fRoots and BBC

lost causes.

it was ever thus.

In the 1970's. melody Maker used to do this competition every year. The melody maker Folk Rock Competition. open to all comers.

Two years running - Andy Dwyer was placed. Voted best soloist. he was a young Brummy, he was working class and he didn't have a clue how folKies were supposed to dress and behave. he'd turn up to gigs in his beat suit, and shake hands formally with the club organiser.

Yet his songs were something else. there was one extraordinarily powerful one about the buses with segregated facilities for Black people, we were building for South Africa in Birmingham factories.

singer songwriters - oh they are old stuff. Punks the thing nowadays, they would say - that's real working class music. My arse!

I've just seen so much important English music die of neglect. ian wants to patronise Zulu satirists, and Portuguese bongo players, and whoever has got a decent recording contract. Radio 2 thinks the future of folk music is jigs and reels that nobody dances to, and songs about collier laddies.

Bollocks to the lot of them. they will always have some reason for not being interested in what is going on in the folk clubs. its never going to be Britpop or Shitpop enough for them.

Now there is the internet - we don't need them.