the smedley log - suburban scrawl

Bad company

Much to my chagrin, the neighbor upstairs has recently been indulging a karaoke habit. What makes it worse is that these sessions generally begin around 7 a.m. For those who aren’t me, let me explain that I am routinely at work past 3 a.m., so my normal sleeping hours are between 4 a.m. and 12 noon.

I’m sure there are many out there who know the frustration of having a neighbor who plays his music at an annoyingly high level during the most inopportune time periods. And perhaps there are even a few who know the horrors of the sunrise karaoke phenomenon (like that to which I’ve been exposed for several days now). For those not familiar with it, let me offer a snippet:

First, you hear the unmistakable tones of Bad Company wafting through the ceiling. It’s a bit loud, but you don’t mind the classic rock, so you think you might be able to bear it, even think of it as a lullaby of sorts. But then, as the vocals start, you realize this rendition of “Feel Like Makin’ Love” is going to be much different from any you’ve heard in the past.

As a voice lacking all modulation turns what was once a great song into the stuff of nightmares, you comfort yourself with the thought that the song will be finished in a few short minutes. Then it begins all over again. And again. Countless practice runs yield nothing closer to perfection than when the session began.

By the afternoon you’ve gotten maybe an hour or so of rest, and the neighbor upstairs has transitioned to “Smoke on the Water.” You’re just wondering how many other classic tunes this guy’s going to ruin for you before he gets tired of his new toy.

At least you hope he gets tired of it.

your only recourse is to record it and post it

Oh no.

have you tried sleeping w/ earplugs? they aren’t the most comfy things, but as someone who just bought a 50 pack for me and my fellow denizens of the 20th floor, home of continuing construction that somehow must occur during working hours, they can add a thin layer of sanity to an insane situation…

of course, if you are looking for payback, I can see if I can scrounge up a recipe for ex-lax brownies you can leave outside his door, with an autographed picture of the swedish girls volleyball team enclosed with the love note…..

Albert – excellent idea. Though it seems the habit has been subdued in the past few days, so the opportunity may not present itself again (I hope).

Mel – oh no, indeed.

Ellen – earplugs scare me, if only because I need to hear my alarm (especially on those days when I am deprived, as I have been lately).

No payback is necessary at this point, but for the autographed pic, should it be the Swedish women’s volleyball team or the Swedish bikini team? (I used to love those commercials)

Is it a toy or a moderately annoying “tool of his trade”?

One local joint features Karaoke (Japanese for “without tone”) every Wednesday night. Once in a while, by accident, my drunken stupor extends into K-time. What I’ve noticed is that there are local ‘celebrities’ who are actually encouraged to get up and sing. One woman dons an outfit and puts on a little show.
The DJ knows them by name and calls them up.

Does the neighbor do this on the outside, or are you his only audience?

A toy, I hope. I have no idea if anyone is encouraging him, but I’m fairly certain nobody should be.

My “D’Oh”.

You’re right – it IS the Swedish Bikini Team (although I could have sworn they did stuff other than wear the bikini – as a non-dude, I don’t have the commercials quite as permanantly etched in my mind).

Sounds like Gastric Rock.