I will try to elaborate on what I was trying to say and hopefully you can see what George was trying to say.

I personally love every aspect of folk, from the popular down to the most obscure and I would love everyone to feel the same, but in truth I know it's not like that and thankfully that is true otherwise Colin would have no records left in his record collection.

If it helps there isn't anyone in the folk world that wishes the genre they are extremely passionate about to be exclusive. It is the one genre where most people agree on things...

IMHO most people I know and are friends with are extremely friendly in the folk world and they would welcome everyone. In fact I would risk saying in excess of 95% are that friendly, around 2% would like it their way and would not entertain conversing about any other genre of music or allow those into their folk world (not exclusivity - marginality) and around 3% are puritans, only allowing the live acoustic aspect of the genre and only then passed down through generations.

2% in the folk world isn't a lot is it?!

It isn't my view to see it 'marginalized'. Folk is for everyone and if they like it then they have a glimpse into my world and I personally would say they are privileged to have something that makes them happy because life is too short to be unhappy, don't you think?

If a folk song has become popular then that is a great achievement for the artist because they touch the most people and made a lot of people happy...

The Corrs did a great set of folk songs and I think their version of Peggy Gordon is brilliant and an old friend of mine was rightly awarded a BBC2 folk award. But I know that these people were not trying to win a popularity contest by producing great tunes that everyone wanted... they played stuff they are passionate about just like Elvis and so many other great artists... What I can't stand is the manufactured pop that numbs the mind and I cant understand why it makes people happy but it does so I tolerate it (to a point)

What I am trying to get at is that all things in the world is made up of our own subjective aspect on the world and most of us here has the common love of folk music and/or dance.

To conclude, Majority of folk lovers are very welcoming but there are a small percentage that are 'quite happy for it to remain marginalised, as if too much popularity equals unwelcome impurity' and   thankfully a very small percentage that would like it to be 'exclusive'.

I just want people to be happy, obviously I have touched a nerve that we all want everyone in the folk world to be kind, warm and welcoming, and believe me I want the same but experience has told me that it isn't so and I am sorry for sharing the experience.

Thank you again for your post Colin... the article kinda reminded me of the Folk Britannia programmes on BBC4, if you get a chance I would recommend it :D

Thanks George for being such a great songwriter, performer and a great friend :D