'And if folk music isn't the "music of the people", then what exactly is it?'

This IS true, but it is so broad that it means nothing! Just like "I ain't never heard a horse sing"

Folk music is music of certain kinds of people, in certain kinds of situations, with certain kinds of motives.....etc....and all those 'certains' are hard to define precisely. But that doesn't mean that if Pete Seeger decides to sing 'La Traviata', that it is now folk music. But if Leontyne Price writes a song about her mothers cat, it sure may BE folk music!

The problem is not that defining and limiting the scope of folk music is tricky--sure it is---the problem is that many people refuse to even try.

I do feel I should say to those like Susan who "didn't know where else to go" that I have some sympathy--but only 'some'! When I typed 'mamas and papas' into a search engine, I got 200 responses,and the very first one had the lyrics to 'California Dreamin' and 'Creeque alley' and two more songs:

(take a look!) http://anatomy-1.dote.hu/~szak/LYRICS/M/mamas.and.the.papas/mamas.html

at least now I know what 'creeque alley' is....it's cute--it's even a bit relevant--but it's still not folk!Will it ever be? Ask me in 50 years!