"Similar sorts of things happen nowadays to winners of the BBC folk competitions, I am told."

Really? Have you been to many gigs of folk award winners? That Bellowhead - they sure know how to clear a room.


If folk is no longer a mainstream pursuit because of British "purists", then why didn't it remain more popular and fashionable in America? The truth is, it was a trend, and the problem with trends is that they become un-trendy. Folk became briefly faddish in the time you speak of, and it may well do again in the wake of Marling-Mumford mania - but it will most likely be another brief hiccup.

The current revival amongst the "purists" you despise - which includes a substantial number of young people - may not become a mainstay of popular culture (which is notoriously fickle anyway), but it certainly looks a lot more sustainable.