The last time I went to a folk festival (last weekend) and spent time with serious musicians, we talked about everything under the sun -sometimes music sometimes politics, we had a laugh and told some jokes. Since when have people who love music been so one dimentional that it is the only thing that is topic of conversation? If I want factual information about music there is a host of other sites to look at and search engines to play with. I come to Mudcat because it seems to have real people who like a laugh, an argument, who are knowledgeable on all things, and who are not elitist. There are folk clubs in this country who have taken the pleasure out of music by being too elitist and too serious about music -they have dwindling numbers and the tradition of english music will die in their hands. I hope Mudcat will continue in its present format, and for those who worry that they have to plough through BS, well frankly my heart bleeds!