Music |
Teddy Thompson: ‘Happy lies ahead’
By
Published: Jan 01, 2007
Category:
Rock
“I should get up, I should go out, there must be something I can’t do without,” Teddy Thompson sings on Separate Ways.
Right: The singer — okay, the character in the song — is depressed. And the singer — well, the character in the song — has a bit of a problem with women.
And on the one song wrote on his new CD, the out of left field country collection called Upfront and Down Low, he — yes, yes, the guy in the song — tells his lover he’s toxic and urges her to flee and never look back.
But here’s the thing about these songs: They’re beautiful. Word perfect. Musically riveting. And does Teddy Thompson ever have a lovely voice.
Videos
Change of Heart
I Should Get Up
Everybody Moving
Shine So Bright
Well, he should. His parents are Linda and Richard Thompson, eminent for decades. As a snip, he was playing guitar for Emmylou Harris. Repeated study of his three CDs does not reveal a single dud. And every woman I know who’s seen him says…..
Bottom line: Teddy Thompson deserves a bigger audience. Why doesn’t he have one? My primitive analysis: that corrosive persona, those bummer lyrics. Maybe Teddy Thompson isn’t a witty Brit whose songs are too wry, too special, for a mass audience — maybe he really does have a lot in common with the most consistent character in his music. Misunderstood angel or seductive misanthrope: will the real Teddy Thompson please stand up?
I report. You decide.
JK: Critics and listeners alike thought “Separate Ways” was a masterpiece. What were your expectations for it? And how did they play out?
TT: My first record sank without a trace, so my expectations were modest. “Separate Ways” did better than I expected — but not well enough to make me greedy.
JK: I can hardly imagine that anyone close to you said, “Hey, here’s a great marketing idea — why don’t you do a country CD next?”
TT: “Down Low” was a side project. I got home from touring “Separate Ways” — a year on the road — and I had no new songs. Staying home and writing new songs: That’s not a good idea for me, I’m likely to sit around and watch TV. So I went into the studio, just for fun, and recorded a few songs. I thought: ‘These are really good.” And the record company liked the music.
JK: You’re kidding.
TT: Well, then it got hazy. People were….worried. And as soon as they started to say no, I got really into it. I had to bitch and moan and jump through hoops — it was a fight — but it was worth it. “Down Low” is a good idea because it was such a bad idea.
JK: Would it be better if it were a worse idea — if you performed in chaps and cowboy boots?
TT: You don’t know. I could be wearing cowboy boots and chaps right now!
JK: And if you wear them downtown, you can tour with the Village People. So…it seems to me you may just have postponed your problem. Now you’re touring for “Down Low” — when are you going to write new songs?
TT: I’ve written some — between country shows. And not having a bunch of songs was just a small part of my reasons for making “Down Low.” Like a lot of English folk musicians, my parents didn’t listen to English folk music at home. I was raised on country. It was the first music I remember hearing and liking, in the car and at home.
JK: If it’s that much in your veins, won’t it influence what comes next?
TT: Yes. I thought this CD would get country bug out of my head, then I’d turn back toward pop. Now I’m not sure it’s going to be that way entirely. If I hadn’t used it on this CD, that song of mine — “Down Low” — could have been on the next record.
JK: How is this audience different from the one that used to come out for you?
TT: More country fans now. That’s fine. I’m a country fan too. And the state of country is sad.
JK: With all the changes in the music business, shouldn’t you…blog?
TT: A lot of people can self-promote and be successful. But it only works if that is who you are. I have had lunches with marketing people. I’ve heard, “You should blog.” But that’s not me. I tried it. It seemed like a waste of time for me— though I want to be successful and sell records, I’m not an 18 year-old YouTube phenomenon.
JK: Are you a reader?
TT: I can read. I am a reader who doesn’t read. Except magazines — I like short, and in segments. But I do read The New Yorker cover to cover.
JK: What feeds you?
TT: Whatever’s going on. I’m not at the stage of writing about politics, or story songs. I just write about me.
JK: Your love songs almost invariably end badly. What should we conclude?
TT: Most songs to me are just moments. It’s a cutthroat business. You’re looking for a moment, a phrase, and then you exploit it. It’s not how you feel all the time.
JK: Okay, but why does your persona — smart, verbal, self-aware and, a lot of the time, filled with self-loathing — have so much trouble with women?
TT: It’s all phases. “Separate Ways” was a particular time. Although I do prefer sad and funny, please tell them it’s not always like that. Happy lies ahead. But you never know — it could turn nasty.
To buy “Upfront & Down Low” from Amazon.com, click here.
To buy “Separate Ways” from Amazon.com, click here.
To buy “Teddy Thompson” from Amazon.com, click here.
For Teddy Thompson’s web site, click here.
