When I did the bars and restaurants in Australia, in the 80's before backing tracks & karaoke, I would always inject a few lines to liven up the evening - with 4 main points in mind;
1 The timing should be right (ie Beer consumption level) or you won't get a titter
2 Make sure to switch off the reverb because talking is different from singing. They won't hear a word
3 Don't take the p**s out of customers
4 Pick the biggest (usually the liveliest) group of people in the room and get one of them on stage to do a number with you - the rest will bring the room up a notch.
Ditties;-
- Don Maclaine finally disclosed what the song "American Pie" means - he said it means he doesn't have to work for the rest of his life
- This song is by Stevie Wonder - he had an arguement with his wife last week, so she changed all the furniture around
- To the barstaff/manager "can I have a bottle of champagne for this table please"? What? Why not they seem Ok to me?
- "Anyone here like Jimmy Buffet?" (Reply Yeahh!!) "Me too he's good isn't he I wish I
could do some of his songs! OR
"I'll tell him when I see him"
- Any intellectuals out there? (response?) OK I'll play the William Tell Overture and if you don't think about the Lone Ranger I'll buy you a beer!
- Mark Knopplfler and Chris Rhea are forming a band together - its going to be called Dire-Rhea

Spread evenly over a night it can lift the crowd a bit. Some nights they get it some nights they don't - them's the breaks
(Well you did ask Erik?)
Tony