Oh Dave ......I despair of you!

We had the same crap a few years ago when I was driven off Mudcat by a storm of abuse and your insistence that I provide name and packdrill.

No I'm not going to give offence to people whoa as you say work hard and many of whom are my personal fioends.

But I DO know, and they know that they live a whole lot easier than artists who have work out strategies and buy equipment that will 'eat' a noisy indifferemt room - usually for half the fee - and without the all the cushy audiences British council tours and god knows how many other perks that go with being 'in with the establisment. how much more difficult to be doing all those miles for nothing but a few unpaid minutes on a minor stage, in the vain hope of consiglieri of the folk mafia giving you the time of day.

Every bugger knows its going on, just give it a rest and put a bloody sock in it. Its bad enough that what is happening is happening and have it happening in front of your eyes for forty years without being told that I'm seeing things.

I'm not seeing things and sucking up to the very small fish inthe folk music pool will ultimately buy you nothing.

as Bob Dylan said

the cops don't need you and man, they expect the same....

In the end we all get what we deserve. they get to produce to a whole slew of unmemorable crap music, and the lucky ones of us get to be one hit wonders.