It's about music, even if it's something John doesn't want to read about. There's too many people now putting "BS" in the title when their thread is about musicians, song history, events in songs, etc.

Praise, it's funny isn't it, how all of us sometimes miss the most obvious things. It's also funny how we'll go to great lengths to avoid helping someone improve if it involves honest feedback. (And I have no idea if that happened in your case - just that it seems to be a common occurrence.) How many times have you heard "he/she's bad," "off-key," "wrong chords," "no rhythm," "sings too loudly," or whatever, and not one person has mentioned it to the one they're speaking about? A person isn't stuck in "is" - they're a sum of "was," "is" and "could be."

I've been criticised in a helpful way by friends, and appreciate it very much. I also tend to trust the people who do it. Of course not everyone wants an honest opinion, and not everyone wants to take the responsibility and risk ("Oh, bugger off! Who asked you?!") for helping someone improve.