As I often do on Sunday night, I went to the Sonoma Chicken Coop in Campbell (which is many miles from actual Sonoma) and did a quick set before heading over to Katie Bloom’s down the street for some Sunday night karaoke with my friend Sean.

The stench of garlic fries hit me hard as soon as we went through the doors. There was a huge crowd at the table in the middle, and Sean immediately recognized them as the cast of the play “The King and I”; the same gang that was there a few weeks back.

Cast members did a lot of songs, and they did them with a confidence and professionalism that was almost unfair to us amateurs. One song they did was “You Light Up My Life”, where the entire cast sang to an older blonde woman who sat on a chair nearby, directing them.

Afterwards, I asked a guy, “Is she the musical director?” He explained to me that she was Debby Boone, who originally recorded the song they sung to her. It suddenly made a lot more sense.

I lived in Los Angeles for three years and never once saw a famous person outside of places you might expect them (like at venues that they were scheduled to appear at). Yet here I was, in downtown Campbell on a Sunday night, singing karaoke in a bar with a real live honest-to-goodness recording artist. Pretty neat.

There were a bunch of other folks around, including some regulars that I recognized. Sean had left at this point, so I was by myself. There was one other dude by himself, and Kathy (who cleverly calls herself “Kathy-oke”) called his name and, reading from the karaoke slip, said “Pete will be singing with Debby Boone.” Debby looked up, alternating between confused and scared, but made her way up. And they sang! I forget what the song was, but it was a pretty classic duet.

At this point, I realized the guy was a genius, and marveled at his chuztpah (which I think is Yiddish for “balls”). I had my camera, so I took a bunch of photos, and afterward, got his email address because I figured he would want a copy.

I know it was genius because I was jealous: I wish I had thought of it!

By the way, I talked to Debby for a few minutes and found her to be very pleasant. I don’t know why I feel the need to point this out, but there it is. See the Flickr Photos