Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Our listeners don't even know what a legend you really are.
We tried to convey to them what a legend you
are at hosting karaoke. I can't believe we have you
on the show.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
This is amazing.
Speaker 3 (00:11):
I can't believe I'm a legend, but it's nice to
be here.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
So, friend, how long have you been hosting karaoke?
Speaker 3 (00:19):
I've been doing this for thirty years. I'm on Social Security.
They'll give you an idea of how old I am. Right, So,
it's been a wonderful ride. Ever since we started. They
had little tape cassettes for the music, so it was
all terribly undigital. Then came along the laser discs. I
(00:42):
had a bunch of laser discs when they came out.
Then the little cdgs which are like little CDs, and
now everything's you know, digital. So how did you download
it online? You were on your computer?
Speaker 2 (00:56):
How did you get into this in the first place?
I mean, what you go? You know what I'm gonna do.
I'm gonna be a karaoke host.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
I want a singing contest in a karaoke bar. Way
back in nineteen eighty eight, and I told the guy
who was running the show. I said, you know, I
have a van. I can log equipment around. You need me,
So I gave him my card and he called, and
from that point on I was not essentially doing the
(01:28):
showals myself, but running the sound, carrying the equipment around.
And about a year later then I became like a host,
and for then from then on, I've been doing it
in my sleep.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
So you are not just your typical karaoke host. You
are an active participant with the people that are singing.
I saw you singing backup. I saw you play in
a fake keyboard. I saw you with a rose in
your mouth. I saw you with.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Light up sunglasses.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
I saw you play the recorder. So it was just
an epic kind of of hosting. When did you start
adding all of this stuff to your hosting repertoire.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
Actually, pretty early on i've I don't you know, I
didn't really do it to distract away from the singers.
I just sort of had a funny sense of humor.
I knew the music. I could actually play guitar when
I first started out, so I was just familiar with
being able to fake stuff, and I thought it would
(02:30):
be like a funny addition people be able to not
only listen to the music, but they see me off
to the side doing some funny impersonation of the you know,
whether I'm playing the saxophone, which is a blow up
sax or you know, a guitar, which is actually a
guitar neck and not a whole guitar no strings. Of course,
it just made it a little bit more entertaining, I thought,
(02:53):
and people were very receptive, so I just kept along
doing it, and it's just kind of evolved and what
it is today.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
So and your hosting.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
It's fun for me, it's fun for the audience.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
It is funny.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
And one of the things I love about you is
your absolutely deadpan the entire time. If you're loving what
you're doing, you don't show it on your face. Bread
You're just there doing it, being the man. And you
remained relatively expressionless, which made me laugh so hard. I
can't even tell you you were. You were the hit
of our visit to Chicago. I'm just letting you know this.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
It was just wonderful. I thought you guys had originally
been just part of the DNC maybe delegates visiting, because
we did add some of them in during that week,
but it's just a wonderful time being analysis. We do
it five nights a week, and I do it four
of the five. And we've had a lot of awards
(03:51):
in Chicago best Karaoke Bar for like eleven years in
a row. In fact, they stopped giving the award to
karaoke bars. I don't know, maybe they felt, what's the point,
It's always going to be Alice's. But it's it's been
a great ride. People are just the audience is amazing.
They're very supportive of all the singers, whether you're good,
(04:13):
whether you're bad. So it's it's it's I can't believe
this is my job. I get paid to do this.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
So you heard my producer A Rod sing what in
the scale of karaoke world singing one being? Oh my god,
make it stop ten being? This kid could have a future.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
Where is a Rod.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
On the one to ten scale of karaoke singers in
your long history and and experience?
Speaker 3 (04:42):
Oh I would have to give him ten? Yeah, because
he was that good. There were other people from the
party not so not so good, not so bad, but
but a Rod he just he just really stuck out,
got a great voice, just like the record of course,
(05:02):
if you do, Rick Astley, we're going to get some bad,
you know, bad reviews. But I had to say, like
it was. I mean, I like this song because I
hear it every night. But he was awesome. Read sounds
absolutely fabulous. Well, I agree, you'd be in a band somewhere.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Yeah, he loves to sing karaoke. And we went to
the r n C as well, where we sang karaoke
at the r n C. And the quality of the
singers in Milwaukee at the karaoke bar was better than
the quality of the singers and Alice, is that that
particular Wednesday night? But the karaoke host did not even
come close to you, Fred, not even remotely close. And
(05:40):
I want to ask you one more question before we
run out of time, and that is, as a karaoke
host for thirty years, what songs would you be happy
if you never heard anyone sing again?
Speaker 3 (05:52):
Oh my god, what a great question. Total Eclips to
the Heart number one, number one. Get rid of that
song Boheman Rhapsody.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
Oh yeah, that's a tough one too.
Speaker 3 (06:06):
I was never a big fan of that song from
the first place. And they have to hear it at
least every other night. It doesn't make you a bigger fan,
And don't stop believing by Journey. That's the trifecta of songs.
