When Skiffle started the world was earmarked for demolition.

When punk started it was the end of civilisation.

When Tecno arrived it was devastation

Guitar Hero arrived it was an evil manifestation

Is Simon Cowell really the "Dark Lord of The Apocalypse".

The easiest thing in the world is to sit on the side lines and sneer. X Factor is about Pop Music, an idiom where performers are managed, groomed and frequently manufactured. As Walsh and Cowell are fantastically successful at what they do they are worth listening to.

I seem to remember the police being held on a tight leash by Stuart Copeland's Dad. They were styled crimped and pimped and forced to play pop and not Jazz, back in 1979, when they started out.

Perhaps the biggest thing folk has over pop, is the concept of singers nights and sessions where people can learn, get involved, grow and serve an apprenticeship. However the grey brigade sit and tut if anyone gets a note wrong or approaches a tune from a different angle, so its still hard even for folk to be inclusive. Let us not deceive ourselves most sessions or clubs have the deluded who think they are good when they are anything deeply flawed.

Anything, I repeat anything that gets anyone up of their backsides and gets them singing and playing is to be applauded. I can think of many established "Folk " people who came up through Skiffle, Punk, Techno and pop.

I wait to see if Sting accepts Simon Cowell's invitation to be a guest on the show