The speeches themselves are actually 4 to 6 minutes snippets of speeches by politicians of all political persuasions. For the convention, Peltz made available speeches in three categories; victory, concession, and drop-out. Many local bars in the Denver area participated and the most interesting development  was that people in the audience found it very difficult NOT to cheer for a speech even though they disagreed with the candidates’ politics. That poses an interesting visual; in local bars around the country, Republicans cheering for Democrats and visa-versa.

A German Import

The karaoke convention concept while innovative, was not the quite the first of its kind. In 2007, a year before the karaoke convention, Alaska born Graduate student in the Film and Cultural Studies Program at Berlin University, Diana Arce, was developing what she coined as “Politaoke.” Like Peltz, Arce edits 1 to 8 minute portions of political speeches, debates and interviews. The debates and interviews of course can be performed as duets or in groups accordingly. Politaoke debuted in the U.S. on July 30^th at the Buffalo Infringement Festival in Buffalo, NY. After that, Politaoke hit the road and went on a U.S. tour with stops in Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Ohio to name a few.

Peltz describes the convention as “offering alternative sites for public discourse through re-performance.” He intended for the project to explore the connection between politics and celebrity and to spark political understanding through the act of performing. Indeed it seems he has accomplished that. Denver’s local NBC affiliate interviewed one karaoke convention participant who had just delivered Obama’s South Carolina speech who exclaimed “ I think that you take it to heart a little bit more when you’re listening to the words that you’re saying out of your own mouth.”

Adult Play

In an interview with National Public Radio, Peltz eloquently described Politaoke as “adult play,” meaning just as children learn through engaging with their toys and games during playtime, so does political re-speech allow grown-ups to process deep political themes and nuance through the process of re-performing the very core activity of politics; the expression of ideas. So then, Politaoke is more than a mode of communication it is a learning activity; no doubt an entertaining one. The allure of course is the ability to convey powerful ideas and therefore be a powerful intellectual being, even if its just for a few minutes.

Places in Denver where you can still give a Speech

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Armida’s Mexican Restaurant and Lounge
840 Lincoln St
404-837-8921

 Related articles:

• Obamaoke: Obama Sings
• An Interview with the Mind Behind Politaoke.