(Slight) thread drift:

My two sons run a comedy open mike each week. They routinely promote the event as a chance to see and hear "some of the best comedic talent in the city, even in the state, and some of the very worst in the world." Audiences seem to understand that not every performer will be spellbinding.

I know, I know: I'm comparing apples to oranges; comedy is not music, nor vice-versa. To put oneself forward as a musican/vocalist requires some training and specialized talent, or at least pretense of same. Anyone with enough nerve can stand at a microphone and talk. The worst of the open-mike comics just rant at the crowd and spill their guts, almost as thought they were talking to a therapist.

Some of the most interesting cases are those just a bit off-kilter mentally, who cheerfully allow the crowd to laugh at them if not with them. One young fellow fitting this description keeps coming back again and again, obviously enjoying himself as the regulars in the crowd have gotten over their initial discomfort ("Should I be laughing at this guy, or feeling sorry for him?").

Part of the open-mike experience is reacting to less-skilled performers. Yes, the recommended response is to be encouraging, hope the new kids start developing greater skills, etc. But there's also something to be said about getting some enjoyment, however perverse, from those who are "so bad that they're good."