What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat

Subject: What would you tell a reporter about Mud
From: Max
Date: 11 Oct 00 - 09:10 PM

We were interviewed tonight by a local newspaper reporter about our gig on Tuesday the 24th of October and about Mudcat in general. She asked if she could call a few Mudcatters to get quotes from them about what the Mudcat is and what it means to them etc. I said, Why don't we just start a thread about it and we could then read it tomorrow. So here it is.

What would you say to a reporter asking about the Mudcat? What threads should I point her to that may already say quite a bit about us?

Please include your full name, if you want, and where you live. We would really especially like international folk to contribute to this thread to show how global the Mudcat is.

Any other thoughts are appreciated. Thanks.

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: GUEST,Murray MacLepd
Date: 11 Oct 00 - 09:20 PM

Everybody else is watching the Bush - Gore debate so here goes with my 00.02

Mudcat is an unparallelled source of information about music, mostly, but not necessarily folk music. Any question you have , it will be answered by some Mudcatter, somewhere. That is for me the USP.

Murray

PS It is also bloody ebtertaining !

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: Mary in Kentucky
Date: 11 Oct 00 - 09:23 PM

I've been reading and participating in the Mudcat Discussion Forum for about a year now. I'm so impressed with how articulate so many of these folks are. Whether it's explaining some technical idea, clowning around in the Tavern, writing songs for the Song Challenge, relating experiences in performing, or just sharing their vast knowledge of music.

I've learned about modes, Child Ballads, copyright legislation, the best links on the 'Net for any subject, and have learned sooooo many new songs...I've "met" people from all over the world and have been exposed to things I never hear or see here in Kentucky. I love it when the UK folks talk to each other (it's a foreign language), or when the Australians and New Zealanders tease each other, or when a Scottish lady sings a ballad that I know as an Applachian tune...then there's Skarpi from Iceland who exudes such warmth.

I especially like to hear new songs from people who obviously love the music as much as I do.

Mary in Kentucky

PS ...and Max is Da Man!

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: alison
Date: 11 Oct 00 - 09:24 PM

Mudcat is a mine of information on all things musical.... but its more than that..... its a community where folks from all over the world can make great friends with people they have never met, but who share the same love of music.

As an Irish girl living in Australia... it helps me keep in touch with people large distances away, and to share our experiences and knowledge in a way that would otherwise not be possible.

through Mudcat I have heard of artists, tunes, songs etc, that I might otherwise never have encountered.

Its a great place to learn about music from a very friendly and caring bunch of people many of whom I am honoured to call friends....

slainte (Gaelige for "your good health")

alison boyd (Sydney, Australia)

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: MMario
Date: 11 Oct 00 - 09:27 PM

This entire thread, but especially this particular posting

The MudCat is a tremendous resource for those looking for lyrics and tunes, both in the forum and in the DT. In Addition it has become a community where people can discuss virtually (no pun intended) anything though it keeps swinging back to the music. When you add in the associated pages/services; such as the songbook, Alan's midi page, miditext, HearMe, MudCat Radio and the support and encouragement of the "residents" ...words fail.

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: John Routledge
Date: 11 Oct 00 - 09:28 PM

Mudcat is a mine of information generally provided by very knowledgeable people in an easy to assimilate way.

Great fun but can be addictively timeconsuming for a new Mudcatter.

John (Manchester England)

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: Rich(bodhránai gan ciall)
Date: 11 Oct 00 - 09:52 PM

Nothing! They must never find out about us!

Just kidding.

What first got me here was the DT. I was refered to the Cafe as a lyrics source. The community on the threads are what keep's me here. I agree with MMario as far as the "Why do we Mudcat?" thread as being a good piece for the media. As well as the whole slew of Mudcat Memorable Threads. Perhaps, a collection of lyrics request threads, some technical threads and BS threads all mixed so that one gets a good overview of what a strange and diverse community we are.

I would personally offer forth the outpouring of love I received when I started a thread about my friend, Joe Healy, the Pittsburgh storyteller that was shot back in March.

Rich Rayburg

Pittsburgh, PA
[e-mail]

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: simon-pierre
Date: 11 Oct 00 - 10:01 PM

What they said, and what will be said: the sharing of knoweldge about music is fundemental; and the particular community formed by mucatters.

