Okay, I'm gonna pitch in my 2 cents worth (which rounded down amounts to nothing lol)...
Song choice... Alas, I don't think restrictions should be made regardless how bad someone is. I do think karaoke is for fun and while the SBS show took advantage of that it doesn't mean that karaoke wasn't meant to be fun in the first place.
As a not too bad singer who knows what he both enjoys and despises in music, I would love for karaoke to have a more professional flair rather than average punters but if that happened, it would be to miss the point. Karaoke is like a sing along around a piano or even an impromptu rendition of happy birthday where everyone joins in whether on pitch or off, in key or out. Karaoke is the chance for anyone regardless of talent to have their 2, 5 or 10 minutes of fame in the spotlight and to then rejoin the crowd and listen to / endure others having theirs.
On the subject of the drunks whether violent or not, I am going to actually say that one law I do support wholeheartedly is the refusal of service to those who are inebriated. Unfortunately, most venues I have seen - even the classy ones - all too often ignore this one. It's stupid really cos they run the risk of having violence ensue or simply have to clean someone's sick off the floor, neither scenario being particularly good for repeat business.

Regarding tinnitus...
(For those who don't know - it is a condition where someone hears a continual noise even in the absence of any sound source and it can be triggered by exposure to loud noise. I think I have a mild form of it myself but extreme cases as Tom says can literally drive people crazy).
If anyone is stupid enough to expose themselves to bad things continually and not realize its harmful effects, gets no sympathy from me. The person who frequents rock concerts and notices their hearing is impaired for the next 24 hours only to go to another one the next night or the person who smokes 3 packets of cigarettes a day and can't understand why they wake up coughing for half an hour or the person who doesn't brush their teeth only to suffer blackened teeth from decay or the person who decides to surf in the Great Australian Bight (breeding ground to the great white shark) and gets summarily chomped, I mean, they deserve any relevant misfortune that befalls them!
At karaoke, we have the option of notifying the host the music is a bit loud, so if we don't, then we're chumps. It's easy to recognize when it's too loud - your eardrums hurt or you have to put your fingers in your ears from time to time (a natural reaction to protect your hearing). If you find yourself recognizing these things, SAY something to the KJ. Don't just grin and bear it. If they don't turn it down, maybe have a word to someone else who seems to find it too loud also and have them go up and say something. The KJ is more likely to listen to a couple of complaints than to just one and if they still refuse to turn it down, then find a KJ who is more sensitive to their patrons needs and if none exists in your town, sacrifice your karaoke night - better that than risking going deaf or being driven crazy by tinnitus.
Submitted by Johnny B on 11-05-2007

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