J. Mark Inman Gets His ‘Creep’ On in Front of Paula Abdul on ‘X Factor’

J. Mark Inman, a 31-year-old graduate student studying philosophy in Europe, took his eclectic act to 'X Factor' during the tonight's broadcast of the Chicago auditions. Surprisingly, he impressed his possible soulmate Paula Abdul and the other judges on the panel.

"I sing because I have things to say," said Inman prior to his audition. "I don't wanna be just another cookie-cutter artist that was formed in a factory." He went on to talk about algorithms and equations before taking the stage.

When asked by Abdul what brought him to the audition, Inman replied with the honest answer: "Money." Then Simon Cowell asked Inman where he saw himself in 10 years, to which he replied, "At the helms of a renaissance."

Looking like a cross between Jack McBrayer from '30 Rock' and Michael Cera from 'Superbad,' Inman performed Radiohead's 'Creep' set to his own backing track. He started out with an awkward mime routine before busting into the '90s rock track.

Inman delivered the song with a pleasant voice that certainly didn't wow the audience, but his geek-chic routine won them over. But it was the judges who had to make the ultimate decision.

Responding to the song's last line "I don't belong here," Abdul told Inman, "You don't belong here. You are otherworldly. You are definitely in a different jurisdiction, for sure. I think I visited there once or twice in my life."

In addition to poking fun at herself, Abdul gave Inman a 'yes' vote. The other judges concurred and he made it through to the next round.

We decided to devise our own equations and algorithms to figure out Inman's chances of winning 'X Factor' and let's just say he may not be too happy with the result. But best of luck to him, nonetheless.

Watch J. Mark Inman Cover Radiohead's 'Creep' on 'X Factor'