BLACK CAB SESSIONS - RICHARD THOMPSON



"We're going to Richard Thompson's house today. Richard Thompson, who writes hard, honest, brilliant songs like 'She twists the knife again', 'I misunderstood' and 'Dad's gonna kill me'. The man who makes other luminaries' guitar playing seem pale and redundant…and there he is, in his front room, just sitting and playing the guitar like a normal person. He even owns most series of 'Friends' on DVD, for some reason this is surprising. Maybe they belong to someone else. We need to get going though, Mike the cab driver has tickets with his brother for the lunchtime football and it’s already 11.30am. Richard and his two singing playing band members, Judith and Debra, crush into the cab with guitar, leg-strapped bells and drum. The wordsheet is propped up tentatively on our knees but they don't really need it of course - they sing with ease and power and grace, it all just pours out. When the session is over, farewells are exchanged, and though time's run on, everyone seems to have really enjoyed it. Mike didn't even mind missing the football".

(2009)