Following the exchange of views in the recent thread (now closed) "David Kidman: April Gigs", I wish to apologise to Mudcatters for any confusion I may inadvertently have caused by my following the accepted practice of using a Mudcat "handle"/ID that was not my actual name.

OK, I come clean; it's a fair cop! Yet, I must point out, I've never actually denied my Mudcat ID at any time (in fact why should I? I've nothing to hide).
In the case of the thread referred to above, my posting as MoorleyMan started as nobbut an innocent (if maybe slightly tongue-in-cheek) publicity gambit to modestly drum up interest in a couple of local gigs.
However, a later response posting by MM was construed by one particular Catter as a pretence of being an unbiased observer of my own performance. That was never my intention, and if it came across that way, I can only put this down to ill-chosen words and/or an error of judgement on my part when rising over-hastily to correct a fact or two. That aside, from my perspective I felt the gig had gone well, and I merely echoed the general feel that came across in terms of the audience and response. (Any further, more specific evaluation of the performance of individual songs would necessarily be subjective of course…)
On learning of this misunderstanding, I admit that I panicked and signed myself up in my own name in an attempt to be open, clear the slate and hopefully at the same time stop the rot from spreading; I didn't get any further, for the thread had been closed. Hence the creation of this new thread.

Henceforth I shall follow the enlightened example of other Catters, and shall only post to this Forum using my own name, since I am now of the opinion that there is no benefit to be gained from the use of a separate Mudcat "name", however fun or "good idea at the time" it might appear.

I'd like to publicly thank those Catters who rose to my defence, those who have taken the time and trouble to get to know me and understand me. Good people one and all. Cheers!

As to the unpleasant personal accusations voiced by a certain "Guest, Daisy", however, which forced the closure of the thread: these seem to stem from some ancient-history malicious gossip that was doing the rounds many years ago, and are thus well past their sell-by date, yet I still find them deeply upsetting and hurtful.
Even if they were true – which they are NOT – one's personal life is exactly that, and such comments have absolutely no place on a respected public forum such as this.

Finally, I readily acknowledge that as far as singing goes, my approach and credo may be different from that of some others on the folk scene, and (inevitably) personal preference will always be a factor in reactions to it. But folk is a living and developing tradition, and no performer should be vilified for daring to be different if he/she retains his/her integrity and commitment. I maintain my belief in my role as a song-carrier. And as the saying goes, "I do what I do". While I'm always open to any constructive suggestions for improvement or development (as is any performer, surely – for everyone has to start somewhere, after all).
I will still be continuing with my booked gigs as advertised, therefore, beginning with the evening at Morley Folk Club on Wednesday 6th April 2011 in conjunction with the poet Jim Saville, "From Both Sides", which takes the form of an exploration of conflict in song and verse. Looking forward to seeing some of you Catters there.