Salient points (as I have come to expect) made here. As I am not a member I hesitate to offer my opinion, but what the hey, as I don't have to be a member to post (and to me that makes it a public forum), I figure I have just as much right as the next person to smear my ramblings across this thread. You have just as much right as the next person to read or ignore them. That is freedom of choice. I think the BS designation and the absurd thread title is enough (sort of like our TV and movie ratings here in the U.S.) to alert a prospective newcomer that there is something a little more lighthearted going on than the origins of a certain tune, etc. I sympathize with Joe's concerns about what a newcomer thinks when they first click into the threads, but one curious click on a BS thread and they will soon decide whether they want to be a part of that particular zaniness or not. Again, sort of like the On and Off switch on a TV.

The BS in a way encourages and promotes the discussion of folk....because everything that is posted here is under the general umbrella of folk and blues by default, there has been an occasion that I can personally point to where something mentioned in a BS discussion has piqued my interest and led me to research further along the lines of folk music and tradition. One can find gems anywhere they chance to look, if they keep their eyes open.

I also lament the occasional obscene word that worms its way into the postings - not that I am offended by such...I spent 7 years, 4 months and 19 days (5 hours, 4 minutes, 3 seconds...was I counting?) in the military and can curse a blue streak with the best of them. But again, as I consider this a public forum I refrain from doing so out of respect to others who may not want to read such words, newcomers or no...just as I would not stand in the check-out line at the supermarket amongst a diverse crowd and mutter the "f" word out loud ... I think that is just common courtesy and respect to fellow human beings.

As I have said before, I know very little about folk music or music in general, so I pop in and out to check on the BS because I enjoy the creative juices that get squeezed out in those threads. And there is some really fine stuff being posted in the BS threads, better in some instances than what one can find in print. Occasionally I have need to ask a music related question, and I appreciate that there are experts here who can answer virtually any question. I am an outsider and it doesn't bother me that I don't get some of the inside jokes - didn't get them the first time through. I scroll right on through an arcane passage, knowing that if I wanted to, I could research and figure out what they were talking about.

Kat is right about folk music...the genre covers many topics and is itself sometimes whimsical and humorous, just like the threads posted to this forum. All the myriad personalities expressing their thoughts, opinions, etc. make for an atmosphere of diversity that is an education in itself. Yes, it may be primarily a music forum, but it's the BS that fleshes out the 'Cat and makes it indeed a special place. My 2 coppers.

Neil Lowe