"In any event, songs such as "only doing their job" are populist, cheap and playing to a crowd. "
No it was not - it was what he believed and it was written at the time we saw the police waving their paypackets at striking miners as they escotred scabs into the pits
That isn't being populist and it certainly wasn't cheap or playing to the crowd when Mrs Pinochet (Neé Thatcher)was at her height.
Depends on which side of the picket-line you stand, I suppose.
As far as singing form your own backgrounds - it's a piece of advice I was grateful to have followed half a century ago and would offer to anyone myself - especially as I'm now living in Ireland and still have difficulty in not curling up every time I hear an 'Oirish' accent.
For no reason - !!!
Lomax's advice was what led us to singing Fred Jordan's songs rather than pretending we were Dustbowl Refugees or fugitives from a chain-gang - bless them all for giving it.
Grumpy - seem to remember you're not backward in coming forward in the grumpy stakes - bt maybe you're old like me.
At least he was honest in saying what he thought... would that others did the same more often.
Happy to debate this as long as you want - helps to revisit the prehistoric past
Jim Carroll