"jerks need not apply"

What was that referring to? I was actually meaning the enquiry Does Folk Exist?

"priestly class of mediators"

Would these be professional folk singers perhaps? Those who intercede between the Faithful and the Theologians with albums containing expositions of the Holy Writ backed up by copious annotations factual, fatuous, misleading or otherwise, but always couched with a certain authority which I for one have always been a sucker for. Whilst happy to ape this example in my own work over the years (not least on JATZ where each piece has a lengthy blog entry by way of a virtual sleeve note) we're currently working on a commissioned album of traditional material which, despite having an overall concept, will very deliberately have no sleeve notes whatsoever! But then again, whilst I get paid well enough for my storytelling I don't think I've ever received a penny for my folk singing, although I do feature Traditional Songs in my storytelling performances, very few of which, come to think of it, occur within Designated Folk Contexts where I'm quite happy to be a Lay Preacher.