"BEESWING"
ROUGH TRADE present RICHARD THOMPSON
in conversation with JOE BOYD
Richard Thompson new Memoir
14th April 2021 7pm
Zoom webinar due to pandemic
Well that was brilliant! What a thoroughly enjoyable and fascinating talk between perhaps our greatest guitar player as well as being one of our very greatest and most unique singer songwriters and the legendary producer from Witchseasons, Joe Boyd. Reading from his new book and interviewed mostly it must be said about the early years for obvious reasons, Joe Boyd who seems to have hardly aged but was there at the beginning was perspicacious and erudite and of course highly informed about Richard's work.
Richard was as ever breathtakingly honest and has a mind that I could hear discuss anything I feel. At once self deprecating and possessed of the acerbic wit and also with the most staggering recall, bringing back up lyrics from his earliest of songs ("The Angels Took My Racehorse Away" and 'Sloth' were discussed) with little to no effort it seemed. Reading out excerpts of his dreams from the addendum was an amusing start but Boyd ensured it was serious and probing too.
Boyd dove straight in with references to 'the crash' in which Richard bravely, I thought, spoke of the cathartic affect the death of the Fairport's drummer Martin Lamble and Richard's then girlfriend the legendary fashionista of the hip at the time the beautiful Jeannie Franklyn, when the band's tour bus crashed and all were injured but regrouped under Joe's guidance and care and as Richard noted 'therapy wasn't something much discussed then'. Boyd pulled no punches, largely I imagine because Richard himself can cover these traumatic events so well in the book but I was somewhat taken aback at first. Brave and open discussion of the bands drinking habits reveal Richard's 45 years of sobriety and there was no attempt to disguise his belief in the Islamic mysticism of Sufism of which he is still a proponent. However it was mostly about the music, the muse and the ability to write so poetically that colours his entire output. Extraordinary evening for over an hours illuminating talk and chat. Riveting stuff
Wonderful gift from my daughter for my birthday two months back now and can't wait to receive my copy of the book and I am sure I will go banging on about it when it comes from the excellent Rough Trade hosts of the evening. Thanks guys!
