"you were just as likely to come into contact with a traddie, who had awarded himself a licence to bore the shit out of everybody - in the name of preserving the tradition."

Al, you were also just as likely to come across a songwriter who had awarded himself a licence to bore the shit out of everybody - in the name of sharing their inadequate love life, political or religious prejudices, drug-induced visions or whatever else they deemed fit to inflict on us.

Being boring and giving poor performances isn't the preserve of one form of music or another. It is a weakness of the folk scene that it allows, even encourages, these performers. On the other hand, it's also one of its strengths.