Vic: When did this awful business of people turning up at folk clubs offering to read the audience a song begin?

Dunno, but I find it irritating. Usually, the book or sheet is either held right in front of the face, absorbing about 50% of the vocal output, or placed on a table so that the singer has to sing into the floor, again reducing the output to a mumble.

I'm a relative newcomer to these kinds of events. I guess I probably know about 30 songs well enough to sing them with a reasonable level of confidence that I won't forget the words or accompaniment (but I still occasionally get a brain fart and forget something). I know at least the same number of songs again *less well* and wouldn't consider inflicting these on an audience until I'm confident that I won't forget them.

I was worse when I first started playing/ singing in public, as I'd often wheel a song out "before it was ready". ie: I had it down "pat" at home, but not "pat enough" for public performance. It took a while for me to realise that you need to have a song down to a level where you know it *unconsciously* before you should perform it in public.