Memo from the World: Teddy Thompson and his Dad

by Alberta Moraine

I had the good fortune to see Richard Thompson and his band, on their latest tour. Promoting his new recording, Mock Tudor, Thompson organized an enjoyable show. The band was small and plenty powerful. Cooks Ferry Queen, the first cut on the new CD, opened the show with a bang. It's a rocker. A week or two later, in another part of the country for Thanksgiving, I took advantage of hearing the song on the college radio station - another passenger in the car, generally knowledgeable about pop music, didn't know Richard Thompson's work at all. Well, now he knows Thompson can rock.

The guitar-phenom opportunities cropped up later in the show. And yes, Richard Thompson is still an amazing guitar player. You get the feeling he spent years of his adolescence in a windowless room, practicing guitar, obsessing about his looks, his chances of success as a musician, his talent. How nice he worked out OK on all counts.

Along the way he met, married, performed with and divorced Linda. The Thompsons had a son, known as Teddy. And he's all grown up now, playing guitar on his dad's tour. I am filled with a need to gush: Teddy Thompson may have the voice of his generation. Full of personality, nearly as soulful as his mother's, more sonorous and warm than his father's, the voice is a wonder. And it's attached to this young man whose features so resemble his mother's, but with the fair skin and red hair of his father. He shared the microphone with his father on several songs, mostly singing harmony. He had one chance as the featured singer on Persuasion (I think - can't read my notes there for sure). At the very end of that wrenching song, Wall of Death, from the record, Shoot out the Lights, he joined in on the last choruses. That felt particularly poignant, since the story is that that entire record resulted from / during the breakup of the Thompsons' marriage. To hear the son singing along was moving. And I'm not sure why - maybe because it was all so sad, or because he had come to terms with it, or he had not. There was no way for me to know. I just figured it was loaded with significance some way. When Richard introduced the band, there was no mention that Teddy was his son. How understated and British of them. So either you went in already knowing about it, or found out from someone else in the audience. The encore was Richard, solo, doing a terrific 52 Vincent rendition, where he sang the "and ride..." at the end of each verse in his lowest register, all soft and rumbly, while playing so much guitar it sounded like two or three players.

The Richard Thompson 1999 tour ended in late November (they had been on the road for almost the entire year). What I came away with most of all, from this Thompson evening (even the bass player is named Thompson, although they claim he's not related) was the joy in knowing Teddy Thompson is out and about and very very talented. He is still up-and-coming, and playing small clubs. His dad mentioned a new Teddy Thompson CD coming out soon. Catch him if you can.

 

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Resources:

Richard Thompson's Mock Tudor CD, produced by Tom Rothrock and Rob Schnapf for the Capitol record label, is available at all music retailers.  

Teddy Thompson contributed the title cut to the Psycho compilation CD on Geffen Records, released in December 1998.

The Richard Thompson fan website is at: http://www.amug.org/~deeg1225/

 

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About our correspondent:

Alberta Moraine is an itinerant ex-folkie. She has broadened her tastes to include a variety of musical styles. She writes music and sings jazz standards. Emails sent to Alberta in care of the editor at editor@arts4all.com will be forwarded.