Only a couple of thoughts, for what they are worth.

"Singer/songwhiners" or "snigger/snogwriters":- Two smug and supercilious descriptors, one from either side of the pond, which are so far off the mark as to be utter nonsense.

The folk tradition would not exist if singer/songwriters were indeed the irritating pest they are currently perceived to be by many diehard traditionalists. Since traditional folk relies on the oral route for the handing down of the songs, it was always necessary for the composer of a song to be able to sing it.

He/She HAD to be a singer/songwriter.

I consider myself a singer/songwriter, and feel personally insulted by the "whiner" tag. I don't write whining introspective songs, and failed my navel gazing module at college.

I put a great deal of effort into making people laugh, and my serious songs are mostly stories from observation, so it gripes me to hear what I do described in a way that would put people off the idea of listening.

Not every singer/songwriter is trying to be another Nick Drake, and it's about time that those who use these terms develop a little tolerance for other people's opinions and quit.

The kicker is that I also perform traditional songs, and deeply love and respect the folk tradition, so it is doubly galling to be subjected to disrespect by pretentious, self appointed guardians of the "Tradition", who are, in point of fact, the reason for the current lack of interest in the folk scene on the part of the general public.

All music has merit to those who enjoy it, and nobody has the right to set himself up as the definitive arbiter of musical taste.

Rant over, and I'm off to crack open a cold one.
Don T.