At Dallas' Punk Rock Karaoke, It's Better to Burn Out Than Fade Away [VIDEO]

Is it better to burn out or to fade away? If you ask the folks who attend Punk Rock Karaoke, the answer is an obvious one -- although the best answer is actually "neither." This Dallas series is a bit like karaoke on amphetamines, a chance for your average Joe...

By Jeff Gage

March 19, 2015

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Is it better to burn out or to fade away? If you ask the folks who attend Punk Rock Karaoke, the answer is an obvious one -- although the best answer is actually "neither." This Dallas series is a bit like karaoke on amphetamines, a chance for your average Joe or would-be rockstar to channel their inner Johnny Rotten. And at their more recent event at Three Links, Albert Ybarra was there to find out what it's all about.

The answer is a pretty straightforward one: "It's just about fucking getting up there and -- ahhhh! -- doing it," says one participant at the beginning of the video. And that sums things up pretty well. A little more specifically, though, PRK is a chance to do karaoke with a live, three-piece band backing you up.

PRK is a kinda-sorta monthly event, although it tends to be a little more whenever the band feels like. (Punks hate keeping a schedule, amiright?) It was started in 2013 by the members of the Mumbles, a local punk tribute band whose job is to make the amateurs look like old pros. You pick a track from their pre-selected song list, hop on stage and let the rest (i.e. probably some liquid courage) take care of itself.

And if you crash and burn? All the better. It's punk rock, after all.

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