Far be it from me to disagree with so dedicated a scholar as Lisa Null but, then again, not so far because I think she is mistaken. Performance, in and of itself, is artificial and, decidedly, unfolk.
The chantyman on a whaler, the laborer in the field, the sweet young thing a'rockin' on her Smokey Mountain porch, none of then have to please an audience. They can forget a verse or two, ramble on and on (and on), change keys like a locksmith, and who is to say nay.
Performers, however, are held to a higher standard. Audiences have limited tolerance for the authenticity of a Sara Cleveland or a Joe Heany (both, of whom, I admired and respected). Lisa Null knows all about this. Does she think that Saul Broudy's "authenticity" is compromised by his skill and polish?