Simon-Pierre Beaudet, Québec city

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: bflat
Date: 11 Oct 00 - 10:07 PM

We are a global community. We care about each other. We care about music. We share ourselves and our worlds and therefore we become one world and one people. Knowing it is here I could never leave willingly. Wondering a bit about what it will look like in say twenty-five years. Better than ever I hope.

bflat

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: Sorcha
Date: 11 Oct 00 - 10:20 PM

I can't tell them anything, the accordian player might find out.

In all seriousness, though, the Cat is more like a family than anything else. We have our tender moments, our spats, our gathers, and our partings. You are stuck with your family, but you can choose your friends. Mud Cat, and Catters are my friends, and family of choice.

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: catspaw49
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 12:05 AM

Thank you Mario for linking that thread....a great thread to read. I said there what I would say here. The 'Cat is unique on the net for the sense of community and true friendship that lives here. I am one of the most prolific posters and I also read most of the threads. If you are looking for intelligent discussion on any subject, you have found the right place.....not from me, but we do have some others who are incredibly talented, gifted, bright, and intelligent folks.

I can't emphasize enough the community here. I sit in Ohio and have friends all over the world and because of the depth of discussion and admissions of personal feelings, warts and all, I have come to know more and feel closer to Catters in Australia, Ireland, Norway, Canada, Iceland, Belgium...........(amazing isn't it?) than most of those I know in the real world. The net may cover the world, but Catters make this the only place where the world is the Village of Mudcat. We don't always agree by any means on issues from the history of a song, VietNam, gun control, Northern Ireland, to whether or not grits are real food....not to mention Vegemite. In the end though, no minds may have been changed, but we come away agreeing to disagree and knowing that we have shared some of the most personal of beliefs.

A few years ago we started a thread about songs from the VietNam period. In that thread you see all points of view and the lives of people since. From the vet who believes strongly in the cause to the vet who spent years getting his life back together to some who weren't drafted and their mixed emotions to women left in the aftermath to one who went to prison for the beliefs he held. Its a fascinating piece of American history with input from folks all over the world. Interestingly enough, a great friendship began here in that thread from two people who were far apart those many years ago.

We have here some legendary people in the world of folk music and some current performers of traditional and folkstyle music. We have some scholars in the field and some exceptional searchers. I have seen questions answered in 3 minutes here, asked by people who had been searching the net and their libraries for days. Literally....three minutes! Sometimes the simplest questions turn into lengthy discussions that bring to light little known facts.

We come here for many reasons, but it is hard not to see the caring and compassion of this community. I had one of those near death experiences a year and a half ago and the outpouring of love, concern, and all types of support was and still is remarkable, unbelievable. I was prayed for in every religion and belief imaginable and although I might be agnostic, I have to believe in the power of the Cat, because against all odds, I am still here. There are over 500 postings on that subject and if you want to read them, you will find an awful lot of people brought to tears for a man they had never met.

And that describes the members of the Mudcat Cafe, the citizens of the Village of Mudcat. We have had a number, indeed quite a high number, of 3-D meetings and almost to a person, those who have finally met in the real world say it is like meeting old friends. That's often how we describe it........Great friends, unmet.

There are so many fine things to say.......but I've said enough. Generally, all of Spaw's posts have some humor in them.....I'm the village idiot I guess....but I don't have a joke for you here. Then again, you've met Max and he's enough of a joke for anybody. If you want a bigger joke.........well....have you met Bert?

Spaw

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: Sorcha
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 12:16 AM

Thank you, Mr. Catspaw49, aka Pat. Says it all. I think all of us have our own reasons to believe in the Power of MudCat, but you perhaps, most of all. My best to Paw, Cletus,Cleigh, and the Reg boyz. And Karen and Maw, too, of course.

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 12:16 AM

I've already mentioned Mudcat to several reporters over the last couple of years. Basically I say that's it's a place where folk enthusiasts (whether performers or not) CAN CONNECT WITH OTHERS. During these crazy-making times we live in, I can't think of a better endeavor. Through Mudcat I've encountered hundreds of good folk, and have become close friends with about twenty quality people....heck of a good average, if you ask me.

Rick

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: Rich(bodhránai gan ciall)
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 12:21 AM

Aw, Do we have to tell the reporter about Spaw? ;-)



Rich

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: wysiwyg
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 12:22 AM

Max, in the Red Cross, research proved that the biggest reason people did not give money to the Re Cross was because one asked them to! So we learned, always ask. Always make the case for donations. So your press info should include the non-profit side as well, and emphasize that the Mudcat is supported by the generosity of the people who patronize it. Also highlight the corporations that support through your creative arrangements with them.

