THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 29, 1996 TAG: 9609260215
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JOHN HARPER, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: KITTY HAWK LENGTH: 71 lines
About 15 years ago, Japanese researchers were looking for something that would relieve the stress of their country's top business executives.
For six months, the CEOs tried running, swimming, playing table tennis, meditating and golfing. And although each activity worked to some degree, the think-tank guys knew there had to be something better - and went back to the drawing boards.
What emerged from the boys in the lab a short time later was a machine that eliminated the vocal tracks from recordings.
Soon, the new invention, called ``karaoke'' from the Japanese words ``kara'' meaning empty and ``oke'' meaning orchestra, replaced treadmills and stationary bikes in company lounges.
Business men and women began singing a different tune - a happy tune. During mid-afternoon breaks, the corporate chorus belted out ``Hang On Sloopy,'' ``New York, New York,'' ``Magic Carpet Ride,'' and dozens of other titles.
Productivity went up. Stress went down.
A decade ago, the machines began appearing in the United States. Nightclub owners saw karaoke as a way to make the audience the entertainment - and vice versa.
``It's good therapy,'' said 45-year-old Greg Eng-Hong, the ``karaoke jockey'' at Frisco's in Kitty Hawk. ``The audience is the show.''
Frisco's is one of three Outer Banks nightclubs that offers karaoke. On a recent weeknight, I watched as a half-dozen closet Jimmy Buffetts, John Mellencamps and Grace Slicks serenaded bar patrons.
Eng-Hong opened the show with a spirited version of ``Mack the Knife.'' Next came a young man who offered an earnest, if somewhat nervous, ``Margaritaville.''
There was even the husband-and-wife duo of Kerry and Diane Gardenhour, who sang Sonny and Cher's 1960s' love anthem ``I Got You Babe.''
``We just like to make fools of ourselves,'' Kerry Gardenhour said. ``We've been coming down from Pennsylvania and doing this for the last four years.'' And just like the Bonos, her vocals overpowered his.
Eng-Hong mans the karaoke library that contains 1,200 tracks. A big black notebook lists the songs that range from the good (``Fly Me To The Moon,'' ``Johnny B. Goode'') to the bad (``Love Will Keep Us Together,'' ``Like A Virgin``) to the downright ugly (``Copacabana,'' ``Feelings'').
Song lyrics are displayed on two monitors, one for the singers and one for the audience. The next line is always highlighted. For ``I Got You Babe,'' Cher's words were highlighted in pink and Sonny's were in blue.
The most popular singalong songs, according to Eng-Hong, are ``Love Shack,'' ``Unchained Melody,'' ``Summer Nights,'' and ``Crazy.''
``The best nights are when I get everybody up,'' Eng-Hong said, ``and we have a variety of songs.''
Both my companion and I were impressed with the audience's sensitivity on the night we were there. No one laughed or sneered during the performances. And genuine applause erupted .
``Take any song you like,'' Eng-Hong said. ``There's no embarrassment.''
Wait a minute, Greg. You haven't heard me sing ``I Heard It Thru The Grapevine.'' But if I feel stressed, you never know. . . ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by DREW C. WILSON
Gill Williams, 34, of Kitty Hawk, bores into the microphone during
his rendition of ``We Just Disagree'' during a recent Tuesday
karaoke night at Frisco's.
Graphic
KARAOKE
Frisco's has Karaoke Tuesday through Saturday nights.
Other nightclubs offering Karaoke include Maione's in Nags Head
and Pirate's Cove in Manteo. by CNB