Thoughts On "Upscale Karaoke"

On Friday, I read an article on TBD by Jenny Rogers titled "The art of upscale karaoke". It's a good filler piece for the online publication. And it rankled my feathers.

To bring more high-end, upscale polish to this activity of the stars, the W promises plenty of Top 40 song options and the presence of Tommy McFly, host of Fresh 94.7’s morning show.

I had an immediate reflexive reaction. But now that I've had some time to think about it, it still upsets me. See, I can't help but be reminded that I live in Washington DC. And in this city, "upscale" means

[...] chattering women in straight-from-work pencil skirts and sharp dresses, juggling iPhones and martini glasses. Guys in ties [...]

And all of that reeks of pretension and self-importance. "Upscale" doesn't have to mean people in fashionable evening wear sipping on martinis and singing to Top 40 hits at a production hosted by a morning radio show personality on the rooftop of a very fancy hotel steps from the White House.

We have fashionably-dressed people. We have Top 40 hits in our song collection. We serve martinis. We have a personable host. We have a friendly staff. We have seating. We stage lighting. We have wireless microphones and a sound system that draws world-class DJ talent. We have a very talented group of regulars.

What we don't have is a rooftop venue. And a fancy hotel. And steps from the White House.

Does that make us any less "upscale"?

Maybe I'm so possessive and protective of Wednesday Night Karaoke at Cobalt that I imagine slights where there are none. It's not like she's been to every karaoke venue in the area. She certainly has never been to WNKC.

But hopefully she will one Wednesday soon.

UPDATE 10/27/2011 13:02: Uh oh ... I've been called out. Guess I'll need to put up or shut up.