I'm with you, Soldier boy. Since people don't seem to be able to agree on what "folk" means or what "traditional" means, I wonder what they mean by "feral?"

I have no idea, but "feral" (once tame, but having returned to wild) does suggest an interesting possibility to me.

Apparently when one sings in folk clubs (and I'm on the other side of the pond, so about all I "know" about British folk clubs is the impression I get reading the threads here on Mudcat), one must be very careful to know ahead of time what predispositions and prejudices that specific club has before one risks opening one's mouth, lest one be smote hip and thigh and cast hence. The next club down the pike may have entirely different ideas. And the next, still others.

All of this gives me an urge to simply throw off any shackles that any specific folk club or clubs might wish to impose and bloody-well sing whatever I enjoy singing, and sing it in a manner in which I enjoy singing it. I, personally, would not try to "go commercial," I would keep the same respect and regard for traditional material that I have always had and approach each song with my own ideas on how I feel it should be done. I would have my own standards, based on what I understand about the particular song and traditional songs in general, and not let the standards of others (who may know less than I do) dictate what I sing and how I sing it.

I would break out of the pen, and instead of trying to please the unpleasable, I would sing for folks, not for "folkies," if you get my distinction.

I would return to the wilds. I would be feral.

Don Firth