I never want to hear it again, only two of
them because I hear I've heard them so much, I
(06:28):
don't want to hear them again. But total Eclipse of
the Heart, Oh, it's the worst.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
Well, and I'd imagine that people maybe get out a little.
In Colorado, we have a saying where people get out
ahead of their skis a little bit, meaning that they've
bitten off more than they can chew. And I feel like,
especially Journey, you probably have a lot of singers who
have bitten off more than they can chew with that
particular song.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Vocally.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
Absolutely. In fact, many of my well all of my
clients don't know that. But because it's such a high song,
I adjust the key down half a step. They call
it down one. Nobody knows. Nobody can tell, but it
helps them a little bit trying to hit those notes.
(07:13):
So it'll it'll. It was my secret until I came
on your show. But yeah, I cheat for the good
of the company. I guess you would say in that one.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
Fred, if we ever want to have a Mandy Connell
Show karaoke party. Will you can we fly you out
here and you run our karaoke party for us?
Speaker 3 (07:31):
Absolutely, I've been out to Rocky Mountain National Parks. I've
always flying out to Denver. I've been out to the park, Uh,
maybe a dozen times. I love the mountains, love being
out west. So I'm your man, I'm there. Well in DJ,
can I do a shout out?
Speaker 2 (07:49):
Oh? Absolutely, go right ahead.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
Shout out to Paul Hankleman. He lives in Denver. He
comes in every Christmas uh to do a party at Alice's.
He has relatives here. He's been coming to my shows
for I'll say twenty years. So he lives in Denver. Now,
Paul Hankleman, all right, lovely partner. Then I appreciate that
shout out.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
Well, Fred, We're gonna think.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
It'll be very impressive.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
Oh Fred, everybody listens to this show. I don't know.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
I'm a huge star, not as big as you, but
I'm a huge star.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
Here in Denver.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
So I'm sure he's listening right now and is floored.
But his favorite DJ is giving him a shout out. Fred,
we will be in touch with you because now I
want to have a karaoke party. I don't sing anymore.
I am unable to sing anymore. I had a vocal
cord surgery that pretty much ended that for me. But
we have lots of people, including our newsman Rob who
also sang, and of course A Rod and we'd love
(08:44):
to have you out. So we're gonna make that happen.
I don't know how, but we're gonna make it happen.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
All right, can't wait?
Speaker 2 (08:50):
All right, Fred, thank you so much for your time today. Man,
thank you.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
I'll be talking to you sometime in the future.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
All right, that's DJ Fred, our karaoke friend from Alice's
Bar in Chicago. Well done, Anthony. Now we have to
have a karaoke party.
Our listeners don't even know what a legend you really are.
We tried to convey to them what a legend you
are at hosting karaoke. I can't believe we have you
on the show.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
This is amazing.
Speaker 3 (00:11):
I can't believe I'm a legend, but it's nice to
be here.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
So, friend, how long have you been hosting karaoke?
Speaker 3 (00:19):
I've been doing this for thirty years. I'm on Social Security.
They'll give you an idea of how old I am. Right, So,
it's been a wonderful ride. Ever since we started. They
had little tape cassettes for the music, so it was
all terribly undigital. Then came along the laser discs. I
(00:42):
had a bunch of laser discs when they came out.
Then the little cdgs which are like little CDs, and
now everything's you know, digital. So how did you download
it online? You were on your computer?
Speaker 2 (00:56):
How did you get into this in the first place?
I mean, what you go? You know what I'm gonna do.
I'm gonna be a karaoke host.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
I want a singing contest in a karaoke bar. Way
back in nineteen eighty eight, and I told the guy
who was running the show. I said, you know, I
have a van. I can log equipment around. You need me,
So I gave him my card and he called, and
from that point on I was not essentially doing the
(01:28):
showals myself, but running the sound, carrying the equipment around.
And about a year later then I became like a host,
and for then from then on, I've been doing it
in my sleep.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
So you are not just your typical karaoke host. You
are an active participant with the people that are singing.
I saw you singing backup. I saw you play in
a fake keyboard. I saw you with a rose in
your mouth. I saw you with.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Light up sunglasses.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
I saw you play the recorder. So it was just
an epic kind of of hosting. When did you start
adding all of this stuff to your hosting repertoire.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
Actually, pretty early on i've I don't you know, I
didn't really do it to distract away from the singers.
I just sort of had a funny sense of humor.
I knew the music. I could actually play guitar when
I first started out, so I was just familiar with
being able to fake stuff, and I thought it would
(02:30):
be like a funny addition people be able to not
only listen to the music, but they see me off
to the side doing some funny impersonation of the you know,
whether I'm playing the saxophone, which is a blow up
sax or you know, a guitar, which is actually a
guitar neck and not a whole guitar no strings. Of course,
it just made it a little bit more entertaining, I thought,
(02:53):
and people were very receptive, so I just kept along
doing it, and it's just kind of evolved and what
it is today.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
So and your hosting.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
It's fun for me, it's fun for the audience.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
It is funny.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
And one of the things I love about you is
your absolutely deadpan the entire time. If you're loving what
you're doing, you don't show it on your face. Bread
You're just there doing it, being the man. And you
remained relatively expressionless, which made me laugh so hard. I
can't even tell you you were. You were the hit
of our visit to Chicago. I'm just letting you know this.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
It was just wonderful. I thought you guys had originally
been just part of the DNC maybe delegates visiting, because
we did add some of them in during that week,
but it's just a wonderful time being analysis. We do
it five nights a week, and I do it four
of the five. And we've had a lot of awards
(03:51):
in Chicago best Karaoke Bar for like eleven years in
a row. In fact, they stopped giving the award to
karaoke bars. I don't know, maybe they felt, what's the point,
It's always going to be Alice's. But it's it's been
a great ride. People are just the audience is amazing.