I am so sorry I did not see this earlier, I can write that kind of stuff, but not at night, in the AM when I am fresh, and the AM is already committed to another deadline for work. But the opportunity to help preserve a precious cultural heritage with today's modern tools-- by supporting the scholarly work of the Mudcat-- is an angle that should get in there. Comparisons with people who made field recordings are entirely appropriate-- HearMe alone is a fantastic, living, almost daily preservation work in itself, never mind the songs added regularly and the research that goes with them.

At the Mudcat, we sing the songs and tell the stories behind the songs. We make sure that the folk tradition grows along with our amazing culture and is not left by the wayside. And we use state of the art tools to keep the art of the old songs alive. As well as making it possible for new singers and songwriters to flourish during their formative time, with the resources of more experienced artists freely available. It creates access that used to require long treks for the spread of the songs. A rich atmosphere that fosters creativity as well as excellent scholarship. Best of both worlds.

Because of your work to make Mudcat work so simply, it is a place where the classics and heart of the past live as though just created, brand new, seamlessly side by side with new talent-- the artists of tomorrow's classics in the process of being born into the traditions. Your design of this makes it the best place to see the new spring from the old, and the old spring to new life.

~Susan Hinton Mansfield, PA [e-mail]

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: catspaw49
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 12:24 AM

Thats' a damn good average Rick and I hadn't thought of it that way.....good point.

And Sorcha....Thanks....but how did I or could I forget all the crew here and Cleigh O'Possum? Where else can you find an ass blown possum besides the Mudcat?

Spaw

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: katlaughing
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 01:24 AM

Jeez, Spaw, I am going to have to quit calling you the evil twin! Beautiful, beautiful posting, my darlin' friend.

I can only echo what Spaw said, what Praise said so beautifully, and point to the classic threads. There is one other thread in which Spaw was pretty eloquent, too: If M'catters Ruled the World.

The Mudcat quite simply is where the World becomes a Village where we share our hopes, triumphs, and joy; our sorrow, anger, and pain; our silliness and wit, but most of all our love of music which is interwoven throughout the Forum; carried through on Mudcat Radio; and shared one on one in our live virtual song circles.

Through the elegance and beauty of this incredible creation, I can sit here at my computer, tethered to my oxygen machine, and hear people from all over the world share their songs with all of us, in real time.

Through the wondrous community of the Mudcat, musician friends from England, Virginia, Texas, and a couple of hours away in Wyoming, people whom I had never met in person, came to make music at my house in the middle of Wyoming last summer!

I have made some friends for life of people I've never met in person, yet and received outpourings of love, concern and support when I most needed it.

I have been at the Mudcat for almost two years and I am still constantly amazed at the talent in music, art and the humanities which is always so freely shared. It doesn't get any better than this. Live long and prosper, dear Mudcat!

katlaughing, Casper, Wyoming

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: DougR
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 01:28 AM

Max: just tell 'em mudcatters know everything ...about everything.

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: Sorcha
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 01:28 AM

Well, actually, spaw, you didn't forget and you couldn't find an ass blown possum anywhere but MudCat, except maybe Winfield/Walnut Valley. When youse gonna get youse possum butts there? Hey, they even accept Penguin People, Pumpkin People, and Pink Flamingo People. We gotta start a Possum People Place!

I was thinking about 40 Shades of Green for our campsite, when we are finally able to camp, but Possum People sounds better! (Where can I find Possum lite strings? Lite strings are very important to WVA campsites.......)

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: WyoWoman
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 01:36 AM

Classiness. I come here for the classiness of the residents, as the previous posting so clearly demonstrates ...

Actually -- all of the above (except the possum's ass), plus it's the most exciting use of the new technology that I've seen. I spend my entire life, practically, on the Internet (content provider/writer/editor) and this is the one place I always return to because it is "home." It isn't full of flash and dazzle (thank God), but it is subtle and workable and the technology is remarkably transparent. You don't even know what's going on behind that curtain, just that when you type in "lyrics/chords request: Song about Blue Frog," people from all over the planet respond within minutes with their version of that song, or their memory of the first time they heard it, or helpful advice for searching the Digital Tradition for the song in question...

