British folk music legend Richard Thompson will join readers to answer questions ahead of his latest album, Hippies, Thugs and Heroes, released on 16 October. The 77-year-old musician, whose career spans Fairport Convention, a duo with then-wife Linda, and solo albums that still chart in the UK, will respond to reader queries in the comments section.
From Fairport Convention to solo icon
Thompson’s career began in his teens when he formed Fairport Convention and moved from covers and folk standards to writing new material. Albums such as 1969’s Liege and Lief became part of the British folk canon themselves.
A “gut decision” prompted him to go solo, though he soon formed a duo with his wife, Linda, whom he married in 1972, releasing albums including I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight and Pour Down Like Silver. Thompson converted to Islam, specifically Sufism, and spent time away from music before returning in the late 1970s; after splitting with Linda, he based himself in the US with his new partner.
A cosmopolitan body of work
Drawing from global cultures, the fringes of rock music, and various folk forms, backed by accomplished guitar playing, Thompson has created a radically cosmopolitan body of work. He has collaborated with Werner Herzog, David Byrne, and Harry Shearer, and attempted to synthesise an entire millennium of music in his show 1000 Years of Popular Music, from “Sumer is Icumen In” to “Oops! I Did It Again”.
His 20th solo studio album, Hippies, Thugs and Heroes, is full of picaresque characters and storytelling, with instinctive songs often recorded in just a couple of takes.
How to submit your questions
Ahead of the album’s release, Thompson will answer questions on the new record and anything else in his career. Readers can post questions in the comments below before 10am BST on Monday 12 October, and answers will be published in the following Friday’s edition of the Film & Music section, as well as online.
