But that's the $12-a-drink crowd, which thankfully tends to avoid the Old Bank District (knock on wood).
Anchoring the OBD (not to be confused with this guy) is Bar 107, an irreverent little circus of a dive on 4th and Main. The bar makes up one third of the BarMuda Triangle, along with La Cita and Charley O's, three veteran watering holes in an otherwise pubescent field of downtown upstarts.
Chock full of red pleather, black denim and several shades of body ink, the 107 crowd spans from downtown hipster to USC greekster (the "One-Oh"?); even the occasional Skid Row...ster. They're all usually on hand Wednesday nights to enjoy a delightfully degrading brand of karaoke.
Grab a drink at the front bar and make your way to the back, where you're facing what appears to be a standard karaoke setup: host, DJ, lyric-scrolling TV, Tecate tallboys, etc. But look up to your left to see the why-didn't-I-think-of-that twist: three judges, three dry-erase boards and one shiny, golden gong.
Last year the good people of the 107 set out to create a flip side to the kid-glove, Sunday-night karaokes in Hollywood. It's Bong Show Karaoke, and it's a glorious mess.
It launched with a loyal cult following, and that cult is multiplying by the week. Bartender and founding creator J.P. says Wednesdays have slowly become the bar's busiest night of the week. A surprising success for a late-night brainstorm.
If you suck...
No need to ponder what a tool you look like up there; the three self-proclaimed D-List Celebrity Judges are more than happy to let you know. Jewlander, Heartbraker and Capt. Baby Spaceshits love nothing more than to rub salt in the fresh wounds of a dejected performer. Frankly, their constructive criticism is often more entertaining than the performances themselves. Quite often.
Of course, for those simply atrocious recitals (and there are quite a few), the mighty gong is at the ready. The bad news for those who set it off: you made a horrible ass of yourself and probably are just not a very likable person. The good news: it's over with, and heavy-pouring bartenders J.P. and Naomi know how to numb the trauma of failure.
A look at the four judges (three human, one metal) in action:
If you don't suck...
You could be in the running for the tobacco-use-only grand prize. Make it through your song without getting gonged and get a 1-to-10 score from each of the judges. The high score takes the cake at the end of the evening, when one of a handful of regulars —Bong Jovi, Ginger Balls or Mel, to name a few—is usually in the lead. Some highlights from last Wednesday's top competitors:
We Mentioned Mel...
Whose karaoke-on-speed technique simply should not be trimmed to fit a highlight reel. This inspiring rendition of Dolly Parton's "9 to 5" earned him an impressive 29.5 out of 30:
Not to be outdone by himself, he later bit off some Cyndi Lauper (with a little help from the crowd/judges):
You can stay up to speed on the Bong Show's new MySpace Video Channel. Just one clip of action up so far—Mel, of course...with yours truly delivering a stellar vocal cameo about halfway through. But keep checking back for quality highlights (and lowlights).
But video does this act no justice. Slide down to 4th and Main downtown any Wednesday night to hear, feel and smell the nonsense live. The gong rings at 11.
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Finally, we would be remiss not to call attention to this 2006 teaser for what appears to have been a Bar 107 TV pilot. Not sure what ever happened to that, but sadly I have to say the bar is slightly more refined nowadays. Slightly.
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