Who’s up for a spot of Kristmas Karaoke with Bourgeois & Maurice and Scottee?
Over three nights next week, those deviant siblings Bourgeois & Maurice team up with the no-less-perverse Scottee for . Everyone is invited to the Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club – and not just to watch.
The audience will be encouraged to request songs for them to sing. If you wondered what the seminal 1989 Kylie & Jason classic Especially For You would sound like à la B&M, now’s your chance. Those feeling brave can jump on stage and compete to be the night’s “Kristmas Karaoke King & Kween”. Go for it: you have nothing to lose but your dignity and – after a few G&Ts – perhaps not even that.
To get the ball rolling, Maurice Maurice has delved into the history books to reveal for the first time the curious roots of karaoke…
Karaoke is a public display of affection in which human beings of varying creed, colour and shape stand on a raised platform and “sing” for the entertainment of the landed gentry.
It was invented in the early 1500s by an off-shoot of the Mormon religion called Japan. It was illegal to perform karaoke in the UK for many centuries; people viewed it with great suspicion and fear with many believing that the “singers” were under some sort of devilish curse or trance during their performance. British folk tales mention a witch with magical powers who put people under spells and encouraged them to sing publicly and follow their dreams. She is often called Jennifer, Queen Victoria or Cheryl Fernandez-Versini.
For many centuries karaoke took place in secret, often subterranean, bars and clubs colloquially know as “shitholes”. This all changed in the early 2000s when President of Stuff Simon Cowell recognised its profitability and decriminalised it, thereby reinventing it for a mainstream audience.
Since then it has still struggled to find its place within the world, with increasing reports of karaoke on karaoke crime on the rise. Many hardcore karaoke members believe its acceptance into mainstream culture has undermined and devalued its subversive and anarchistic nature. Members of conservative groups such as the Labour Party believe its existence to be corruptive and destructive to society as a whole. These two opposing ideologies are thought to be the reason behind the recent cold weather. New adopters of karaoke are still a little confused as to whether it is good or bad.
I hope you have all learnt something from that. However, as a strong believer in independent thought and self-determination I would encourage you to come along and experience karaoke for yourself and make your own judgements.
Myself, my brother Georgeois Bourgeois and my chubby aunt Scottee are conveniently hosting a special educational Karaoke event at Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club on 15, 16, 17 December. That would be a good opportunity to learn something new.
Further Reading
Bourgeois & Maurice’s Ultimate Guide To Mother’s Day
Bourgeois & Maurice’s Favourite Festive Fings
Interview: Bourgeois & Maurice On Fashion, Cameron And Megaphones
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