It is also the deepest embodiment of concepts described in "The Cluetrain Manifesto," the current Bible of e-commerce. What people want is connection, community, a place where they can be knowing and wry and even badly behaved if they want, and have it not mean anything as long as they're genuine. A place that recognizes and is actually fueld by what people have to offer, rather than just seeing them as little plastic pieces in some great impersonal Monopoly game. The Mudcat is the precise, polar opposite of the corporate cluelessness described in that book.

A few of the many things that fascinate me, and that attest to Max's brilliance, are the Free Speech aspects of the 'Cat, and the self-policing that goes on here. If you're around for any time at all, you quickly learn who the buttheads are, and everyone either gives them a wide berth, or slaps them silly (figuratively) every now and then and tells them to snap out of it! Read Amy Jo Kim's "Community Building on the Web" and you'll see that Max was way ahead out in front of the pack in envisioning a community that would work.

It's interesting to see people wander in here, obviously steeped in the culture of other chat rooms and discussion forums. They sometimes range from feisty to just plain ugly and rude -- and generally those people don't last long around here. We just don't tolerate meanness here. We tolerate irreverence, ignorance, vast religious differences, cultural chasms -- we are a hugely tolerant group, but we just don't put up with meanness here. To our great credit.

It's still a work in progress, and I continue to watch with interest to see how and where it goes. I think there's a model here for other communities, and I am a major proselytizer for Mudcat -- but only to people I think would be fun to have as neighbors. Or people who might have a bunch of money to give Max to create something cool like this for them, too.

I am deeply ambivalent about word of this getting out too much, however. When I lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico, I had a sign on my desk that said, "Tourists destroy the thing they seek." I'm a good bit afraid of that with the 'Cat, too. We want it to be acknowledged for being the wonderful asset it is in our lives and the brilliant and creative use of technology to create more, rather than less, human connection. But we don't want it to get so big it loses its heart. Because that's really the connection for most of us here -- the heart, which is also where the best music gets created.

WyoWoman (Max has my permission to give you my contact information if you want it for any reason)

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: Lady McMoo
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 02:48 AM

It's absolutely unique!

Peace

mcmoo (Belgium)

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: Helen
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 08:09 AM

I feel WyoWoman's ambivalence, too, about letting everyone know about Mudcat. It's the same feeling I, and a lot of people I know, get around here where I live in Newcastle, Australia. We like to think of our city as Australia's best kept secret - as far as we are concerned it has everything we could want or need for a perfect existence. The last thing we would want is the tourists coming in and destroying it for the sake of a quick & superficial "good time".

Mudcat is the same for me. All of the above for why I belong here. I came in search of the name of a song (as I recall, but heck, that was a few years ago now) and I got caught up in the personalities and the communication and the community.

I have visited here at least once every day since I got hooked, and there have been times when I have been lonely and isolated in 3D reality but have found connections, comfort, humour, love, fun, intellectual stimulation, you name it, among these wonderful people. To quote Joel Gray in Cabaret: "Everyone is beautiful, even the orchestra is beautiful" (please picture the humour of that scene on reading these words).

At times I have argued or disagreed with some people here at Mudcat, but in the majority of cases it has not been a negative experience because generally we have agreed to disagree, so even the disagreements have been amicable.

Apart from all of the interpersonal connections, the other thing which keeps me coming back is the wealth of knowledge among the people here. It's like the internet itself: always one more piece of information to learn, one more set of links to check out, one more piece of music to discover, one more amazing revelation. For an info-holic it's the worst possible place to be - I have to limit my fixes of information, otherwise I would never get anything else done in my 3D life.

Long live Mudcat, Long live King Max (thanks Max)

Helen, in Newcastle, NSW, Australia

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: Dani
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 08:26 AM

A love of folk music in ALL its glorious and inglorious guises forms the framework of this community. This love is not something that's easy to indulge in the culture I live in, so to have a place where I can listen and learn and share what little I know is invaluable.

To play with Simon-Pierre's words, it's exactly the fact that we are NOT a particular community that makes it work. Magically! I'm reminded of Grouch Marx (I think) who said that he wouldn't be a member of any club that would have him. Here is a place where the music is the common denominator, but it's more complicated than that - and simpler. In a country where churches, concerts, schools, even BARS for cryin' out loud are often self-segregated by age, interests, politics, race, etc. the Mudcat provides a gathering place that'll take on all. For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, 'til death do us part. As long as you brought along a song...

