"But what Harker didn't show (although you'd never know it from the way he writes) is that all - or even most - of the accepted traditional songs were actually 'fakesong'."
Has anybody shown that they are Phil - I've yet to come across convincing evidence if they have?
I may have missed out on Lakeman - I heard some of his songs a few time, and decided that there was nothing of interest for me.
Just checked half a dozen of his offerings on U-tube and find nothing different
Still sounds like a loud, non-narrative music based on pop sounds - a far cry from the articulate, audible storytelling or lyrical structure that constitutes folk-song as I know it.
Jim Carroll