Last night I went to see Richard Thompson at a WFUV Marquee Member show at the City Winery Loft. It was one of the best shows I’ve seen him give; it was epic.
I’m not a marquee member but I play one on TV. No that’s not it. Jim is a Marquee member and he knows that RT is my favorite of favorites. Rhiannon Giddens is now on his level and Maybe I’m with Her. I’m only including people that I’ve seen live. I can no longer afford to go to go to his shows so I appreciate any chance I have to see him.
This was my first time going to the Loft at City Winery. The signs were good so I could find it but the door looks like a service entrance. I’m sure that was what it originally was. The space itself is nice and very well laid out. I can’t say the same for the menu; it’s overpriced and too foo-foo for words. Good thing I don’t go for the food. As a place to hear music it was great.
I did not get there before doors opened but still snagged good seats for Jim and me. Dead center, right behind the reserve tables. Not the best for pictures, there was a mic in front of Richard, but great for listening. There were very few people I knew. There’s been a lot of turnover in the Marquee members and most of my friends did not get an invite to this one. The only ones I knew other than Jim were Jeff and Carol. They are stalking me. Says a lot for their musical taste.
I didn’t get a chance to say more than hi to most of the WFUV staff, other than Andrea the Member Manager, and Kathleen the new Membership Director, or as I said, “the new Cara.” I could be really old school and say the new Monique. She was the first head of membership and wore other hats too.
Richard earns his place in my musical pantheon; notice I said earns, not earned. Most artists his age are tribute bands to themselves. Sure they come out with new albums but people put up with the new stuff and come for the classics. Richard jokes about being a dinosaur of rock but he’s not one, more of a platypus, a living fossil, still evolving. Yes, I called Richard Thompson a platypus, don’t be shocked, he deserves the compliment. He has a new album coming out in two weeks, 13 Rivers, judging by what I heard it will be one of his best. I didn’t even hear the real thing, it’s an electric album with a band and last night her performed acoustic. He of course has the chops to pull that off. There is nothing he doesn’t excel at. His guitar playing is a given, but that sometimes distracts people from his other talents. He’s one of the very best songwriters. If you stripped down the songs and just sang the melodies and lyrics, they’d still be great songs. His singing gives any song depth and soul. Don’t believe me? Listen to his cover of Oops I Did it Again. His voice is as sonorous as an Ent’s. I want to hear him sing Treebeard’s songs from Lord of the Rings. He did song after song from the new album and people weren’t clamoring for the hits. I just wanted to hear everything new he had.
Then there is the part that you’d never get from listening to his albums; he’s as funny as all hell. We were laughing out loud all night. He could be a stand-up comic if he wanted to. He can be totally genuine while creating this character of an awkward old-timer trying to pass off his new songs on an audience that doesn’t want to hear them. His humor is dry, arid even. It’s a wonder that his guitar doesn’t need a vaporizer to keep it moist. If he played one song and did banter the rest of the time I’m have enjoyed myself.
He was interviewed at half-time by Darren Devivo. I suspect that John Platt would have done it if he were healthy. I would have done it if they asked. Hey WFUV if you ever need anyone to interview/emcee Richard Thompson, Rhiannon Giddens, I’m with Her, Lake Street Dive, or anyone else I adore I work cheap.
The show was recorded for broadcast on WFUV. You can hear it on September 19. After Darren finished he broadcast signoff RT came out for an encore. He did an intro about Wall of Death and I was thinking, “He’s not going to do 1952 Vincent Black Lightning and was fine with that. He always does that song; it’s time to give it a rest. Then he went into 1952 Vincent Black Lightning, or as I often call it, The Greatest Song Ever Written. I was disappointed he did it for a picosecond then became lost in the song. When he plays it I close my eyes. Others want to watch his hands fly over the guitar. I’ve done that; it’s remarkable, but not what I’m there for. I don’t listen to the song I experience it. I mouth the words and see everything the song describes. I always cry when I hear it but last night set a record. James and Molly didn’t even make it to Box Hill. All it took was the guitar introduction to suck me into the myth. 1952 VBL is as much the stuff of mythology as the siege of Troy and Siegfried’s funeral. James and Molly are as iconic as Orpheus and Eurydice or Sigurd and Brynhildr. Springsteen is almost right, I learned more from a 4:33 second song than I ever learned in school.
The song is my favorite, not because it brings me back to a time and a place, though it does. I have someone specific in mind when I imagine Red Molly, I even made her wear my black leather jacket and took a picture because, “red hair and black leather, my favorite color scheme.” Did her boyfriend, now husband ever thank me for that? I think he did. Yeah, it’s me so our relationship wasn’t romantic. But nothing in this world beats a ’52 Vincent and a red-headed girl. But it was my favorite song before then. I put her in the context because I love the song.
My relationship with the song is personal. It’s my favorite, doesn’t mean you should like it above all others. But, if the world doesn’t disappear and your entire universe become the song when you listen, then you can’t call it the greatest son ever written. I’ve heard it countless times and it still affects me every time.
After the show I further indulged myself. I walked up to Greenwich Village and had Poutine from Pomme Frites for dinner. For desert I went to Le Creperie where I had a crepe with dark chocolate, halvah, peanut butter, and banana.
I’m still on the high from the music and the food. Tonight I’m back to City Winery to see Red Molly! That’s appropriate but I hope they don’t do their cover of 1952 VBL as I just heard it from the master. I’m going with Katherine. I wonder if I’ll know anyone else there. There was a time I knew almost everyone at a Red Molly show; that’s no longer true. I find that sad
Wise Madness 