"whether you like it or not they isolated themselves"
So not recognising an individual singer songwriter is "isolating themselves?"
Bit crass, doncha think?
MacColl and Seeger devoted a large part of their lives to working with other singers - that is not isolating themselves,
They threw their home, their library and their collection open to singers and researchers on a weekly basis - that is not isolating themselves.
With New City Songster, they provided an outlet and encouragement to songwriters, that is not isolating themselves.
Of all people, MacColl, when asked his advice and opinion on a visiting singer's performance, he ave it, along with advice on how he believed it could be improved - that, as much as anything, led to his unpopularity - hat is not isolating themselves.
Instead of going with the flow when the clubs started to slither downhill, they continued to run a policy club and say publicly what they believed was happening on the scene - that is not isolating themselves.
If they had to decided to do none of these things, say and do nothing and just get on with their careers - that would have been to isolate themselves from the people who mattered - the audiences and the younger, less experienced singers coming to terms with folk music.
That is what the rest of the professional singers on the scene did - got on with their careers and left the rest of us to plod on.
I confess, I confess - I don't recall ever hearing Jez Lowe, as long as he might have been around.
I was far to busy listening to Jeannie, Belle, Sheila and Alec, Walter, Harry, Sam, Robert Cinnamond, Tom Costello, Elizabeth Cronin, John Strachan.... and all the other old singers who caught my attention and gave me my songs.
Then we plunged into recording field singers and players; Travellers, West of Ireland singers, Irish musicians in London, Norfolk country singers and fishermen.... as well as trying to improve my own singers and help others through London Singers Workshop.
Just taken time out to listen to Jez Lowe singing something about a monkey- which of the above do you reckon I should have abandoned to listen to someone who sounds like a middle-of-the-road cabaret singer whose style is half musical and half recitative and whose approach is somewhat twee?
Not impressive enough to miss an episode of Holby City for as far as I'm concerned.
What are you people on, strutting around telling the rest of us how much we've missed if we haven't heard.... well.... whoever happens to turn you on?
You seem to equate knowledge and experience with how many superstars we are familiar with.
"don't change Mudcat into the Jeremy Kyle show"
Very tempted to say "who's Jeremy Kyle" but that wuld be naughty of me!
I really am not trying to turn this into a 'who can piss highest' match
I'll happily leave that to Dick.
I just want him to go and stalk somewhere else.
Jim Carroll