I like old books. I like songs that speak of the richness of life. I like the term 'folk' musician too, because it tells people what they want to hear. Some of the words that come to mind are... Introvert, Radical, Conservative, Hippie, Malcontent, Christian Revivalist, Moldy Fig, Labor Unionist, Protester, Campfire Singer, Upbeat Storyteller, Depressing Balladeer, Singer/songwriter therapist, Acoustic (Rock Wannabe), Aging Rocker, Traditionalist...

But between you and me,... JUST WHAT IS THE ROOT OF ALL FOLK?

I've been looking through a nifty old book called "Aesthetic Motive" by Elizabeth Schneider. Here's a quote...

"If the solution of the problem is, as many writers believe,that each artist restates eternal truths in terms of his own generation-then what are these eternal truths? and why does each generation find at least as much "inspiration" in the art of the past as in that of its own time? Moreover, although there is no general agreement that contemporary work in any art is superior to all past art, nevertheless there are generally recognized and unmistakable changes from age to age in what gives aesthetic pleasure, as in the history, for example, of musical concords, where we find that the now pleasant concord of a major third was once a discord.

There are, to be sure, those who believe that the pleasure derived from old writers and artists is merely a conventional cult, without reality and that actually, art of the present is always superior to that of the past. But in general those most intensely interested in art do not feel this to be true."