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A LONG LONG TIME AGO...I CAN STILL REMEMBER HOW THE MUSIC USED TO MAKE ME SMILE...AND I KNEW IF I HAD THAT CHANCE, THAT I COULD MAKE THOSE PEOPLE DANCE AND MAYBE THEY'D BE HAPPY FOR A WHILE....(American Pie)
NOPE, I would've never believed this 10 years ago that I'd someday be writing about karaoke...let  alone karaoke and ME!!!
So to demonstrate how serious this is, here's how it happened:
In the beginning there was God and God made music! And music was good!
Then God got a little bored with Angel harps, and Angel trumpets, so God made man, so man could make music. So man was created and played with his flute!!! And it pleased God and it was good! Then the world turned and God got tired of man playing his flute all the time---in fact, the angels report that God was heard yelling at man "UH-Dam! stop playing that flute for crying out loud" This was repeated so often...that everyone just figured man's name was "UH-Dam!" and of course, the "coffee can and string" game got involved before ya knew it man's name became ADAM!
So God was weary of Adam's flute playing so he made woman...and woman was NOT given a flute (thank God)!!! But she certainly had a mouth! So God and Adam agreed that woman should do something more than yack with her mouth. So God blessed woman with a singing gift. And woman was the most beautiful singer in the world---not to mention the only one. And woman was named "Eve" (God couldn't call her "Dawn" ; God knows everything and knew Tony Orlando would later partner with "Dawn" and didn't want a lawsuit)...
And Eve added a pleasing and lovely change to Adam's music. So lovely, in fact, Adam spent a lot less time playing with his flute and more tine playing with Eve instead. ....And as it would happen a whole lot of whoopee started going down. Next thing you know a whole lot of begetting took place,,,, and singing music became the essence of man's existence.... Then there was that snake---the first member of "THE LOST"---that part of the story is for another time
The problem was that every song Adam and Eve played and sang couldn't be remembered...Only they could do perform them.... So God, on the seventh day, created karaoke (and everyone thought God rested that day! Heck no! God was sooooooooo sick of Adam and Eve's same ole same ole, God created karaoke so the other begatteees could sing also! Thank God for God!!!)
After the world turned a few trillion times, God decided to shake things up and so he made GIDGET!!! And Gidget could SING ... and she sang all of Eve's karaoke songs.... And God caused , Gidget to go to Jose's' Palapa in Baja Mexico --where Gidget met "Rosarito Rose". God felt Rosarito Rose's horrendous karaoke version of "Black Velvet" was blasphemous and of demonic influence.
When Rosarito Rose heard Gidget sing, she could do nothing but surrender the "Golden Karaoke Mic" to Gidget...who resonated A Don Miguel tune..for which the crowd threw g-strings and bikini briefs...and when Gidge turned to drink a glass of water...alas some water splashed on Rosarito Rose and she melted into a puddle of slime on the stage at Jose's Palapa... "Cheetah" Jose's girlfriend's pet Labrador, lapped up the mess...ran from the Palapa and promptly fell over dead!!!!...GIDGET became heir to the Palapa Karaoke throne....and the world was good and God saw this and smiled....(you can visit gidget at www.thegidget.com )
Alas the Karaoke world was not complete...and God realized something was still missing something...something strange, goofy, sick, tormented, traumatized, and dramatized....it needed these things....so he looked to the sky and saw the moon ...then he looked to the earth and saw some NUT running off of a mountain with a sheet over his head--- as the full moon rose...
"BEHOLD!!!, a foolish dog," he said...."he's nothing but a foolish dog!" God decided..."certainly there must be something else I can do with this...with This... ...THIS.... 'THIS MOONDOGGIE'---ha THE MOONDOGGIE no less".... so he plucked The Moondoggie from the sky and plopped him at Jose's Palapa, one hot sticky summer sunday in July.... Jose took one look at God, then he looked at THE MOODOGGIE . He opened a bottle of Don Julio tequila; poured Moondoggie 3 shots and Jose gulped down the rest....Jose, wiped his wet July-tequila soaked forhead and whaled "Oh Gidget... Oh Gidget throw down your golden mic and let the Moondoggie sing" he repeated "Oh Gidget Oh Gidget throw down your golden mic and PLEASE let the Moondoggie sing"....
The crowd began to chant... "Moondoggie sing! Moondoggie sing! MOONDOGGIE SING!!!" Gidget turned to the Moondoggie, smiled and extended the golden mic towards the Moondoggie....The Moondoggie scanned the landscape of chanting souls...shot down the 3rd tequila, grasped hold of Gidget's golden mic and took the stage....the chanting ceased, the room froze...THEN SILIENCE!!!!
The Moondoggie had no idea what to sing...He looked around at the pregnant crowd. The sweat trickled down his brow... His mind spun back to his past...the past of living in Ohio...of working at the Christmas tree lot---when the temperature dipped below minus 50...dressed as a pro---he'd smirk at frozen customers--- shopping for their trees from the warmth of their benz's and Beemers...all the while tunes rang through ice cicled christmas trees...his mind shot---- fast-forward...
Back onstage at Jose's....it welled up inside of THE MOONDOGGIE and then, all of a sudden... like lava spewing from an open volcano he belted "I'M DREAMING OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS...JUST LIKE THE ONES I USED TO KNOW...." ---the crowd went APE!!! (A plug for Darwinist.. who says we can't be Politically Correct, here) AND a star, albeit A MOON...THE MOONDOGGIE WAS BORN!!! (to be continued later) and so came the songlist.... And Gidget and the Moondoggie began a karaoke adventure, together and apart for the next chapters of Palapa karaoke history....
