What is Folk? (subtitled Folk not Joke)

Subject: What is Folk? (subtitled Folk not Joke)
From: Dazbo
Date: 06 Feb 07 - 03:59 AM

Travelling home from morris practice last night I turned the radio on to BBC Radio 5 where (at the start of the programme) they were discussing what was coming later. One of the topics to be covered was folk and they began by discussing what the presenter and guests defined as folk. As can be expected they came up with men in beards (but not moustaches), real ale, fingers super-glued to ears etc and wanted listeners to text or email their definitions. It then morphed into the handy phrase "Folk not Joke". Needless to say before any audience contributions were read out I, in a deep depression at what I knew was about to come, turned over to Radio 4.

Would it have been so hard for them to have someone that new about the subject as a guest?

Subject: RE: What is Folk? (subtitled Folk not Joke)
From: Scrump
Date: 06 Feb 07 - 04:10 AM

It might have been better to listen to what followed instead of switching over, so you would have more evidence that you could use in a letter or email to complain about the article, if you found it offensive or whatever.

Subject: RE: What is Folk? (subtitled Folk not Joke)
From: Dazbo
Date: 06 Feb 07 - 04:15 AM

You're right Scrump, but I just couldn't face it:-(

Subject: RE: What is Folk? (subtitled Folk not Joke)
From: AlexB
Date: 06 Feb 07 - 04:23 AM

What was the programme?

Subject: RE: What is Folk? (subtitled Folk not Joke)
From: Dazbo
Date: 06 Feb 07 - 04:34 AM

Don't know the title but it started at 10pm (it also had other topics to discuss).

Subject: RE: What is Folk? (subtitled Folk not Joke)
From: AlexB
Date: 06 Feb 07 - 05:38 AM

Okay, listening to it on Listen Again.

There was one person who said it was what your folks play to drive off potential partners, another that it was something you only inflict on your folks. Someone said it was the purest form of protest.

Seth said it about big juicy stories. By that point he hadn't slept for 36 hours.

Actually, if you listen from about 1hr 26 minutes in, it does get interesting, despite some of the negative comments.

Subject: RE: What is Folk? (subtitled Folk not Joke)
From: Alec
Date: 06 Feb 07 - 05:49 AM

What is a Radio DJ? An indivdual who deeply resents the way the material he (& it usually is a he) is being paid to present intrudes on the time he wishes to devote to disseminating his own spectacularly ill-informed views on subjects he simply can't be bothered to research & trite,banal attempts at humour.
Then there was John Peel.
We can all deal in stereotypes if we want to.
Or we can get on with dealing with real people in real life.

Subject: RE: What is Folk? (subtitled Folk not Joke)
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 06 Feb 07 - 05:57 AM

nowt as queer as......

Subject: RE: What is Folk? (subtitled Folk not Joke)
From: GUEST,Jim
Date: 06 Feb 07 - 01:29 PM

From many discussions, both here and in Sing Out!, it's obvious that you'll never get an agreement on the definition of a folk song. I've heard:
-If you know who wrote it, it ain't folk.
-If it takes more than two trips to get your gear in from the car it ain't folk. (my personal favourite)
-and the famous "All songs are folk songs..."

Subject: RE: What is Folk? (subtitled Folk not Joke)
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 06 Feb 07 - 06:29 PM

I find it impossible to listen to phone ins. Some people feel like that about folk music.

In both cases we end up not listening to the stuff we can't stand listening to.

So if we talk about that stuff our opinion isn't worth listening to.

Subject: RE: What is Folk? (subtitled Folk not Joke)
From: GUEST,Jim
Date: 06 Feb 07 - 06:38 PM

And of course:"a four letter word that begins with F and ends with K and if you use it your songs won't get played on the radio".