Stuart

My posting above covers your second point by and large.

Who are they? I'm certainly not naming names though I've heard two mentioned.

The reason being paranoid envy? The envy bit could be right when you know that the source of this opinion is the concert club and festival scene. Besides hearing the comment on BBC Radio (as stated above) it has been discussed in my presence by people who know the above scene.

The envious ones?   My guess it's guest singers who have done the rounds and are envious of those parachuted in. It's probably arisen from talk in the bars. Creationist theory? Why not put it to those nearer to the scene where the view was probably created? I don't mix in those circles.

**Sentence one - semantic quibbling? You're peddling a wrong message. No point in arguing over which wrong word you want to use in a complete misrepresentation.

**Popular singers reputations made by a consensus? I'm not doing essays. I could argue around various tangents, but as a basic statement - it's wrong.

**Unrepresentative minority quote? Again an essays worth to break it down. Want to do surveys of opinion within the entire folk scene? I don't. Every political party and pressure group in the land is actually a minority - its not going to stop any one of them putting forward their views.   

**Guest reputations rubbished? Believe all guests are God (and all floor singers are rubbish?) if you like. Rather sad I'd say , if that's really what you believe.

Back on the paranoid envy (of guests)....   did you actually think I was suffering it? I don't crave large folk club audiences. It wouldn't bother me if I never ever played again outside of a singaround club.