>>As to the subject of the thread, I think that the thread title is based on the mistaken assumption, that many on Mudcat make, that if you don't like the music/singing/performance or whatever else of someone who has any kind of success in the folk world, then it must automatically be because you are resentful of their success, rather than because you actually don't like what they've done! Rather silly methinks!

I'm afraid your assumption is completely incorrect as I pointed out earlier.

It is the manner and tone of the criticism that I was opening up for discusion. Nothing to do with whether people liked people or not. To me, there seem to be some recurring threads over time where the name of the artist may change but the thrust and tone stays very similar. That was what I was interested in hearing other people's views on, NOT whether they liked someone or not; nor whether it is OK to say that you like someone or not (of course you are AND allowed to say it - who can stop you apart from yourself?)

It may be as simple as has been stated already - ie there are some things that some people consider 'folk' and which other people don't and that, depending on which side of that particular fence you are on you either can accept (or even like) it or not; almost on principle. It may be that certain people dislike certain sorts of music and feel it important and incumbent on them to share their (correct and proper?) view with the world - usually in as short and dismissive a sentence as possible. Often without needing to even listen to the performance to come to a view.

If you want to see some eerily familiar threads (and even posters) try these three:

Mumford
Kate Rusby
Bellowhead

It may be nothing about begrudging success, it may be something completely different. It's what discussion is about and why I raised it. Perhaps it's just that all these people are 'just rubbish'?

Oh and anyone who feels that this is a personal attack on them it may indeed be so. But it might not be.

(As an aside Bono's view of ABBA across 30+ years I find quite entertaining. I watched a programme on a while back where he has come over that period to realise that he might well have been wrong about his 'principled' hatred of their music back in the 70's)