"Lizzie C
In amongst all these Po faced Grey haired old men who frequent the Radway that you have dismissed with such inpunity, I presume you are including your good friend Barry Lister? And half of the Old Swan Band? Mr wood and Mr Cutting have been known to drop in occasionally.
Wouldn't be surprised if Eliza hasn't been in too."


First of all, Barry's not 'po faced'. Secondly, he doesn't have 'grey' hair, but sparkly white, and thirdly, I'm well aware that Barry goes into The Radway, as I was right beside him when he got his tuba out. (giggling somewhat naughtily smiley)

It still doesn't rule out the fact that it's a 'watching' occupation, being an (older) English folkie, rather than a 'letting yourself go' one.

If you recall, Ralph, we had this discussion on the BBC one time, about how the English don't seem able to let themselves go in the same way as the Irish or Scots. Even in Folk Britannia it was there, the Scots throwing themselves around to their music, petticoats and kilts flung high in the air (oo-er Missus!) However, meanwhile, back at the ranch, the English were filmed sat down listening to Pete Seeger, who was on stage singing his heart out, smiling from ear to ear, and looking across a sea of serious faces who looked more as if they were at a science convention, rather than watching one of the most popular folk singers of the time. Not a smile or a tapping foot to be seen anywhere.

and...Barry has an earring. He's a cool dude! ;0)

You can have 'grey' hair if you like, but 'silver' is soooo much more funky...Why be 'grey' when you can be silver? And white is even more cool! I bet the Irish and the Scots have far more silver hair than the English, because they don't worry about smiling and letting themselves go, having the occasional Whoop! now and then and daring to tap their feet..

And nope, I don't need any spiritual enlightenment, thanks. I have more than enough.

Enya, Will.

Fair enough. I've always appreciated that everyone loves different sorts of music. It gets to me though when talented and popular artists are ridiculed by those who assume they know all about what is good music and what is not. And sadly, there seem to be a lot of those 'experts' in the Eng. Trad. world.


And now, I'm off, once again, to listen to Loreena McKennitt, and you may want to check out her Hurdy Gurdy player...and her cellist.

Loreena - The Mummer's Dance - Youtube

Loreena - Caravanserai