Dani

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: Naemanson
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 09:47 AM

Where else in the world do the young and old willingly rub elbows? We have a number of young members, Matt isn't the only one, who participate equally with our more, uh, mature members. They each add something to the mix. Our village elders receive their measure of respect but also a little banter as well (it doesn't do to take things too seriously). Our young folks bring a fresh exuberant new look to some very old music. They bring us some very new music too. And generally that touches off a whole series of discussions as well.

We watch over each other, concerned for the well being of these people who have become our friends and family. We share our happiness and heartbreak. We talk out our world views and personal experiences. We live within sight of each other around the world talking over the fence with beloved neighbors. Not bad, not bad at all.

I stumbled in here in April suffering from the advanced stages of heartbreak and loneliness. This was not a cure but it was a help. Between the banter and the real concern they felt for each other I felt buoyed in my own world and more confidant about facing my own troubles. Added to that is the number of songs I have learned and learned about since I've been hanging out here. And the songs I've written now that I'm here. That was not something I would have tried before.

It all is the fault of the Mudcat and the Chief Mudcat In Charge, Max the First. Thank you Max.

Brett Burnham, Bath, Maine

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: katlaughing
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 10:04 AM

Brett reminds me of the two Mudcatters who met on the Mudcat, only to discover they literally lived directly across from each other's backyards! I think it was JAB and Fortunato, if I remember correctly.

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: Peter T.
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 10:21 AM

Wyowoman touched on a number of things I would have said, but to add:

I have been using the Mudcat as an exemplary model for Internet community ever since I stumbled into Shangri-La (er, Mudcat) out of the blizzard 4 years ago. I do a lot of work on the Internet, have done since the 1980's when it wasn't the Web. The main reasons why it works are
(1) the elegance of the site as designed by Max. There are many other sites that do certain similar things, but this is the cleanest -- that is, the ability to move around the site, post things, do quick replies, is exemplary. If you don't believe me, look around at other sites -- clunky, cluttered, replies hard to connect to other replies, etc. Without this design, none of what we take for granted would happen, or it would happen against obstacles.
(2) The real genius was to "value-add" to the already existing ethics of sharing and bullshitting and sitting on the porch between songs that exists in the folk and blues community -- building on that. The best Internet groups are ones that reinforce already existing group dynamics (or, if they create new ones, build on models borrowed from ordinary interactions).
(3) A third, complicated, thing is that a number of folk musicians (and newbies like me), are quite shy and retiring, at least when confronted with groups in public, and some are lonely or cut off from groups. The Internet allows these people to contribute because of the strange mixture of intimacy and distance it creates.

I have no hesitation in saying that finding the Mudcat was the best thing that happened to me in the last 4 years. I have found a lot of new friends, connected to a great teacher, now carry a guitar around with me much of the time, learned a zillion things, met Andres in Buenos Aires, heard Big Mick sing "The Dutchman", and eaten food out of a banjo resonator. What more could you ask for?

yours, Peter T.
P.S. I am in Canada, and teach at two universities.

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: Gervase
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 10:27 AM

There's not much I can add to the eloquence above, but in the few years I've been using the Mudcat, I've learned to be more tolerant, to explore new music and get rat-arsed with people I'd never otherwise have met!
It's the finest addiction I've ever had.

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: Charlie Baum
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 10:52 AM

One of the things that distinguishes Mudcat from a lot of other on-line communities is that many of us know each other in real life (IRL). Some of us knew each other before Mudcat, and some of us have made efforts to travel to real-life gatherings where we meet Mudcatters we've only known on-line before. We gather to make music in virtual on-line spaces (like HearMe) and in real places (like the FSGW Getaway or the Old Songs Festival or AnnaP's house in New Jersey, to name three places I've done it).

This melding of virtual and IRL communities helps to keep us honest and (relatively) well-behaved, and also helps set up an extended real-life network. Through Mudcat, people have arranged tours and vacations, found convalescent care, and created a real community--real in that it can sometimes transcend the virtual.

--Charlie Baum, Silver Spring, Maryland

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: Art Thieme
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 11:18 AM

Max,

What would I tell the reporter about Mudcat?

I would have to tell him, "As with all of life, don't expect to hear the truth. Yes, it's all fantasy---and also fantastic."

