The last time I saw Joe was back in the 90's at the Embassy in Skeg - along with Mike Penders Searchers. Yes he is good on the mandolin, and the uke. But to my mind, he plays it like an inferior sort of guitar - rather than looking at it as a unique instrument. Of course he tore everyone's heart out playing I'll See You in My Dreams at the Concert for George.

I sent him my Barbara Windsor song - got a snotty dismiss from his management - " Not foe Joe". I wrote back saying, are you the guy who picked Three Hats for Lisa?

As for folk, blues, jazz, being rooted in the past. Its the sort of comment that makes mw wonder if you understand anything about the nature of music generally. At the point of creative performance, even the oldest song should feel like cutting edge to the performer. in a way the audience can supply part of that feeling. The only thing I can compare it to, its like feeling a live fish at the end of a line. And its what keeps everyone doing it.

As to the narrative element being an essential ingedient of folk music. I'm not sure. You could listen to ThWell down in the Valley, or Knife and Sheath half a dozen times without having a clue what they were about. They're a bit cryptic - wouldn't you agree? And the drinking songs. Are they not folksongs? Some of them are a bit incoherent, for obvious reasons.