Thursday, June 26, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Mercury

Cover Story: King Karaoke

Bobby Shawn breaks down the art of ersatz

By Newt Briggs

Bobby Shawn is without a doubt the hardest-working man in the karaoke business. A lifelong lounge crooner (he used to play the show opposite Louis Prima at the Westward Ho), Shawn has spent the last decade adapting his vocal talents to the karaoke mic. Often accompanied by his dog Muffin--a Pomeranian whose excised claw Shawn wears as a medallion--the 64-year-old songster now hosts more than 40 gigs a month, schlepping between old folks homes, hospitals and local bars. Last Friday, the Mercury tracked him down at the Champagnes Café, and between rounds of Frank Sinatra and Patsy Cline, he took a few minutes to give us some insider tips on the art of imitation.

Mercury: What's the biggest mistake that karaoke singers make when selecting songs?

Bobby Shawn: They pick a song they don't know. Or else they pick something that's out of their range. It's always the people that can't sing that want to do a song like "Endless Love." I had one gal come in here, and she was so bad. I mean really, really bad. By the end, I could barely get my balance, and the bar had cleared out.

M: So what's the best advice you can give to a struggling karaokeer?

S: Practice.

M: You think they should spend their free time practicing karaoke?

S: If they want to get better.

M: How important is stage presence to the karaoke performance?

S: It's everything. Stage presence is everything. And experience gives you presence. You may not have presence when you first start out, but as you work different crowds, you'll start to be able to spot people in your audience. You can see who the truck drivers are or who the construction workers are or the lawyer types are, and you can tailor your performance to them.

M: Are there karaoke groupies?

S: Oh, yeah. These days, I'm like the heartthrob of the '90s. That's, of course, the 90-year-olds.

M: Do they ever hurl their big panties up on stage?

S: They love it. They dance around. They touch you. They squeeze you a little here and there. And as long as they don't cross the line, who cares? Remember, a lot of the people at these facilities have nothing. They sit in the hallway--maybe their families are gone or their kids don't come to visit them--and they just waste away. So I go once a week or once every couple of weeks and they line up waiting for me. I think karaoke gives them a chance to experience feelings that they haven't felt in a long time.

M: Are there any major karaoke no-nos?

S: I try to stay away from the foul language. If you're at a show with a lady and someone's up there using four-letter language, how would you feel about your lady? Whether she swore a lot or not, would you be concerned? Bobby Shawn is concerned for all the ladies in the place. I just won't let them go through that at my expense.