But this about the stories, Shimrod - the myths, the yarns, the rumours, the legends, the lies, the gossip, the false praise, the worthiness, the miracles, the hearsay, the (gulp!) folklore - all of which serve to enhance his reputation, such as it is amongst the MacColl faithful who are presently heating up pokers with savage intent in the direction of my lower of the common human orifi. I might not have known or admired MacColl, but I know and admire many MacColl fans - they're the ones who can spot that my Child #7 & #32 are sourced from the Riverside recordings, as one charming & fine singer once did in Chorlton two years ago. I do not begrudge these people their cherished memories, but the MacColl Mythos is so much bigger than that, and worthy, I thought, of a thread. Whether the stories are true or not DOES NOT MATTER - the fact is these are stories that have been told, and retold; they are part of an Oral Tradition of Storytelling and are very deserving of our interest and attention. That is why I started this thread - because the image of Ewan MacColl disguising himself as crippled beggarman to dodge conscription was just too perfect a folkloric archetype to ignore. I did not expect the Spanish Inquisition.