Nobody had to do what he said, he couldn't be in all the folk clubs at once. I remember clubs run on "those" lines, no guitars, no American songs, no music hall songs, beards sweaters sandals FITE and all the stereotype. A regular run of themed nights through round-the-year, soldiers' songs, industrial songs, just like in the books. But if you didn't like it, well, lots of pubs had back bars or function rooms, happy to give them out free or cheap, and if you didn't like it, go and start your own. And lots of people did.

McColl and co deserve the credit for getting things going, just as the Dubliners/ Clancy Brothers/ Peter Paul and Mary/ Seekers/ Spinners/ Pentangle and all that lot that we patronisingly looked down on back then deserve the credit for getting stuff circulated. Weren't they naive? Weren't we naive? Aren't we still naive?