Have just read through this thread. the traddies have a point - our culture must be respected, but I wish they would take aboard some of the concerns many of us feel about what we hope is an ongoing artform - to which many of us (mad fools!) have donated the major part our lives out of no great self interest.

Bout a couple of years ago I was in the green room at at a festival in one of my usual untermenschen roles. And there were two of big hitter folk families on the bill.

The conversation was frankly incredible - it was like Noel Coward meeting the Lunts at a Broadway soiree.

-Oh yes they wanted us for sidmouth this year but I was determined to fit in Ontario and Brisbane folk festivals in this year, and its a couple of years since we did the san Francisco thing....etc!

And of course when they get up on stage, its all this 'I'm a poor little collier's lass load of cobblers....

The guy who wrote the song that startted this thread will probably have a year or two of success - he will almost certainly get ripped off by the gangsters of the English music scene, and when his youth and energy have been spent - he will wind up on benefits. He will hear his song occasionally down the local folk club - Mike read will take the piss out of him for wearing a on tank top totp2.

Try not not to be too disparaging of the people who spend their passion on trying to write about their lives as lived, in folksong form.