Here we go again skipping blithely through another philisophical mine-field. It's a question which has been at the back of my mind for some time, however.
    A while back I was sitting around drinking coffee and talking shop with a few other performers. No doubt you've been in one of those coversations in some coffehouse or bar. You gossip a bit. You catch up a bit with people you perhaps haven't seen for a while. You gab a bit about politics, food, music, pop culture, politics, women, men, politics, movies, television, and, if there's still time, politics. Eventually the converstion moves to the "horror story" phase. Each of you starts telling about the worst club or festival you ever worked.
    On this particular occasion on of us came up with an especially interesting (in the Chinese Curse sense of that word) story (which I will not detail here) about a sries of mishaps at a festival which had us all laughing and wincing, alternately. The whole thing was caused by a string of miscommunications and misdirections ( the primary elements of high comedy). None of of it was anybody's fault, as such. It all happened because nobody seemed to be paying complete attention to anybody else.
       He concluded the story by shrugging and saying, "Well, that's show biz."
       In response one fellow jumped upfrom the table and yelled haughtily, "Folksingers are NOT in show biz!" and then left.

    It's not the first time that I've heard that said. That sentiment has been bouncing around for a long time. What do you think?
Is someone who sing for money in show buisness or are folkies somehow "above" that?

Stephen Lee