Ask a kj
By “Dangerous” Dan McKay
On any given night you’ll find us behind the speakers at your favorite karaoke bar. With one hand we’re keeping the rotation in order, with the other we’re twisting the knobs that help make singers sound their best. All the while we’re taking song slips, making sure there are enough pens at the request table and greeting new arrivals with a smile.
Whether you call us “KJs” or “Karaoke Hosts”, we’re the folks whose mission it is to bring our own blend of fun and personality to your local karaoke bar and keep the show moving.
In this new feature, we’ll ask local KJs their take on issues facing their profession and the karaoke industry. Enjoy!
Singers: Want to ask a question of area hosts?
KJs: Have opinions to share?
Email your information to KaraokeReporter@live.com.
Do you think KJs should allow singers
to use curse words during their songs?
Dan Keltonic, Pit Stop Sportsbar & BBQ Grill, Beaverton, OR
“I don’t think banning obscenities for karaoke songs is necessary, but maybe for the filler music played between singers. When I first began hosting, the bar I was at had some fights break out because of it. At the Pit Stop, we let anything go with the singers, but I think it reflects poorly on the individual who’s being an idiot over the microphone. I can see someone walking into an establishment for the first time and hearing that language. It’s going to give them the wrong impression. That being said, I do think that using obscenities over the microphone can make the song a lot funnier. I think there’s a place for it, but some people get carried away.”
Eric Sedgley, New Copper Penny, Portland, OR
“I particularly don’t care for it and discourage it as much as possible. People are usually respectful. I try to read the crowd throughout the show. And when those words are used, you can see it on some faces, you know that they’re offended by it. But I don’t take those songs out of my books. I tell singers requesting them, ‘This song has some words which are questionable. If you could, use some other word which you might think is funny.’
We have two singers who we call ‘The Beep Brothers’. For every word they think is a bad word, they say the word “beep”. They’re hilarious!”
Clifford Keller (KJ De-Ann), The Spot, Portland, OR
“As long as it’s not gratuitous – something to impress their friends or start a fight – I don’t have a problem with it. I’ve found bars are pretty lax about guidelines, but I know how to police myself. Although there are popular songs that have expletives in them, if singers start freestyle cursing where it’s not in the song lyrics, I tend not to let them come back right away. But it’s rare that someone is that out of it that they’ll disrespect the audience that way.”
Lonnie Boyer, Thunderbird Sports Bar, Tacoma, WA
“Personally I think there’s a time and a place for it, but that’s a choice for the host and the bar to find out what the boundaries are. At my bar we used to allow explicit songs to be sung, but it attracted a young rowdy crowd who would sing them all the time. Actually they would more like scream them. And fights would frequently start. I argued when the owners said pull all those songs, but they won because they pay me. Turns out we lost that crowd, but gained a better singing crowd, and I’ve never argued since.”
