I'm not hostile at all to 'traditional' folk music at all and have spent much of my life listening to it and thinking about it.

Read the 'folkies' thread. And they have this picture of themselves as being a great group of nice guys. I think almost the opposite is the case.

They turn with ferocity on their own - look at the shit Ewan MacColl's family would find slung at Ewan if they looked through mudcat. Look the Davy Graham thread - just for doing a few shit gigs (the actual lifetime of his achievement is recorded in every English guitarists fingers).

And worst of all they aren't interested in folk, that is to say - people. All they give a shit about is this tiny library of what they are pleased to regard as the folk songs of England. Great if you're the Copper family - but what about all the other families.

For about six years my principle source of revenue was gigging in old peoples homes. The old people used to ask me for all sorts of songs, and songs from artists I'd never heard of. We are an incredibly musical nation. The soul and creativity of this nation has not been channeled through this tiny clump of folksongs for a long time.

My grandparents era was best summed up by the work of Dave and Al Sealey (Cosmotheka). They used to sing many of the songs my grandparents knew. Now Bob abd Al have finished, theres nobody even connecting with the era that recent (1850's 1930's).

Similarly, do you remember the shit you had to go through when you told your parents generation you were going to live with your girlfriend, rather than get married. Where are the folksongs about how the family structures have changed. And our society generally.

I was watching Folk Britannia last night til four and was quaintly amused by Ewan and Billy Bragg - giving their 'two legs good, four legs bad' account of the miners strike. The songs they were writing SO misunderstood what was going on. Their songs didn't spring from the communities, like say Tommy Armstrong's did. I'm not saying sing Tommy Armstrong - I'm saying look at your own world, take off your 'traddy' glasses - just now and then, for a start.

Sing folksongs about real folks! Ones that you know!

Look at the write a lincolnshire folksong bit on Radio Lincolnshire's website. There is a great song about a corrupt politician, and this year it was won with aong about a larcenous Lincolnshire barmaid. It can be done! Maybe not in Newcastle University for a while.