>What you wrote, though, is that you "have an ingrained hatred of
>'political' 'folk' 'music'," not of Australian political folk music in
>particular. Why should Australian folk music be mainly an Anglo-Irish
>invention, anyhow? What of music made by aboriginal artists?
that history is a long one aboriginal people involved in 'folk' circles/industries are quite rare except as people performing traditional or contemporary aboriginal music not identified as folk to those circles/industries indigenous performers are more often involved in 'traditional' music production, in country music, or in rock, especially reggae. there's Archie Roach, and people have called him folk, I wouldn't, and to the best of my knowledge he doesn't (any longer), and others who I would associate with his work in one way or another
>Besides, why can't folk music travel across boundaries? In fact, it has &
>will.
that's how come anglo-*irish*, especially irish/scottish folk deployed as a resistance to an elitist anglo culture for which the precursors of Australian folk were considered irish/scottish/etc and uneducated, untrained and so on and so forth
i'm not saying folk/bush music is not interesting historically (and politically in an historical sense) but i personally hate it in its present and recent manifestations -- that's it. i reckon that's as good as doug's reason for hating ratm, which is where we began.
i've heard enough american 'folk' music to find some similarities clear so i'm prepared to say in this forum that i hate folk music and still not have to be held accountable to an intimate knowledge of american folk music
i find it weird to think of robeson as folk music though i can see why
Catherine