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Tue 26 Jul, 2011 09:09 am
I'm officially out of patience. It has generated a lot of income for me, but I just can't keep doing it. Have you ever noticed that regular dj's , of which I am as well, are usually in a booth or isolated in some way from the crowd? There's a reason for that. There IS a skill and talent set to building sets and mixing music to keep a dance floor hopping and it requires attention. Karaoke people have to interact more with the crowd, are therfore easily accessible, and here's the scenario.
I'm in the middle of a dance break and I'm mixing. a song is playing and I'm using the search engine for the next song then looking for the break points and lining up the beats for a smooth transition. Here comes Joe Idiot to ask me about songs that aren't in the book. That's why there's a book Joe, so you know whether I have the song or not. In addition, Joe can't navigate the alphabetical order thing and needs my help to find the song, or he wants me to go right to his karaoke song of which I have over 60,000 by quoting me a snippet of lyric. In the midst of this Jane Idiot comes up and apparently is also blind, because SHE starts yapping in my ear with the same questions, apparently unable to see the guy I'm ALREADY talking to.
What's the result? Suddenly I run out of music, I have nothing else cued up and there's dead air. Result number 2? All the idiots are now looking at me like I'm an idiot.
Just had to rant. I feel better.
@blueveinedthrobber,
In a bar setting, you always will deal with some challenged minds - just give them the book next time and don't talk to them at all. It's fruitless anyway!
@CalamityJane,
Jane, you can't run these people off. They're tenacious. In addition unfortunately karaoke people, and I mean the ones that live and breathe it and go out 6 nights a week for it are notoriously lacking in social skills of any type. They order a diet coke or water, demand free refills and leave without a thought of a tip. If they don't sound good, it's because you and your system suck and they will loudly proclaim it from the mountaintops.
God forbid you don't get them up as often as they'd like rotation or no rotation. I already care for a special needs son who sometimes tries my patience to the point I'd like to run away and I LOVE him.
@blueveinedthrobber,
Hahaha, I've actually seen them on the American Idol tryouts too! They can't sing, in fact their voices are atrocious, and when they get 3 stern No for their performance, they're utterly crushed and think they're treated unjustly. It's mind boggling, really.
@CalamityJane,
I've been an extremely patient cheerleader with these folks for a long time. I've done my duty and I no longer seek club gigs or offer karaoke on my website. I enjoy dj ing and the money's good.
@blueveinedthrobber,
My husband's a dj who started out on radio and clubs and now only does the odd wedding. I've sung in pup duos and dj once in a while but I refuse to do Karaoke. I salute you.
@blueveinedthrobber,
Talk to OmSigDave about getting a pistol to keep on the counter for those very occasions. It's a DJ's constitutional right to not be bugged by idiots. You could cue the sound of the shot in with the appropriate music.
I'm not sure what you could do about the blood and the bodies.
It was especially awful tonight. I keep reminding myself it's 75.00 an hour.
My regular Sunday account I've had for 19 years. I love the owners, we're like family and I'm grateful that not even counting extra dj, private party karaoke dj and live performance work they've paid me upwards of 350,000 that's ONE ACCOUNT, I'm so burned out on it I could die. I don't know about other places but here right after July 4 for about 6 weeks business goes to **** for various reasons. Research Triangle Park, a lot of their big companies will actually close down for vacation time, people are on vacation all over the place, there's the heat, and by the time people get in from their outdoor activities they're just too worn out to go back out. In addition a Sunday will never be as good as a Friday or Saturday and people don't have the money to goout three nights in a row anymore so business suffers. It picks up again soon. Colleges are back in in the next 10 days (even though I'm not near campus) and in September the outdoor stuff starts to slack off a little because the kids are back in school. Lots of variables. I get that, so do the owners and we ride out the storm, but when the place is soooo slow it just makes for a long long night.
@blueveinedthrobber,
well, sounds like you know the ropes, as far as this slack time.
Yeah, I hate when there's something you have to do at a particular time, but you feel like you're going to die of boredom before it gets done.
hang in there.
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