When Drunks Amuse

A few years ago, I was informed by one of my pals in the tavern business that the day before Thanksgiving is one of the biggest nights they have all year. I'm not sure if that's just for the Milwaukee area or if it's all over, but I've seen it to be true. Whether it's the idea of an 'extra' Friday for the week or the knowledge that the next day will be spent with family or just that people are back in town and looking to visit with friends they haven't seen in awhile, the drinking establishments are hopping that day.

I don't generally make any special effort to be out that night but it happens.

After comics and bowling, I got swept up with a group lead by a couple of my buddies and ended up at a crowded establishment having a karaoke night. As per normal in a situation like this where it's crowded and I'm not totally familiar with everyone in the group I'm with, I find ways to enjoy myself. It's better than being grumpy all night. I know cause I've done both. It worked and I had a fine time.

First major amusement: drunk guy that was fascinated with my sideburns. 'Those 'r awesome!' I agreed with him. I bumped into him a number of times that night and he was always willing to comment on them again. 'Is the sideburns guy again! Awesome!' He was talking to a lot of people so I marked him down as 'friendly drunk' as opposed to 'creepy guy' and was amused by him.

Second major amusement: drunken caterwauling karaoke. There were a couple people trying to keep up and sing but the most were barely able to read the lyrics they thought they knew. Fascinating.

Third major amusement: the singalong. Earlier in the night, at the comic shop, I explained that sports provides an opportunity to yell in a socially acceptable setting and how relaxing that can prove to be. A couple beers, a team to cheer for, a team to boo, and you can work a lot of stress out of your system, even if your team is playing like crap. Wednesday night I found that a close cousin to that is the group singalong. I can't recall the lead-up songs, but the crowd started to get warmed up as a group by the song selections. Then 'Bohemian Rhapsody' started and the place went wild. It felt like the entire place was singing along. I was. It was relaxing. At that point, no one can really tell how off key you are, maybe not even the guy next to you. While I still don't understand the appeal of watching football (the type Americans call soccer), I felt I understood the singalongs in the crowd better.

I should like to point out my lack of being drunk at any point during this process. I joined in for the fun of it. I also got to observe people being people, which is always handy for my writing.

I also got part of a drink spilled on me by my buddy's ex-girlfriend as we were leaving but that was also amusing. Her forcing me to then drink some of that drink bordered on creepy though.