Singing, drinking and 'more': The karaoke scene

Singing, drinking and 'more': The karaoke scene

JAKARTA (JP): Have you ever noticed the lyrics of Green, Green
Grass of Home? It's about a prisoner who is going to be executed
and dreaming of his home for the last time. But, don't expect to
see a scene of a weeping prisoner on the song's karaoke video
clip.

It was 11.30 p.m. at Oke 1 karaoke bar on Jl. Gajah Mada,
downtown Jakarta. A man loudly sang Green, Green, Grass of Home
loudly, not Tom Jones for sure because he was out of tune an
couldn't follow the rhythm. The man, sitting on a sofa in a
dimly-lit room, read the lyrics from a big screen in the center
of the room. The song is tragic, but the video clip projected on
the screen is merry. It is a scene in a summer beach with surfers
and women in bikinis.

The man, lingering on the sofa with a sexy woman clad in a
tight black dress and two other men engrossed in their drinks,
continued to bellow into the microphone. His second repertoire of
the night was Besame Mucho. An Asian lady wearing sunglasses
walking alone around a harbor appeared on the screen. She does
nothing except walk. The camera sometimes approaches her and
shoots her pretty face in full. But no scene reflects the song's
story.

Third song. The man sings again. This time it's a Mandarin
song like those found in martial arts TV series. No one seemed to
mind his horrible voice. The lyrics appeared in the Latin
alphabet for people who want to sing the Mandarin song but can't
read the Chinese characters. Mandarin songs were banned by the
Semarang and Jakarta administration in 1991, but today, in most
karaoke bars, Mandarin songs are being played.

The song finishes, but only the waiters and the woman in black
applaud.

Its now the other guests' turns. No matter what song they
sing, sad or happy, the karaoke video depicts only beautiful
scenes, lovers holding hands, sunshine, restaurants, cars and
sensual women. Most people who frequent karaoke bars don't care.

"I come here to sing, to relax from my tight schedule. What I
want is to sing, so what is on the screen doesn't bother me,"
said Bob Simatupang, an employee of a French company in South
Jakarta.

A few do care.

Andrew, a manager of a pharmaceutical company who is a regular
guest at karaoke bars, was annoyed that only a few songs have
proper video clips. One example is a Spanish song called
Guantanamera. The video clip features a profile of a man as the
lyrics require.

Most of the video clips are produced in Asian countries like
Taiwan, Japan and Indonesia. The Taiwanese and Japanese clips are
obvious because they have Chinese or Japanese characters.

"I don't like the karaoke produced by Asian countries because
the arrangement of the songs are different from the original
ones. It is difficult to follow them because we are used to the
original arrangement we hear from cassettes," Simatupang said.

Andrew confirmed Simatupang's statement, saying that most of
karaoke bars' guests are not professional singers and don't know
anything about technique. Their only guide is the original songs
that they often listen to, so that any change in musical
arrangements will cause problems.

"Most of us like singing, but that's all. Therefore what we do
is merely copy or following the original tunes we are familiar
with," Andrew explained.

Not interesting

Both Simatupang and Andrew agreed that singing at home or in
the bathroom or even installing a sophisticated karaoke set at
home is not as interesting as singing in a karaoke bar.

"It's different. My sister installed a good karaoke system at
home, but it doesn't sound like in a karaoke bar. The atmosphere
plays a great role too," said Andrew.

Simatupang said the rooms at karaoke bars are equipped with
special instruments so that voices produced by the microphone
sound better.

The good singers are honored with applause, too, which doesn't
happen if we sing at home, he said.

Some karaoke bars mentally test singers because they must sing
on stage which is quite intimidating because people pay attention
to them. Japanese karaoke bars, which can be also be found around
Blok M in South Jakarta, are an example. In others singer can
entrench themselves on a sofa in the dark.

"It is a weird place. People come here to sit, chat and sing,"
said Mark Harris, an English national who was visiting a karaoke
bar for the first time when he met The Jakarta Post.

Later, after singing several songs, he said, "It's quite
amusing, but still, for the first time it is embarrassing because
we feel that other guests are listening to our singing."

Special rooms which can be rented by the hour are a haven for
those who prefer to sing in private. Prices range from Rp 20,000
(US$9.09) to Rp 30,000 an hour, with a minimal time of two hours.

In Oke 1, where six private rooms are available on the second
floor, each room is furnished with a TV karaoke set with two
microphones, a quite comfortable sofa and a list of songs
available. After choosing a song, guests ask the disc jockey to
play their selections on the TV then sing along. Drinks can be
ordered to the rooms. A telephone is the only link to the outside
world. Waiters don't appear unless requested and the sound-proof
walls keep patrons from disturbing those in other rooms.

"I like such a private room because we can sing as many songs
as possible. In the karaoke's public hall, we have to wait for
our turn. During weekends, if you can sing twice it's already
good," said Simatupang.

It is said that the private rooms make some karaoke bars into
brothels. A karaoke bar in West Jakarta, for example, offers
hostesses who are available for chatting, drinking, singing and
sometimes "more".

P.P., a hostess, who can be hired for Rp 20,000 a hour for
chatting and singing, said bluntly that she is willing to provide
"other services" for Rp 300,000. A woman who seems to be the
manager of the hostesses gives the karaoke bar a stronger brothel
image by calling herself "mami", a formal Indonesian title for a
madame.

Simatupang said once when he hired a private room with a woman
and a man. A waiter offered him the service of a hostess.

"One woman is not enough for two men," Simatupang quoted the
waiter as saying.

No further explanations of why one woman isn't enough when
singing was offered. Maybe the pictures of the nude women and the
couple embracing that hang on the walls of Oke 1's private second
floor rooms is the answers. (als)