Christy has recorded his fair share of dross -- may I mention One Bright Blue Rose? The Voyage is a similar misstep, taste-wise.

The way I approach the problem, Mary, is that I make it clear from the first that when my band gets hired, my band's music gets played. If they want bloody Danny Boy they can bloody well hire a DJ, or some eejit who can manage to sing it without sinking into the ground. I refuse to sing some songs outright (Fields of A, I'll take you home again K, The Wild R, you get the gist), and some others I'll say on the PA "We have a policy about requests ... write it on the back of a $50 bill!" Sometimes it works -- and sometimes it works.

Just because they pay you doesn't mean you're a prostitute. In other words, as artists our job is not just to entertain, but to be ourselves and speak our truth the best we can. It's a narrow path to walk but it can be done. I'd rather have integrity than money.

Cheers,
Michael