Obviously Jim didn't spend as much time with him as he claims. I heard him "attack" other singers. Usually floor singers for not being "indigenous" enough, me included.

He then went on to sing in a false highlands accent, (not anywhere close graphically or sounding as either his Salford accent nor his father's central belt Scottish.) Funny and inviting ridicule but we all have idiosyncratic traits.

None of this detracts from the bard status, the sympathetic genuine use of lyrics in song describing perfectly the people he was saving for prosperity, and indeed his obvious love for the living tradition.

The artiste and the person can be different. His track record stands on merit in every genre he is associated with and his talent is beyond reproach.

I happened to find the person, both when doing a floor spot with my hero listening or the two times I interviewed him to be a flawed person and not very likeable. Peggy came to my rescue in one interview, reminding him this young man was doing his best. I'm sure he may have been different with family and friends. We all are...