If life were like a Richard Thompson song, we'd all be doomed. With his penchant for titles like: "Withered and Died,"Wall of Death," and "Walking Though a Wasted Land," it's no wonder people reach for words like despair, gloom, and longing when describing his music.
This may be part of the reason that after 35 years in the business Thompson is still referred to as popular music's greatest unknown songwriter, as he plays to packed houses filled with adoring fans around the world. Those devotees know that when Thompson's not watching the dark, he's winking and wisecracking, penning sarcastic ditties about fast food and polka records and playing guitar like nobody else. Richard Thompson and his tourniquets for the soul.
