After I schooled Marlon on how to approach a sinewy latino, we headed to the gay sports bar. And there it was… the stage, the mic, the song selections on the table. Marlon had revenge in mind, and I was the target. I have a fear of singing karaoke.

It’s not really a fear. It’s just a case of over-thinking a predetermined situation. The end result is I just back out of the opportunity. One of my chicken list items from the Year For Fears is singing karaoke. Here’s my thought process on karaoke: Karaoke is supposed to be fun and silly. Anytime I am behind a mic, I perform and give it my all. When it comes to karaoke, I always figured I’d freeze up and do what I do best: belt and be emotive and seriously sing my heart to a very confused crowd (“Uh I don’t remember paying for a concert!”).

However, as you can see from the video that didn’t happen. It was so much fun to be silly and chill. And hey, it was still a performance. Now that I’m on the other side of the mic, if you will, I see that performing karaoke actually takes the edge off. Having fun is something that I should infuse with my real performances. Seriously, “Why so serious?”

One less fear in the Year of Voices. :]