"my feeling is that this thread has changed into a thread about egotists with chips on shoulders"

I couldn't agree with you more, Les.

The sad thing about this whole sorry debate is that folks like Indira and Ian seem to be consistently missing one important point.

Let's examine who is in the room...

1. Yourselves (the floor singers who desperately wants to play up to three songs to someone else's audience and get in free)

2. Those horrible bastard organisers who are denying you what you consider your basic human rights

3. The overblown and overhyped narcissist guests who are getting paid for being there (the cads!)

Who else? Have we forgotten anyone?

How about....

4. The audience who have come to see the guest (and paid good money with that in mind)

Remember them?