I think there is room for tolerance in this forum for the intrusions by people looking for "non-folk" material (by whatever definition one wishes to use). If a request does not meet my standard of folk definition, I can, if I wish, ignore it and look for something that does. On the other hand, what goes into the DT is another matter. That can be controlled. The DT can be the annointed list of rigorously defined, jealously-guarded material (although I fear it is too late- there is already some questionable material in there, by some of the standards I have read from other folkies). It might be an interesting exercise to start a thread on what should be removed from the DT! What a goat-rope that would be! It is also interesting to note that many songs considered to be "Traditional Folk" (TF) have appeared in other (sometimes several) generes before TF was generally acknowledged as a genre! How does one reconcile this while trying to isolate and rigorously define TF music? Can TF be TF if it was spawned in another genre? If so, what is the argument? Well enough rambling from me... I think Dick Greenhaus has eloquently stated the dilema and the solution to this issue of what is and isn't folk:
>"Whil I know precisely what folk music is (and isn't), I >doubt seriously if anyone would completely agree with me. >And so, I'd much rather err on the side of INCLUSIVITY >rather than EXCLUSIVITY. If this means we collect an >irritating (to me and some others) number of non-folk >requests, I'd rather put up with this than leave out >something that I might be interested in that might be >excluded. >THat said, it would be nice if we could stay somewhere >close to the folk (or folkish) idiom. Short of censoring >this forum, I can >see no way of insuring this."
No offense intended to anyone with a different view of this issue (I hate to have to say that, but it seems someone always takes things personally). I also know that there will never be agreement by everyone, so you have just read my two-cents worth on the issue.
Yours in music,
Oldtimer
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