Hm... I take Brian's point too. I've seen terrible acts of discourtesy to great tradtional players. probably the worst was to the great Fred Jordan round about 1965, when he was on a 'folk' package tour, and a gang of bert Jansch's fans (who'd come to see the new Dylan) shouted 'get off' at Fred.

But in a way that's not really what we're talking about.

If you can't handle rejection - you can't handle the job of being a pro musician/entertainer.

About eight years ago Willie Jackson (ex Magna Carta) told me he was going back on the road - after a twenty odd year break as a very successful record producer (The Music, The Pigeon Detectives, The Kaiser Chiefs, Embrace). He lasted about two gigs. Willie said to me, I'd simply forgotten how musicians are routinely treated like shit. Talked to impolitely, ordered around, crap facilties, no hospitality after travelling hundreds of miles, no respect for the work and practice that you've had to do to put you where you are, ....

And to be honest, I tend to feel if you haven't taken out an act that you've lost confidence in and had to go on and give it your best, maybe get paid off in some low life club, and generally seen the other side of the business, and had crooks rip you off and steal your royalties, and tear up contracts.....well you in my book, you haven't really paid your dues. Cos that is the business we are involved in (as they say in The Godfather).

But that isn't really what we're talking about either.

What we're talking about is people in places of responsibility - often paid from public funds - who are opinionated or know next to nothing about folk music. In some ways, it amounts to the same thing. If your mind is closed to the diversity in folk music - it might as well be completely vacant.

I can remember Martin Carthy telling me sometimes HE has to explain to people who he is. And of course these people - well how they end up on the production teams of Radio and TV folk programmes, and reviewing for for heavyweight magazines, and booking the acts for festivals - God alone knows - but it happens. And naturally they lack respect for something they know sod all about.