Love Letters/Hate Mail

Dear Editor:

(In response to "Kitsch 'N' Sync" in the Live Music section of Urban Tulsa Weekly)

All of us karaoke fans around Tulsa really do appreciate the slander your magazine has thrown our way with the Kitsch 'N' Sync joke. What is really appreciated is the refusal to end the ongoing joke in your magazine. You can be assured that every karaoke fan in the Tulsa area will be informed of Urban Tulsa's insensitivity. I will also do my part to have your magazine boycotted by readers and advertisers alike. The only thing "in bad taste" here is Urban Tulsa's handling of the situation.

-CJ Wayne

Dear Editor:

Sir, my name is Carroll Lockhart, I'm a small business owner in Tulsa, I own extreme karaoke, I have five DJ and karaoke systems and six employee's and have been doing private parties, weddings, & providing karaoke in clubs for the past 15 years, until about a year ago Urban Weekly listed all the clubs that do karaoke in Tulsa, in your events section, and then was removed. And the events title was changed to live music events, and at that time I was told by your staff that karaoke was not considered live music because, the music is pre-recorded. I'm confused, because in your live music section you list all the DJ's that perform in clubs, how is it that a DJ that just spins records is more live than a singer on stage?

But more than that, what is really the issue is, when your staff made a section or karaoke directory, I was very pleased, but did not know what the title of that directory's meaning was (kitsch'n'sync) just thought it was a cute play on words. But after Googling the word kitsch I realized your staff and Urban Weekly was making a joke of every bar and operator and singer in Tulsa, by saying what we do is in bad taste, worthless, this in an insult, and so very wrong. Think of the bar owners that pay a lot of money to advertize karaoke weekly, in Urban, and to then have you state that, it is worthless and in bad taste in the same issue? I called Oct. 22 to voice my concerns and got an email back in the afternoon advising I contact you. Please help in this matter.

-Carroll Lockhart

Dear Editor:

I'm pissed off at Urban Tulsa for having the bad taste to insult and make a joke of all the bars in Tulsa that advertize karaoke in your rag. Someone on your staff took it upon themselves to name the karaoke directory kitsch n sync, the word kitsch German for worthless and an art form in bad taste. All the while you guys are taking money from those bar owners to advertize karaoke every week. You guys really piss me off.

-Carroll

Dear Editor:

Yeah I am upset with this weekly paper that is used for promoting local entertainment and talent. To sectionalize a set of personal entertainment people as in blue collar up to white collar people who all gather for the sole purpose of having fun and singing there hart out or just watching. The part of (sync) is correct as in to synchronize music to lyrics. But to use a word as in (kitsch) which is German for trash!!!! What it is used for now day's more commonly as a word for poor taste, poor quality and so on. I think UTW owes the patrons and club owners as well an apology! Thank you for reading and keep up the singing all. As long as there is a song in your heart...sing it.

-JW

Editor's Note: Several years ago, at the request of several nightclubs who provide karaoke, UTW began a breakout listing for this attraction as a service to our outgoing readers. Separate from our existing Live Music listings, separate from our existing Club Directory, this listing would somewhat redundantly single out the clubs for special exposure for their commitment to karaoke.

Thanks to us, this form of entertainment grew exponentially and continues to bring our readers into clubs around the metro area.

We are glad to help.

What we name things is what we name things, for the attention it brings, so get out to the karaoke clubs and sing your heart out.