I reckon John Hardly hit the nail on the head. If you really ARE a creative musician, then you can derive immense satisfaction and reap big kudos by applying your creative talents to even the most worn-out chestnuts, while still satisfying the audience's lust for familiar material.

There is no better exponent of this than Martin Simpson. Some weeks ago, in his hotel room, (while we were discussing how we both abhor name-droppers) he played and sang a couple of verses of "Little Liza Jane". Do you know, I couldn't get that song out of my head for a week?

Murray