Max - thanks for providing a great site.

As another of your Limey's I'd just like to say that my interest isn't only in the UK side of things. Although my interest these days is in British traditional song, when I started out in the 60s it was American singer/songwriters and American bluesmen that provided half the things I was singing. Although my days as a Tees Delta bluesman a far behind me now (US readers: the Tees is the river my hometown of Middlesbrough is on) I still read threads on early blues and I follow threads on American traditional songs, and post to both when I have anything useful to add. They have inspired me to listen to some new people and to go back and relisten to some of the ones I already knew.

Without Mudcat I might never have stumbled on American Memory or the Levy collection (and dozens of other sites I have bookmarked either because they were mentioned here or because me searching for something related to Mudcat led me to them). I almost never read BS threads (miserable bugger I am, no doubt) but I do post tunes (not everyone can) and I do try and answer song requests, whatever type they are (I am good with search engines, not everybody is. Trying to find information on songs had taken me to some interesting sites and taught me some useful things). I try to post only factual things - once you start posting opinions you're asking for a fight; give a man faith and you almost always give him blinkers. (And important issue though the PEL is in the UK, by the 2000th thread I admit I gave up on it!)

As albanit said above the UK is relatively small and the UK catters tend to meet up a lot at the same festivals; they know each other in the real world too. So it's not surprising they gather here. I've met only a few of the Americans (Joe Offer on a visit several years ago, Dick and Susan briefly, Alaska Mike and Twmmie stayed with us last year) but there are plenty I'd like to meet for various reasons, just from seeing their posts here (off the top of my head - MMario, Sorcha (missed her on her visit), katlaughing, Gargoyle who posts infuriating things, then occasionally catches you out with some deeply nice post about someone and plenty more if I was to look at a few threads) , and I intend to get over to the Getaway one year and make good on that. (There are also some of the other non-UK too - several of the Australians, Roberto, Wolfgang, Masato I'd like to meet too. And some still in the UK too - I've never met Malcolm Douglas yet, and he doesn't even live that far away).

Once again thanks for the site. I have no complaints about it (when someone's giving you a free site that provides such pleasure, how can you complain) or the people who moderate it (the few interventions I've seen, seem to be fair. I always exercise my own intervention - if I don't like a thread I just don't bother with it).

A paypal payment will be on the way.

Best wishes (from my longest ever, non song-related post!)

Mick