Thank you, Nigel, for your apology. Actually, I'm actually not very easily offended but, as 'mattkeen' has noted, I do quite like a good fight now and then (oh, you noticed, did you?).

What tends to make me combative is the too easy acceptance of the status quo. I happen to believe that rock music - especially the all-pervasive CY kind mentioned earlier - has sort of taken over our culture and is stifling innovation and variety in popular music. I think that the culture has now got stuck in a kind of 'rock 'n' roll furrow' (groovy man! - thought that I'd say that before anyone else does!) and not enough people are able to see over the edge.

And, for as long as I can remember, the rockers have been trying to take over folk as well. I think that they should be recognised for what they are and resisted - rather than automatically praised as talented and innovative.

NOTE that I am NOT advocating the imposition of any draconian rules, nor am I suggesting that anyone should be excluded. What I am proposing is that we bring more critical and questioning attitudes to our special kind of music - and to recognise that 'new' can often just mean 'fashionable' and is not necessarily better.