"though it has not been referred to in the last 45 posts."
Hardly irrelevant to the discussion that has gone on here, though, for accuracy's sake, it was referred to 23 posts ago, but who’s counting?
"Spiral Earth"
More unqualified praise, largely deserved, without touching on the problems that both Roud's and Steve Gardham's claims raise regarding whether the folk made their folk songs - obviously a point to be ignored, here and elsewhere.
In the end, these claims actually boil down to suggestion that there is no such things as 'folk song' and that they are all basically part of the pop songs of the past.
Not worth debating, of course!!
Throughout this argument I have had a nagging feeling of deja vu, so out of curiosity, I re-read Dave Harker's section on Child in his 'Fakelore' and was immediately struck with the though; "so this is where this is all coming from" - the doubt cast on the authenticity of folk songs, the denigration of past collectors.... it's all here.
Harker adopted the attitude of making a hit-list of collectors and attempting to destroy their work, their credibility and, in some cases, their characters.
As much as I was disturbed by the behavior of David Bearman at the time, I was with him 100% on this scurrilous behaviour
Bearman's attitude was echoed elsewhere throughout the folk world at the time; so much so that I heard Harker say one in Sheffield that he refused to speak in public because of the hostile reception his claims were getting.
And here we go again - same script, different actors, and this time apparently, a willingness to let this behaviour pass though on the nod.
The times they certainly are a-changing
Jim Carroll