Newscoma

Last night, SQ (who didn’t have to cover a playoff ballgame so had a night off) and I had to go to an After Hours event held by the Chamber. It was one of those things that you just go do and then you go on with your life. Squirrel Queen said she needed a night out on the town so we decided to just hop around the busy night club life of Hooterville. (You realize sarcasm is dripping here, right?)

Anyway, we did the meet and greet (Sen. Roy Herron was there and was trying to leave as quickly as we were. Yeah, we had a moment, talked about you-know-who over in the east part of the state and then we all ran for the door. You really want to get out of these things as soon as you can. We met, we said howdy with the local business folks and both Herron and I bolted as quickly as we could rushing to our cars with Captain America like speed parting ways.)

After we did the meet and greet, SQ and I were invited to a really nice new club after our businessy thing in Dresden. I know this is shocking but it was pretty groovy.

We met up with some friends and it was, you got it, KARAOKE NIGHT. Woot.

So, karaoke night in rural America is probably no different than karaoke night anywhere else but last night was especially wrought with a lot of Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty fans singing their tributes to their country heroes which was charming and creepy at the same time. My friends and Squirrel Queen convinced me to get up and join the ranks of the American Idol wannabes. I initially didn’t want to, but decided, what the heck, let’s go and I can say without reservation that I was most likely the youngest singer on the stage all night, which proves to you that this was an older crowd.
I sang Broadway songs and some kitch. Hee. It’s always good to mix it up. And I was pretty good as a karaoke singing goes which means absolutely nothing in the big scheme of things.

I should be embarrassed. I’m not.

But, that’s not what I’m writing about. I’m writing about I sang for Elvis and he gave me the thumbs up.

We have a local guy who has been an Elvis Impersonator for years. He has the black dyed hair, the Elvis Jumpsuits and last night he was chilling at the bar. To see Elvis in a bright orange UT button up shirt drinking a Bud Light brought glee to my world. And also let me say, he is a really nice man as I have been associated with him through my days of doing the rural news thing because he does a lot of charity events.

He is Hooterville’s version of a celebrity.

I wasn’t paying much attention but SQ walked up to the karaoke host and gave them a song and I said I’d do it. So I sang a song from the musical “Sweet Charity” and I was the darling of the oddest mixed crowd I’ve ever seen who were very clear that they didn’t know the song and pretty much thought “Big Spender” was a new hit on the charts they had just never heard before (I sigh). Most of the folks were in their early sixties, the other half of the bar was younger folks raising some cain and then there was Elvis.

I belted out my song, laughing with the DJ who is also a man I know and got a rollicking ovation for my performance. (Yay for me, I think.) Now singing Broadway show tunes to a group of people singing John Conlee hits from 1978 was pretty funny and I did it to amuse myself. But then Elvis emerged from the darkness and, gave me the thumbs up sign and did the standard Elvis nod of the head.

I’m telling you, he came out of the shadows. It was sort of weird and groovy in a way that I cannot express in words.

Squirrel Queen was laughing so hard because I gave him a nod back and returned to my friends.

I have been anointed by the spirit of Elvis. And you can’t beat that.

And, no, I’m not going to sing karaoke for you next time I see you. I’ve had my moment in the sun with the King.