“The dude was a bloody trained opera singer. What the hell was I thinking?”
Everyone loves a good karaoke night. It’s just so much fun feeling like a rockstar and belting out tunes.
The best tactic for karaoke is to have a pre-determined go-to song. Ideally, this should be a song that is not too far beyond your capabilities, and you should try to select it before the booze sets in. If you don’t, your judgment will be impaired and you may fall into a very common trap.
If you Google “Best Karaoke Songs”, most lists include Bohemian Rhapsody. And to be fair, it is an absolutely wonderful song, when performed by Freddie Mercury. But a good karaoke song it is not.
We caught up with Michael Bledderson (28), who was nursing a monstrous hangover after a work karaoke shindig.
“Yeah I’m in a state. Having flashbacks to the longest 5 minutes and 55 seconds of my life. I chose poorly. I love bloody Bohemian Rhapsody. So I bunged it on. And I was all of 30 seconds into it when I realised I was out of my depth. I’m a lot of things but I am not Freddie Mercury.”
And he’s right, of course. There will never be another Freddie Mercury. Freddie was unique, and surely one of The Sultanate of Zanzibar’s greatest contributions to the world of rock and roll.
He had absurd vocal mastery. As well as being a prodigious talent, he was also classically trained. So Michael was absolutely kidding himself when he took on their most famous song.
“I’m just an idiot. You’ve got high notes. You’ve got harmonies and shit. It is basically a musical tour of things my voice can’t do. And it goes forever. It reminded me of that time I tried to sing American Pie. I should’ve gone for Achy Breaky Heart or I’m Too Sexy or something. Oh god you know what? I think I remember someone pointing a bloody camera phone at me. I feel sick.”
And he’s not alone. Most karaoke nights will see at least one person fail to recognise the difference between a great song and a great karaoke song. It’s often referred to as the Whitney Houston effect. And it certainly has not claimed its last victim.
claimed its last victim.