Hmmm, how could I have overlooked the age difference? I'm very aware that I'm on the younger fringe of the trad circles I hang out with. That's such an interesting thought, that they can't tell people only 5 or 15 years younger "what's wrong with the music of you young people today"... Yet they think they have wisdom about what's "better".

And the fact that much of the folk revival they grew up with was so socially conscious & politically aware. They grew up singing "We Shall Overcome" in freedom marches, trying to change the world. And somehow that seems nobler than trying to change yourself. I guess with Vietnam & Civil Rights & sexism going on, changing the system had a higher priority than changing individually. So they were the "we" generation, & they see younger folkies growing up in the "me" generation. Some of the naval gazing songs are self indulgent, but as with any artform, the best is universal, & you can't 'dis' an entire artform...