We've had this discussion several times in the two years I have been posting to the Mudcat. It used to be sparked by someone asking for a song that wasn't folk or blues, and then the discussion would begin regarding what topics should be "allowed" on the forum. THAT discussion would usually spin off into something like, What is folk?... then to lighten things up, we would start telling urban legend stories, or some such thing. The personal life accounts that are part of the discussion is what keeps things interesting. If the forum became just a list of lyrics, chords, historical data, and links, it would have no flavor of real life and the personalities who partake of the Mudcat.

If you aren't interested in a thread, don't read it. There will always be requests for information about performers, lyrics, tunes, or instruments that keep the focus on music.

alice