I’ll do it my way: Locals pick their jams for Saturday’s Punk Rock Karaoke Chicago event

The act of karaoke and punk rock don’t appear to have a lot in common, but there’s one thing that bonds the two: the idea that anyone who wants to jump onstage and make a scene can and should. Yet, punk tunes don’t exactly fill the songbooks in most karaoke houses, which are more likely to give you the opportunity to sing to Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” instead of the Sid Vicious version. Fortunately there’s Punk Rock Karaoke Chicago, a new monthly D.I.Y. karaoke night for those leather-clad, Mohawk-haired kids who just want to shout every last Minor Threat lyric in front of a crowd. The second Punk Rock Karaoke event kicks off Saturday, June 18 at Wicker Park Art Center, and the proceeds benefit Mercy For Animals. To gear up for an evening filled with Dead Kennedys, Bikini Kill, and Wire tunes sung by fans, The A.V. Club asked some local punk musicians, label-heads, and fans about what song they might sing at a punk rock karaoke event.

Tim Kinsella: Pegboy’s “My Youth”
“I imagine it would be thematically relevant to anyone that has showed up to a punk karaoke, so may as well bring the ritual to a self-aware crux of sorts, no? Because it’s not a song written by young guys making sense of the world best they can and forcing the listener to remember their own young impulsive worldview. Instead, it’s a song written by guys a little bit older, basically singing about punk karaoke. It’d be tautological, like Fitzcarraldo and the making of Fitzcarraldo. Plus, it’d be fun to go wild like Larry Damore, devil horns and sticking my tongue out and shit. And John Haggerty is the coolest, so I’ll take any opportunity to give him props.”

Alderman Joe Moreno: The Clash’s “What’s My Name”
“I would love to sing ‘What’s My Name’ by The Clash, from [The Clash’s self-titled debut]. First of all, it’s Joe Strummer more screaming than singing, so it’d be easier for me to sing. And it’s an identity piece: It’s about questioning who you are, questioning the government and the status quo and the state ... It just kicks ass in terms of true punk music.”

Jon Langford: The Police’s “Roxanne”
“‘Roxanne’ by The Police, because I love to clutch my testicles and sing really high in a fake Jamaican accent. Sting and his boys were, of course, the only punk band that really made a lasting career for themselves. Punk is dead; tribute bands rule.”

Matt Harmon (Cloud Mouth guitarist-singer): The Modern Lovers’ “Pablo Picasso”
“This would be a good choice for me because I can hardly sing ... I like how it’s real speak-singy, so it’s an easy way to mumble through it. I don’t know, I like the whole sneering tone the song takes towards artists and art in general.”

Terry Nelson (Autumn Records co-manager): The Mekons’ “Where Were You?”
“I’d say ‘Where Were You?,’ just because it’s kind of, like, my favorite punk song. I just like everything about it. To me, it’s like perfect; it’s like almost one of the perfect punk songs.”

Tom Kenneally (Coping drummer, Fliff City Records co-creator): Black Flag’s “Nervous Breakdown”
“After listening to that song once, it all gets repeated in your head over and over again. It’s simple and to the point, and it’s got classic punk riffs. And that 7-inch is just a ripper in general. I don’t own it. I wish I did, but I don’t have $150 to spend on it.”

Ryan Durkin (Hewhocorrupts Inc. co-creator, 97-Shiki and Hewhocorrupts frontman): Los Crudos’ “Asesinos”
“My pick would be ‘Asesinos’ by Los Crudos, because I have a lot of respect for the band, feel the content matter of ‘Asesinos’ is still pertinent today with what’s going on in Libya, Syria, etc., and could always use some practice with my Spanish.”

Al Scorch (Al Scorch’s Country Soul Ensemble frontman, Punk Rock Karaoke Chicago host): ADD/C’s “Country”
“My favorite punk rock song is ‘Country’ by Chattanooga, Tennessee underground heroes ADD/C. It’s got this mean syncopated riff that explodes into the verses about America being built on ‘destruction and waste,’ but remains positive to end on the line, ‘Our lives are the only form of attack.’ A vinyl release of only 500 from years before the digital age isn’t going to blow up the blogs anytime soon, but we here at Punk Rock Karaoke can take those gems from the most local, obscure, and heartfelt parts of punk history, record them for ourselves, and let you and your friends scream your goddamn lungs out.”