They're very supportive of all the singers, whether you're good,
(04:13):
whether you're bad. So it's it's it's I can't believe
this is my job. I get paid to do this.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
So you heard my producer A Rod sing what in
the scale of karaoke world singing one being? Oh my god,
make it stop ten being? This kid could have a future.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
Where is a Rod.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
On the one to ten scale of karaoke singers in
your long history and and experience?
Speaker 3 (04:42):
Oh I would have to give him ten? Yeah, because
he was that good. There were other people from the
party not so not so good, not so bad, but
but a Rod he just he just really stuck out,
got a great voice, just like the record of course,
(05:02):
if you do, Rick Astley, we're going to get some bad,
you know, bad reviews. But I had to say, like
it was. I mean, I like this song because I
hear it every night. But he was awesome. Read sounds
absolutely fabulous. Well, I agree, you'd be in a band somewhere.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Yeah, he loves to sing karaoke. And we went to
the r n C as well, where we sang karaoke
at the r n C. And the quality of the
singers in Milwaukee at the karaoke bar was better than
the quality of the singers and Alice, is that that
particular Wednesday night? But the karaoke host did not even
come close to you, Fred, not even remotely close. And
(05:40):
I want to ask you one more question before we
run out of time, and that is, as a karaoke
host for thirty years, what songs would you be happy
if you never heard anyone sing again?
Speaker 3 (05:52):
Oh my god, what a great question. Total Eclips to
the Heart number one, number one. Get rid of that
song Boheman Rhapsody.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
Oh yeah, that's a tough one too.
Speaker 3 (06:06):
I was never a big fan of that song from
the first place. And they have to hear it at
least every other night. It doesn't make you a bigger fan,
And don't stop believing by Journey. That's the trifecta of songs.
I never want to hear it again, only two of
them because I hear I've heard them so much, I
(06:28):
don't want to hear them again. But total Eclipse of
the Heart, Oh, it's the worst.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
Well, and I'd imagine that people maybe get out a little.
In Colorado, we have a saying where people get out
ahead of their skis a little bit, meaning that they've
bitten off more than they can chew. And I feel like,
especially Journey, you probably have a lot of singers who
have bitten off more than they can chew with that
particular song.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Vocally.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
Absolutely. In fact, many of my well all of my
clients don't know that. But because it's such a high song,
I adjust the key down half a step. They call
it down one. Nobody knows. Nobody can tell, but it
helps them a little bit trying to hit those notes.
(07:13):
So it'll it'll. It was my secret until I came
on your show. But yeah, I cheat for the good
of the company. I guess you would say in that one.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
Fred, if we ever want to have a Mandy Connell
Show karaoke party. Will you can we fly you out
here and you run our karaoke party for us?
Speaker 3 (07:31):
Absolutely, I've been out to Rocky Mountain National Parks. I've
always flying out to Denver. I've been out to the park, Uh,
maybe a dozen times. I love the mountains, love being
out west. So I'm your man, I'm there. Well in DJ,
can I do a shout out?
Speaker 2 (07:49):
Oh? Absolutely, go right ahead.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
Shout out to Paul Hankleman. He lives in Denver. He
comes in every Christmas uh to do a party at Alice's.
He has relatives here. He's been coming to my shows
for I'll say twenty years. So he lives in Denver. Now,
Paul Hankleman, all right, lovely partner. Then I appreciate that
shout out.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
Well, Fred, We're gonna think.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
It'll be very impressive.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
Oh Fred, everybody listens to this show. I don't know.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
I'm a huge star, not as big as you, but
I'm a huge star.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
Here in Denver.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
So I'm sure he's listening right now and is floored.
But his favorite DJ is giving him a shout out. Fred,
we will be in touch with you because now I
want to have a karaoke party. I don't sing anymore.
I am unable to sing anymore. I had a vocal
cord surgery that pretty much ended that for me. But
we have lots of people, including our newsman Rob who
also sang, and of course A Rod and we'd love
(08:44):
to have you out. So we're gonna make that happen.
I don't know how, but we're gonna make it happen.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
All right, can't wait?
Speaker 2 (08:50):
All right, Fred, thank you so much for your time today. Man,
thank you.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
I'll be talking to you sometime in the future.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
All right, that's DJ Fred, our karaoke friend from Alice's
Bar in Chicago. Well done, Anthony. Now we have to
have a karaoke party.
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