"What I most definitely don't want to hear is 'creepy Jack' mechanically and tunelessly droning through some bit of dogerrel in his greasy notebook for the umpteenth time!!"

What on earth makes you think this has anything to do with what we're discussing on this thread?

I regularly sing 20+verse ballads at singarounds. People applaud (and nobody leaves!). On the night in question I was considering doing The Outlandish Knight - to a modal tune I found in a book & modified slightly - but decided against because I hadn't sung it out in years & hadn't practised it properly on the day. I am not the duffer you are looking for.

"she obviously works at her art. Just think how good she could be if exposed to sensitive, thoughtful, constructive criticism"

Maybe so. In fact, definitely so - I could name you some singers I respect enormously, and if one of them were to take me aside and say "I wonder if you've ever thought of..." I would be all ears. But "Nice song, what a shame you were out of tune" is not "sensitive, thoughtful, constructive criticism".