Art Thieme

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: WyoWoman
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 11:51 AM

Here's the quote from "Cluetrain Manifesto: The End of Business as Usual" that I think applies to what Max has developed here:

"Instead, the future business of businesses that have a future will be about subtle differences, not wholesale conformity; about diversity, not homogeneity; about breaking rules, not enforcing them; about pushing the envelope, not punching the clock; about invitation, not protection; about doing it first, not doing it 'right'; about making it better, not making it perfect; about thelling the truth, not spinning bigger lies; about turning people on, not 'packaging' them; and perhaps above all, about building convivial communities and knowledge ecologies, not leveraging demographic sectors."

ww

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: Catrin
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 12:15 PM

Because people give so generously and easily - lyrics, support, a discussion on the history of a song - whatever.

It is such a buzz connecting in this way with people from all over the world.

Cheers,

Catrin, Manchester UK

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 12:18 PM

"It's still a work in progress" - WyoWoman, you've said it. And so did 'spaw in more detail, and the rest of you.

One thing that really brought home to me the range of this community was in June when I wrote a song about something terrible that had happened here in England and I posted it here.

Literally within a few hours I had responses and comments about it from people in various parts of the United States, from Australia, from Germany and from Argentina, as well as England.

It's a work in progress. And it's an astonishing work. I'm amazed at how fragile it appears to be, and how strong it seems to be, when every now and again it comes under attack. It's like a spiders web, being constructed by a bunch of cooperating spiders, most of whom have never seen each other and never will.

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 12:22 PM

This was the song I mentioned, in its thread,

Kevin McGrath, Harlow, England.

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: mousethief
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 12:25 PM

"Run away! Run away!"

Alex
O..O
=o=

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: dwditty
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 12:28 PM

If I were to define the perfect use of the internet, it would be, in a word, Mudcat. Mudcat is a place where people can share information about just about any topic. Oh, music may be the tie that binds but so much else gets shared here. Not the least of those things is emotions. Over the last 3+ years I have laughed, I have cried, I have gotten pissed, I have felt deep gratitude. Mudcat is the only place I have found on the net where you can experience all that the 3D world offers (well, almost) with so many from all over the world. To really get a sense of what is happening, come to the next Mudcat concert - and dress appropriately!

dw Rich Gallagher Connecticut

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: annamill
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 01:10 PM

I'm basically a very shy person, (just shut up Mudcatters) and it's very hard for me to give myself to people and I have a feeling it's the same for a lot of people. Mudcat draws me out (and in) and draws others out too. There are so many people I love from Mudcat that I would never had met and become friends with even if we spent a week in the same room. You can be free here. That is obviously not unique to Mudcat, but those who populate this place are.

I have friends all over this world where I can write or call or personel message and I'll have a place to stay anywhere. That's amazing!! Mostly every Mudcatter is welcome in my home and I'll be glad to set up a gathering in their honor.

That's one aspect. What I have learned about music is amazing!! I love music and I love folk/blues especially. This be the place! The first time I heard of Child's ballads, I made the obvious mistake. No, it's not folk music for children ;-) Thanks Susan of DT!

Here's another... I've learned about my world. How much do you know of the problems in Ireland M. Reporter? I knew almost nothing til coming here and reading some of the heated discussions on that subject....and many more subjects...we could go on forever.

Sometimes reading the posts makes me laugh out loud, really loud and I'm usually at work ;-) People tell me I'm having too much fun!

This is more than a web-site, it's a community, with all that comes with a community. I just hope it lasts a while.

Love, Anna Hamill, New Jersey.

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 01:14 PM

I find the Mudcat amazing because it takes technology and the mass network of computers,and uses it to propogate that most basic of the arts,traditional music.Music that was created and nurtured beside hearths and campfires and by the human voice can be revitalized and re-examined by thousands of people transmitting the information through the internet.Through this sharing,we also find the ability to share folk stories,life stories,hopes,and philosophies.Just as those who sat silently by campfires shared these elements of themselves,so we share them,transforming data to dreams by the light of our CRTs.Mudcat is truly the ghost in the machine.

Lonesome EJ

Evergreen,CO,USA

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: Kim C
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 01:25 PM

I used the DT for research for a LONG time before I dove into the threads. It's so nice to be able to talk with people of like mind and interests from All Around the World, even when we aren't actually talking about music. :)

Kim Caudell, Nashville, TN

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: catspaw49
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 02:25 PM

Got enough yet?

As I read every post above, I think, "Damn, I forgot to say that!" There are so many elements to this place that I'm sure its a bit mind boggling to try to throw it all together into something coherent.

