In my opinion, it's all about song selection. I would much rather listen to a mediocre player give his or her all on songs (or songs of artists) I am familiar with, than some hotshot doing originals that are tuneless or instrumentals that are all technique and no music. But, to each his own.
FWIW, in 70 open mics over the last 4 years, I have gotten plenty of compliments on my sets (i.e., song selection) and I can guarantee it wasn't due to my playing!
