"I'm not saying the Folk Revival was bad, Brian..."

No? "Academic ossuaries" isn't the most lavish of praise, in my book. The folk revival as I've known it for thirty-odd years, in all it's vibrancy, inventiveness, community spirit and eccentricity, is about as far from an Academic Ossuary as anything I could imagine.

There are, of course, academics who study English folk music, in the same way that there are academics who study just about any kind of music in the world, not excluding hip-hop, Merseybeat and Country.

And, incidentally, while I've heard plenty of redneck country music (some of the stuff on US Country radio stations is frankly scary), don't forget people like Steve Earle, the Dixie Chicks and Emmylou, who have defied that stereotype bravely.