(From Topher’s myspace page.)

Topher McCain, a 28-year-old Papa John’s employee from Kennesaw, is not one of those bitter “American Idol” contestants who felt he was humiliated on TV. No, the Paula Abdul fan enjoyed his appearance Tuesday during the Memphis auditions before 31 million viewers.

“I give kudos to ‘American Idol,’ ” he told me today. “They showed me as kind of punchy when I made those comments about my wife, but overall, they portrayed me as a generally classy nice guy gentleman.”

Indeed, he probably solidified his airtime by calling his wife the b-word, which was kindly bleeped out by “Idol” producers but made Simon and Co. laugh.

On camera during Tuesday’s episode, McCain said his wife cheated on him, then decided to leave him. (He said they are currently separated, not divorced.) If she wanted him back after he became the Idol, he wouldn’t take her because he has a support system that loves him and his singing.

McCain has not heard from his wife since the show aired. (I’m trying to track her down to get her side of the story.)

In retrospect, he said he probably shouldn’t have sung “Footloose,” a 1984 party tune by Kenny Loggins he used from the very beginning of the “Idol” auditions. “It had been my good luck song,” he said.

He had to go through three rounds before facing Randy, Paula and Simon. In fact, he had to go to Memphis twice: the first three rounds before show producers, then a month later to meet the three big judges.

The judges told him he sounded too karaoke. “I’m tempted to ask if you sang that the night before your wife left,” Simon said. Ouch.

He added that Topher sounded like a guy who was drunk at a wedding and was about to fall off a stage. McCain took the critique well, even joking afterwards that that was what he was going to do.

His second choice might have been more appropriate for the audition location: Marc Cohn’s “Walking in Memphis.”

“That’s a song I do in karaoke,” McCain said. “Also, when I do benefit concerts.” So does he do “Footloose” drunk? “I do that quite sober,” he said. “When I get drunk, I sing ‘God Bless the Broken Road.’ “

His 15 seconds of fame got him a gig at a teen club this Saturday at 9 p.m. at the Warehouse on Cobb Parkway. He’ll do 30 minutes of country and pop hits with backing tracks.

Joe Polo, who runs Ponier Music (the music store that the club is part of), said he was actually impressed with McCain and his cohones.

“I’ve seen way worse,” Polo said. “I was on his side. When I found out he was from Kennesaw, I wanted to have him show us what he can do. He chased his dream. He went for it. He went into the belly of the beast!” As a musician, in fact, he was “jealous” that McCain was able to get the opportunity to sing before millions.