One of the problems with the folk revival (in England at least) is its self-consciousness. Many of its movers and shakers have been intellectuals, which inevitably leads to a degree of navel-gazing probably more intense than in countries or communities with more vibrant, continuous traditions, in which people can just get on and play the stuff without too much hand-wringing (although I don't doubt that the Irish, for instance, are well capable of navel-gazing over their music as well).

Over the years I've heard pretty much every genre of popular music - rock'n'roll, country, punk, rap, techno, etc., touted as being the True Folk Music of the age, usually by clever people whose main aim is to prove that people who still choose to sing old songs are wankers. Doesn't make me want to sing old songs any less, though.