Whether one sees folkmusic as a celebration of the past or as the expression of any identiftable group (Ethnic, religeous, political, geographical), we all must regard it as unique, in that it must be the vox populi (Did I spell that right?). It is not the expression of an individual, it is the soul of the group. Those of us who like folkmusic are, for the most part, interested in the culture that produced the folksong. We feel a link with the people whose music we sing. We are interested in cultures that may no longer exist. We are well informed in history and politics (We even sing about them). Some of my best friends are singer/songwriters. OK, all of my friends or s/s's. Not all s/s's are banal or egomaniacal and many are telented. Jaques Brel was a dandy s/s. He never felt the need to call himself a folksinger. Do you think that s/s's are called folksingers is so they wont have to be compared to Cole Porter or Jaques Brel?