Even crooning clowns can use character

Pure condescension

Like the William Hung controversy, an innate sense of condescension was at work in equating the tone-deaf singer Pang with grassroots talent. There is a wealth of untapped talent, literary and artistic, especially from the lower rungs of the social ladder, which partly explains the recent boom of television contest shows. Even though the field is being leveled for fair competition and more opportunities are available than ever before, this talent still needs more support and encouragement from the establishment.

But this does not mean hyping a shockingly bad singer as the next hope for the huddled masses. If anything, this would only reinforce the negative stereotype and make it harder for those street artists struggling in subway trains and at underpasses.

There is no denying, however, that there is a market for this kind of entertainment. William Hung sold 200,000 copies of his first album, but his cult following dwindled as the curiosity factor dissipated over the years. (His second album sold 35,000 copies and his third and last one only 7,000.) Pang probably has a much larger following, proportionately, because there are more people in China who are stuck in urban basements and dreaming of overnight success. For them, he is a real inspiration and offers a primer on succeeding in showbiz without tangible talent.

Pang, however, did not stumble into the spotlight by himself. A record label was behind a grassroots campaign that plastered his name and songs everywhere online and made it look like a groundswell of fascination before the manufactured support grew into bona-fide fandom. According to a recent press report, a team of six people worked in three shifts to build the initial awareness. After he became a celebrity, he unceremoniously broke off with the company because he was unhappy with his contracted share of the revenue, reportedly 20 percent, and started to advertise his service from his own blog.

What fascinated me was why the record company chose someone who cannot carry a tune. Pang is not good-looking and is 35 - unfavorable traits in a youth culture that favors pretty boys and cute girls. The reason must be that he is so unaware of his singing voice that he could be passed off as a clown. Empirical evidence online shows more detractors than supporters, which roughly corresponded to the public reaction toward Hung's rise after his American Idol gig.