"if you don't want the audience to sing along, sing songs they don't know; if you do want them to sing along, sing songs they know."
And so allow the audience (or club organisers) to dictate what you can and what you can't sing - is this what you are suggesting Seamus?
"Let's just not sing anymore. Let's just listen to one person sing at a time & let's all let the lights go out while we're at it."
On the other hand, let's ban solo singing in clubs and just accept that audiences will join in whether the singers wish them to or not. As much as I have loved Pete Seeger's singing down the years, if his style of performance was the ony one folk music would be so much the poorer.
Roll over Joe Heaney, Texas Gladden, Dillard Chandler, Sheila Stewart, Jeannie Robertson... and all the old solo singers - your singing is no longer wanted on voyage!!
Jim Carroll