Not so much of an overstatement, Mr Leveller - more complete opinionated bollocks. Its a dialect I'm getting better in, as I get older.

But yes, it does concentrate the mind wonderfully on the job in hand of trying to entertain a roomful of people, when its your principal source of revenue. You learn what is the sinew of 'folk' music, and what is just musical necrophilia with stuff that should be left in a museum.


If the nobs running folk radio won't play you and the other lot the journos won't review you, you don't get heard - you don't get a reputation, you don't get booked - so you have to develop a bread and butter gig (or two over a lifetime). That is if you are to pay for nice guitars and new guitars strings and spend a long time every day perfecting your art.

Existentially its your choice - no one holds a gun to your head and says - you've got to be a folksinger. And when you've devoted your life to it - there's still some folk who say - well that's not folk music. But for my generation - that was certainly the option. With these folk degrees and Radio 2 competitions, and the web - I like to think its better for this generation coming up.