the abbreviated reign of “neon” leon spinks

Lesson #6
PERSISTENCE CAN
OUTWEIGH TALENT
the screeching diva
With a voice that one critic described as like that of a
“maudlin cuckoo,” Florence Foster Jenkins may have
been the worst operatic singer of all time. But the doit-
yourself diva was able to charm audiences with unabashed,
joyful ineptitude.
IN JANUARY 2004, a twenty- one- year- old engineering student
named William Hung had the audacity to sing in the TV talent competition
American Idol on a dare, even though he had no performing experience
beyond singing karaoke, and no discernible talent. Hung’s atrocious
rendition of the Ricky Martin hit “She Bangs” was cut off in midsong by
the judges, who were unable to restrain their laughter when the Hong
Kong native earnestly explained, “You know, I have no professional training
of singing.” But when the guffaws subsided, Hung’s irrepressibly
cheerful incompetence provided him with an unlikely express lane to
fame. As the Los Angeles Times subsequently reported, Hung’s vocals,
sampled and remixed with hip-hop and techno instrumentals, became a
Top 10 hit on a Chicago radio station. Hung fans created several Web sites
devoted to him, one of which had to be moved to a server with more capacity
after it attracted 4 million visitors in four days. He quickly signed a
$25,000 recording contract.
When Hung’s CD of Elton John and R. Kelly covers came out a few