I got up in the late '70s for the first time and was given a polite round of applause.

All was well till I did a set in somewhere other than a folk club. Nearly made me stop performing. I had been in a rock band or two as a guitarist before folk clubs, but folk clubs made me think people actually liked my songs.

So... Folk clubs are great in that anybody can get a polite audience for their attempts at being outwardly artistic, and they are good places for that if for no other reason.

They are not the best apprenticeship for entertaining per se though. Far too polite!

The average age is keeping track with calendars though. Pot replaced by sanatogen and what does the future hold?

Err.. Kate Rusby, Eliza Carthy, Spiers & Bowden etc etc etc.

Something must be right? Not everybody in UK folk started by trying to change the world in the early '60s.