thank you akenaton.... aye, you got me going there...but it takes a guid man to address it... You're a folkie...probably with a heightened awareness of whats horsefeathers and whats not... MOST of the music industry is HORSE something else never mind feathers.... I love the honesty of folk music and the people who love it too are usually incredibly protective of the genre if only for a place to express yourself without playing the marketing mans game. So I understand why.. but it must be accepted that if making a 16 year old 'get' ae fond x so that he or she has some soundtrack to mend their broken hearts with without feeling that its a language they have no relationship with I really feel Burns would have encouraged me.... I had to DRAG , no joke, my cousin Maureen o hara (70's disco queen, mother of three,), to my concert in Glasgow this year because ... I will quote:
'NAW ... AM NO COMIN' I hate Burns and I hate Strings'... at the end she left stunned and really loved it all, she didnt realise he wrote some of the songs I sung.. she hadnt really ever 'heard' them... THATS why I wanted to do it more than anything... I always felt he was from the likes of me but the impression we have while growing up is that he was a property of the highbrow and elitist.... but he wasnt... he was ours... as ours as johnny lydon.. or a young bob dylan.
I also agree DICK GAUGHAN is thee voice of Burns. Although at christmas in Georges square I met an old work mate of my da's and he recited A MANS A MAN into my ear over a pint.... never heard it better.
x
bless you