It’s a Friday
night. You are the shy, introverted
friend who your friends dismiss as having “no life.” Unbeknownst to them, you have harbored a
dream of being a professional singer, yet lack the confidence to do so. On this particular night, you decide to take the
leap and go out with your friends for some drinks. After several mojitos, you decide to break
free from the social barrier you have erected for yourself, and you take the
stage to sing “I Dreamed a Dream” from Les Miserables. And the audience goes….wild! In the stands is a record producer, and he
grabs you and says, “That was amazing!
You are a star, and I can make you one!”
He pairs you with another struggling singer—let’s call him Landon (how
very unconventional that sounds), and “Landon” helps you to get to that
superstar shot on a national televised audience. And, because of him, you rock! But oh, Landon’s star is fading, and even
though he is going through troublesome times, you decide to put your stardom on
hold to help him. And guess what? He overcomes his demons and both of you
perform to the millions who love you, because, well….he was your savior, wasn’t
he?
Come on. Karaoke,
my personal cultural artifact, was NEVER designed to be a star-vehicle. It was primarily designed to have a good time
and relax with your friends during a stressful workweek. Karaoke means “empty orchestra” (Karaoke's
History, 2013) . It’s not meant to make you the next Kelly
Clarkson and what’s his name from the first season of “American Idol.” Its purpose is simply meant as a social
diversion, regardless of talent or capability.
Look, I have been personally singing on stage for the majority of my
life, and never once did I think I would be “discovered” during my PROFESSIONAL
performances, let alone when I was letting loose during an alcohol-fueled
rendition of “Sweet Home Alabama.” It
just doesn’t work that way. If I, for
instance, had the dedicated desire to make it as a professional singer, I would
certainly not use Karaoke as the means to an end.
So here’s to Romantic Monomyths in all of their
glory: Wow, how great it would to have a
male savior see the talent in me! How
awesome it would be to help him overcome his demons so that we could succeed
and be famous together! And how very,
patently, and ridiculously false this is to those of us who have a shred of
talent and use that ability simply to connect with others on a social
level? We all use our abilities and
talents as we see fit, and that’s ok. We
stand and fall on that, and that is the way it should be.
Yeah, right.
References
Karaoke's History. (2013). Retrieved from KaraokeKanta.net: http://www.karaokekanta.net/
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