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Videos Change of Heart I Should Get Up Everybody Moving Shine So Bright “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. In another song on that CD, he addresses a soon-to-be-ex girlfriend: “I wish when the phone rings, it wasn't always you.” Right: 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. 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. My vote: Teddy Thompson is the real thing. Best way for you to cast a smart vote? Listen. --- Jesse Kornbluth, for HeadButler.com 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. Copyright 2007 by Head Butler Inc. |
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