I wasnt to add something else of course. As I read through the posts, it occurred to me that it would be easy to believe that we are all completely nuts, which is true, and that we have no life outside of here, which is not. In each individual you can find a fascinating life outside of this place which makes it all the more interesting. We've got street buskers and union organizers, social workers and folklorists, college professors and college students, old farts and young whippersnappers..........all drawn here through a mutual love of the music, but who remain here because of the warmth, understanding, creativity, and intelligence. Its not that we don't have people to talk to in 3D, but I can't imagine anywhere that you could find this number in any one place 24 hours a day.

So there's another 2 cents for you. If you have 5 cents total, you can buy Max. Remeber though, you only get what you pay for...........

Spaw (Pat Patterson, Bremen, Ohio--740-569-7610--but I'm either out or online, so leave a message through here if you like)

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: Dave (the ancient mariner)
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 02:26 PM

I would tell them to go away and leave us alone. I like this place very much. Yours, Aye. Dave (D.Lever Bedford Nova Scotia Canada)

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: Kim C
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 02:30 PM

It's just I don't have regular contact with enough 3D people who share my eccentric interests. :)

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: Mrrzy
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 02:30 PM

Here is what I would say: Don't go there. You'll never leave!

But seriously, folks...

No, really: It is one of the best resources around if you are interested in the words to songs and the stories they tell. It is probably THE best resource if you are also interested in the storytellers.

I'd rather not post my whole name here but I do give permission to the reporter to contact me, if they so desire; my email's on bbc.

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: MMario
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 02:32 PM

and a thread or two like this should be included Never give up hope

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: catspaw49
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 02:53 PM

Okay....So THAT one took a LITTLE LONGER than three minutes...............

Spaw

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: MMario
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 02:55 PM

yea....but it WAS found!

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: Morticia
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 07:11 PM

I'm not sure I can add anything to what's already said but felt I wanted to add my name,if you like, as a person who endorses all of the above.
Mudcat, or rather the people who make up the Mudcat, have seen me through insomnia, 'flu,heart-ache, times of crisis and kept me company when I was off work for three months and thought I may never make it back.They have made me laugh, cry, lose my temper and taught me much, both about music and the world as they see it. In turn,I take the piss, dredge up obscure song lyrics and dispense suppport and advice where I feel it will be appreciated.
The give and take of relationships here, and, in general, the respect for other viewpoints, mean that no one person has power over another, no one person is 'boss' and no-one is the worlds leading authority on anything.( With the possible exception of 'Spaw on farts)
I have made so many new friends, found acceptance and support and joy.....I love my 3d life but this is a warm and welcome addition, and where one meets the other....oh boy!
Terri Messenger,United Kingdom

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: hesperis
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 07:57 PM

In addition to all the great stuff listed above, the Personal Messages really help to build the community we have here. I've set up dinner before Song Circle with Mudcatters who live here in Orillia, shared meditations and URLs with people, had someone tell me I was out of line, had the same person apologize, shared messages of hopelessness and hope, and joked around about mullet-headed greaseballs (TM). We get to know each other in the threads a bit, but deepen that through personal messages.

A must-read is that post of Big Mick's in the Vietnam thread. I'm too young to have experienced that war, and his heartfelt words really touched me.

Folk music isn't just about the music, it's about people, and what makes them tick. Here you can find out about all of that.

Before I came on Mudcat, I liked Folk music fine, but wasn't THAT interested in it. Now I am getting really interested! It's so individualistic. And so is the M'cat.

~*sirepseh*~
Orillia, Ontario, Canada

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: Naemanson
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 08:10 PM

Max, will you please post the article once it is written?

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: CarolC
Date: 13 Oct 00 - 02:22 AM

I think it's something brand new. I think that we're still just beginning to discover how immense and amazing this new thing is. I think the Mudcat is a new way for human beings to be a family, regardless of geography, or any other limitations that otherwise keep people apart.

I think the Mudcat is a small but very significant step in the evolution of human consciousness. I really believe that.

Carol Cunningham, Shepherdstown, West Virginia

Subject: RE: What would you tell a reporter about Mudcat
From: Noreen
Date: 13 Oct 00 - 06:10 AM

All of the above!

Sorry, can't stop- I'm getting ready to go to the First Annual Mudcat Gathering at Llanfair Caereinion in Wales, henceforth known as Llanstock.

Nobody really knows what's going to happen there this weekend, apart from sharing good music and companionship, BUT I know it will work because we're all Mudcatters!

Noreen Keene
Bury,
Lancashire,
England.