amazing possibilities of karaoke in my life last night.

They. Had. Showtunes.

They had 'The Ladies Who Lunch.'

I was like "I could ruin EVERYONE'S night right now and have the time of my life doing it!" I think that kind of thing is only hilarious in indie movies, not when you're doing them yourself, but, man....'Delilah' by Tom Jones? 'One Bad Apple' by the Osmonds? 'Que Sera Sera', in the style of Doris Day? AMAZING. I was giddy with the temptation to do a really, really weird song. How many times can you hear 'Since U Been Gone,' anyway? You know?

But I resisted. Next time? I might not be so strong. Especially if I make it to cheap drinks/sing free happy hour, some rainy afternoon, by myself, with a hankering for some oldies.