Well, it's 2:30am and I am in work. I had only been in bed an hour when some silly sod rang me to get me to come in! You would think they would be happy paying my callout fee without ever calling me wouldn't you...:-) Anyway - I just need to monitor things for another half hour to make sure the 'puters don't fall over again so I caught up here.

Nice to see that there is at least one 'youngster' who confirms we need nowt special - Thanks Lizabee. Thanks to the others who seem to be supporting my theory that if it is good music it will bridge the age differences and last a long time anyway:-) Agreeing more and more with Diane, and now Nigel, about the prevalance of 'good enough' stuff. It isn't good enough for public consumption!

I think there ARE points we need to address - If we only have slick and professional venues, gigs and artists where are the poor buggers (like me!), who will NEVER be good enough for a proper audience, go to enjoy ourselves? My cousins niece from the USA, following a visit to our folk club singers night, said it was really good to see somewhere where middle aged men can go to enjoy themselves:-) Maybe that's the trick! It's not a folk club - It's a failed musicians help group:-) Mind you - at least I am honest at our singers nights - Whenever anyone new comes in I tell them straight that they may be in for a couple of surprises - Some pleasant and some not so...

The other point is the 'po faced audience' concept. I know exactly what people are saying with that but, at times, people do need to be serious about listening to music they enjoy. I can't see anyone laughing and joking while a Childe murder ballad or a Leonard Cohen wrist slasher is being sung. And if someone starts to hold a mobile phone conversation during a Martin Carthy guitar solo I will throw them out myself!

Anywho. Nothing has died yet so I guess I can get back to the land of nod. See you tomorrow.

D.