Ron - I agree, I don't think the Coen brothers itended to promote Folk music, actually I think they used the music as a cheap joke, and intended it to be ridiculed like the other Southern, or in thier eyes Hillbilly, institutions and conventions they were satirizing, and are completely surprised by the response to the music, and have now spun it to thier advantage. Riverdance is a good example, and I tried to get at the same thing with my Sting/Scott Joplin example, though with the positive comes the negative, and I fear the coming deluge of bad 'O Brother' clones. I also have nothing but pity for these poor young girls who have been led to believe they must wear red curly wigs and headband attachements to by Irish dancers. I like Dan Tyminski, but I hope He isn't wearing a fake beard & overalls when he performs. Hee Haw is still humorous, but a lot of red-neck jokes are not.