Then came the LAMPLIGHTER!( to be continued)
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This site is still under construction and may be for some time,... but just in case I want to thank those who have helped....Flipper for photography; Gidget for inspiration, Emma for inspiration for the misguided, Tracy, the Lampligher crew Joe, Eddie, Tommy, Eric Baker, Pete, Edward, John, Johnnie, the Lamplighter fans--MY FANS ---YOU ROCK!!! in Baja: Jose and the staff at La Palapa de Jose, The karaoke staff at the Rosarito Beach Hotel---namely Nye, Adul, Juan, Fredrico, and the rest! And last but not least: my singing companions: Flipper, Cleojabptra, CzaCza, Veronica, Johnnie,
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TO THE MISGUIDED:
THE PATH TO ENLIGHTENMENT! On a more real-world level...here's the scoop: As it turns out, a lot of the first 20 years of my adult life...I enjoyed going to clubs and concerts to see artists and bands perform in front of throngs of admiring fans. And I pondered (like most folk)"Gee what would it be like to be that guy?" Then one day it struck me. All I was doing was watching someone else live "their life". (Kinda like watching sports on TV--how boring---the outcome of the sporting event will be known 3 hours later whether I watch it or not)
Life is too short to spend my time watching others do something I could do. Especially when the reward involved bringing enjoyment to others---namely a crowd! Now I have many a friend who spend their free time absorbed with seeing bands, groups and performers, wherever whenever and whatever. They spend their lives focused on being fans of anyone who can sing or play an instrument...and they just don't "get" karaoke. They rate it as inferior entertainment--as if their individual opinion impacts the BILLION dollar karaoke industry (there are 60 karaoke shows going on any given evening in San Diego County alone)... Frankly, thats great! Its people like these who are also karaoke fans---many of which prefer to watch karaoke performers, whether or not they perform themselves.
But to the band groupies of the world....here's an ALL POINTS BULLETIN!!!
The MOONDOGGIE WILL ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS choose singing at a good solid karaoke venue on any night---rather than watch a local yocal band! Why should I spend my time being part of the crowd applauding them when I can be on stage getting the same recognition...self centered? perhaps.... but NO more self-centered than any of the artists that the groupies worship PERIOD!
This is not to say Moondoggie doesn't take in a good show now and again (in the last year saw David Bowie TWICE, The Cure, The B-52's, La Ley, Social Distortion (March 18); Chris Cagle--3 times; and a couple others). BUT I don't have time/interest to run all over town to watch "YO-HO PEE POE" battle it out for "San Diego's Best Live Band of the week!" Or running over to the Belly Up to see JO JO and the BUGABOOS perform their "one hit single" thats a remake of an old Rolling Stones tune.
To those who perform in these groups...more power to you...but if you really are that good...my personal participation will not make/break you and perhaps someday if/when you become BIG TIME..you can be an opening act for a major group that I go to see...and I'll be sure to applaud you and might even buy your cd!!! In the meantime, I'll be singing--- getting my adrenaline rush--- from crowd appreciation...and I'm sure you (Mr/Ms local artists) understand the importance of THAT!!!
As for the "groupies for eternity", I won't knock your pastime and you don't need to knock mine. I'm perfectly happy with mine and you will not change my perspective. If your goal in life is to be another member of the crowd, thats good for you! I will continue being happy in my karaoke venues...thank you very much for your concern...
One final note, if you think I'm overboard on Karaoke...some might say "you need to get another life".. I assure you I DO! And its even more AWESOME than karaoke... its called being BAJABRENT and FLYING PARAGLIDERS IN BAJA (see www.bajabrent.com )! Same philosophy goes down. Why should I spend my time watching the NFL, NBA or MLB---a bunch of millionaire steroid freaks battle it out for ????? I no longer give a "squat" about superbowls; playoffs and championship titles. Those things will happen whether I watch or not! No, I spend my weekends shredding thermals and singing "REACH FOR THE SKY"... I spend my life LIVING LIFE, MAKING THINGS HAPPEN and SHOWING OTHERS how they can share in the splendor of living...rather than WATCHING it happen!
So unlike the masses who sit in front of TV all saturday/Sunday watching sports... then going to bars to watch YO HO PEE HOE sing their songs.... thanks but no thanks... perhaps its YOU who needs to get another life because the one your living IS NOT YOUR OWN!!!
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AND FINALLY TO"THE LOST"
Finally, of course, there are those who are "LOST". The "Lost" are those who DO NOT like Moondoggie performances. This site can help "THE LOST" GET LOST AND STAY LOST!
The Moondoggie does not have a lot of THE LOST around him. Power and light diminishes the impact of the shadow of the negative energy of THE LOST. But if this website can deter the few from coming to a show....then GOD BLESS THIS WEBSITE....check my calendar, stay lost....
Contender for "Queen of the Lost"
As an example, Laura Cain from STAR 100 is one of "THE LOST". She comes to the Lamplighter, sings "so-so" songs like "I will survive" to a dribble of applause--then the next day, goes on the air and whines about other songs performed at the Lamplighter--in particular--"American Pie" which we all know who sings that!!! And of course PIE always receives applause/cheers-- way more--- than she has EVER received herself...
In fact, Cain's applause is generated by her groupies who come and leave the Lamp with her..she couldn't "survive" without them... Laura should stay at home and continue singing in her child's "winnie-the-pooh" wind-up karaoke player (i think her son has outgrown it)-- and -I'm sure her groupies will applaud her without wasting valuable Lamplighter stage time---so Laura get lost...the REAL karaoke world "will survive" without you......(BTW I still think Jeff and Jer are a hoot...but 94.9 rocks wi/ music rather than gab...see ya there.)
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