"I concluded that they had a falling out or did not like each other."
Bit more than that Dick
Much of the animosity centered around how various people viewed folk music and the revival - still an issue with many people.
Ewan was not the world's greatest diplomat and when he was asked his opinion, say on somebody's performance, he gave it
I always found him extremely helpful with his advice - if he thought someone wan't singing well, he said it, but he usually said why - not necessarily what people wanted.
The John Brune incident was one of sheer malice and could have ruined the Radio Ballad, The Travelling People - the fact that it's often told against Ewan sums up the attitude still rife in the revival.
I never understood Reg's behaviour on 'Folk Britannia' when he described Ewan's and Bert's objective was to create 'Folk Ensembles' similar to those in Eastern Europe.
The notes to the album which Reg held in front of the camera, which were supposed to prove that was their attitude were actually written by American folkorist, Henry Cowell - you explain it - I can't.
Bob Davenport is notorious for his bad behaviour towards audiences and performers alike but I would think the animosity between them had more to do with Bob's insistence that 'Urban Spaceman' and 'September Song' were folksongs.
The point I made is that these fallings out were two-sided affairs and most of the myths I've heard about Ewan's supposed behavior are just that - myths - and most of them seem to come from people who never met Ewan
Fairly typical was the comment by the interviewer on the Christie Moore programme who described him as "a musical fascist" - wonder how many living performers he'd describe in that way.
He also described Ewan as "dictatorial" - he wan't particularly.
We were all happy to be part of the Critics Group - there were no bars on the windows of 35 Stanley Avenue and we could have left at any time - it happened occasionally, but not often.
Jim Carroll