Hello again!

Guest_DearMe asks "where is Mike of Northumbria…?"

Well, Mike has a day-job, a family, and various time-consuming hobbies … but he still visits the Mudcat occasionally. So, a few more thoughts from the Deep North...

Perhaps it might help to resolve this argument if we tried to separate two issues which keep getting tangled up here. One is that contributors to this thread have widely differing estimates of the quality of JM's work. The other is that a number of our correspondents are seriously annoyed by JM's promotional material, and by some of the media comment on him.

On the first point. Those who like what JM does are free to attend his concerts and buy his records - those who don't are free to stay away, and spend their pocket money on other people's CDs. Both groups are entitled to express their opinions (though I'd be happier if some of those opinions were expressed less aggressively). But while discussion and analysis may change what people think, they rarely change how people feel. At some stage, we can only agree to differ, and move on to other subjects.

On the second point. I don't think the journalists and radio presenters who made extravagant claims for JM's significance were bribed or coerced. I believe they were making honest value-judgements (even though I may not share their values). As to the publicity material distributed by JM and his management – well, they are engaged in a commercial venture. If they have made good choices, they will prosper: if not, they won't. The market will decide. That's show business, folks.   Those of us who don't like the hype are free to mock it, or to ignore it. Eventually the tides of time will wash the dross away, and leave the gold for posterity.

And my own opinion? Well, I think that JM is a promising new talent, who deserves encouragement – and some constructive criticism where appropriate. Praising him as folk's new messiah, or slagging him off as a worthless poseur, are equally unjust, and equally unhelpful. So far, most of what I've heard from him sounds more like work in progress than the finished article. But he clearly has something fresh and interesting to contribute, and I'm sure he will continue to evolve and improve. Meanwhile he is giving quite a few people a lot of pleasure. Good luck to him say I.

Wassail!