Karaoke kriticism

Walt's attention has belatedly been drawn to a small item in the New York Times reporting on "karaoke killings" in the Philippines. Anyone who has visited the Philippines or knows that Filipinos love to sing and entertain. Filipino singers are to be found in bars and nightclubs all over Asia and the Middle East. Sadly, not all of them are equally talented.

Rodolfo Gregorio has a karaoke bar in the small Philippines city of General Santos. It has been the site of some killings, apparently because of the lyrics to that old karaoke favourite "My Way".

"Those words are so arrogant," said Mr. Gregorio. "'I did it my way, I ate it up and spit it out.' They make the singers feel proud and arrogant, and that leads to fights. Then someone pulls out a gun! Too many people have died through singing that song, so I've taken it out of the playbook."

So severe is the criticism that local media have invented a new category of crime: My Way Killings. According to one reporter "There are karaoke machines and illegal guns eveerywhere in these islands, and Filipinos pride themselves on their singing. They have a very low tolerance for bad singers, and an out-of-tune rendition of 'My Way' often seems to trigger violence."

Moral of the story: If you ever find yourself in a karaoke bar in the Philippines, do sing...but sing something else!