"Angry post but Jim that's very very smug."
Sorry - not sure I understand - I was passing on a building trade joke - nothing more - I was not attacking anybody.
I believe that, excepting physical disibilities, which I believe are few and far between, ANYBODY can sing - as long as they are prepared to put in the work. The problem for me comes with those who argue that singers should be encouraged to 'practice in public'; to go up before an audience without having masterered the basic techniques of holding a tune, and remembering, and to some degree, making sense of the words.
I believe that clubs who encourage this are copping out; they are failing to provide an audience with a reasonable standard of singing, they are leaving the singers who have done the work to pick up the pieces after a bad piece of singing, and they are failing the inexperienced singer by throwing him/her in at the deep-end rather than offering constructive help.
I also believe that they are also displaying a contempt for the music they are presenting as being 'not worth applying standards to'.
I've even heard the argument, including on this forum, that good singing is not desirable as it "puts off the lesser talented".
If club organisers are serious about encouraging new people on to the scene as singers, they would offer help to struggling new singers and not leave them to struggle unassisted.
"Does politics (small 'p') touch singing somehow?"
Sorry, totally beyond me - explain please.
"Singing in tune has never been the measure of a singer has it?"
JUST singing in tune hasn't certainly, but surely it has to be a basic requirement, a starting point, or hasn't it - you tell me?
"...tradition/balls/americana/ rock /substitute whatever/ performance triumphs over 'in tune"
Are you advocating that singing in tune should not be a requirement for singing in public?
You'll have to leave me to struggle with the rest of your postings I'm afraid - I have no idea what you are talking about.
Jim Carroll