Really, what I'm reading here is absurd. The fRoots board is open to anybody who is willing to abide by its basic rules - no insults, no trolling. We have a range of opinions appearing on it, many of which I don't agree with but then from what I gather above, the Mudcat proprietor isn't that keen on what certain people say here either. We have some forthright contributers to it, some of whom post over here too, but they have no other connection with fRoots than that.

As for some of the sillier remarks above: fRoots does not have and has never had an arts council grant (more's the pity). It does not claim to be a "folk" magazine (whatever that is) but traditional music is a major part of its content. It has no great agenda other than what I said in the very first issue back in 1979, to provide "inspiration to enthusiasm" for a wide range of music that our many writers (all of whom have different tastes and opinions) think might appeal to our readers. Nobody has to read it if they don't want to. And on a personal level (since some of you seem to want to get personal) I do still play music for the fun of it, though I stopped doing it for a living 20 years ago when the magazine began to eat up most of my time, which it still does. A series of 18 hour days this week in fact, which is why self-admitted drunken invaders of our board get short shrift when I find at 1.a.m. that they've made offensive, insulting postings, and encouraged others to come and be silly. Life's too short.

And as for the confusing link above, the proper one to my sort-of CV is http://www.myspace.com/vulturama By all means have a few more pints and think up lots of smart-arse, insulting remarks about it and use all the expletives you like, but I'm afraid you won't have the satisfaction of having me read them as I'm simply not masochistic enough to stick around. Outta here!