Ah. . . The hunt for the perfect karaoke. . . An arduous task, yes.

See, the city is rich with microphones and TV screens filled with highlighted lyrics. And with the wide variety of work schedules we all contend with, finding the right venue, at the right time, date, and location for your rock-star fix can be a challenge.

For nearly a year, Sid and Buddy karaoke filled that desperate longing need within me to awaken the “karaoke whore”, as Sid (aka Matt) lovingly refers to his charges.

It was at Galapagos, in Williamsburg, every Sunday night. It was an addiction. Deeply. Madly. Truly. I would rock Aerosmith when I had no voice to give. I’d stay for the “end of the night Bohemian Rhapsody medley” in which everyone who lasted until 4 in the morning was compelled to join.

But all good things do come to an end, and Sid and Buddy ended their Sunday night run, and I was lost without a stage to seranade.

I found a surrogate at Smiths Times Square, which of course is in a very inconvenient location, and is hit or miss (but the on nights are ON!)

Then I found that Sid was BACK! This time, at The Grand Saloon on E.23rd st. So I decked myself out in my snazzy khaki suit and got ready to rock out some Big Bad Voodoo Daddy!

And although, all my favorite karaoke buddies from the Sunday night days of yore were all there to welcome me back, sadly, the magic just wasn’t there.

Probably becuase of the bland, lifeless, dull-as-dull-can-get atmosphere of Murray Hill (the neighborhood, not the burlesque MC)

And Grand Saloon, like many pubs in the area, seems like a lovely place to order hot wings and Coors light and watch the game, (if thats yer thing) but not so much for the weekend rock stars.

Either way, Sid does have THE most comprehensive song list of any karaoke host I’ve ever seen! (Over 10,000 songs!!) so if you’re looking for that rare tune that no other karaokian seems to be able to supply, maybe you should head to the Saloon one Friday night and check the scene for yerself.