Watching new comedians just "figure it out" is as exhilarating to me today as it was to listen to Tracy Chapman sing in Harvard Square before she got popular.

There is something energetic and wonderfully unrefined about watching some guy get up on stage for the first time and try to get through five minutes of comedy without having a heart attack.  It is fun to watch new comedians tough it out even though they have never used a microphone before and didn't really expect those lights to be shining right in their eyes.

It takes a special type of person to get up on stage in front of hundreds of people and deliver jokes with absolutely no idea if those jokes are funny.  I once saw an open miker tell a heckler, "hey, this is my act. If you don't like it, do your own f-ing act."  I admire the sheer audacity of it.  To me, that is taking the bull by the horns and living life by your own rules.

I've seen a lot of bad open mike acts.  Most have been alcohol-fueled.

The worst act I ever saw was at Nick's Comedy Stop in the 90s.  Some noob got up on stage with a box of maxi pads.  I have no idea what he was thinking.  His entire set was devoted to maxi pad humor.  He stuck one on his chin, threw the wrapper on the stage, and said, "Ho Ho Ho. I'm Santa Claus."  Then he put one over his eye and said, "Argh. I'm a pirate."  This went on for five minutes.  By the time he was done there were wrappers all over the stage.  It was truly horrible.

One of the best new comedians in Boston today is Lukasz Dmowski.  I watched Lukasz (pronounced "Lucas") perform his second set ever at the open mike night at Dick Doherty's Beantown Comedy Vault on Sunday night.

Dmowski came to this country from Poland in 2004.  Ten years ago, when Americans were watching Andrew Dice Clay and Carrot Top, Lukasz was in Poland watching Kuba Wojewódzki and thinking "wow... that is the most amazing job ever."

At first he thought that being a comedian was "out of his reach."  He soon discovered that there are no degrees, no certifications, no union dues required to get up on stage and try to make 'em laugh.  All you need is the moxie.

A Northeastern computer science student by day, Dmowski was ambivalent at the prospect of sitting at a desk for eight hours a day.  So he decided to give standup comedy a try to "see how it feels."  With a grand total of two shows and ten minutes of stage time under his belt, he thinks he "might be on to something."  I think he is right.

He is more cerebral than the average comedian.  "Sure I want to make people laugh," says Dmowski, "but I want to make them laugh and think."

He has a real chance to make it (whatever "make it" means) but even if he doesn't, he is succeeding because he is living his life with gusto.  He isn't sitting on the couch watching American Idol repeats every night.  He is out there doing it.

If you have never been to an open mike night, you should go.  If you plan to see Lukasz Dmowski, you should go soon.  Before long his act will be flawless.  What fun will that be?