Customer Reviews

Richard Thompson: The Biography

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3 star:		(6)
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Let me begin by saying that this book is mandatory for any hardcore fan of Mr. Thompson's. While I appreciated the thorough coverage of Thompson's adventures (and mis-adventures), I believe that it would not entertain the unconverted. Most non-fans or newcomers could probably best spend their time simply reading Humphries' reviews.

One problem that I had with the book is the author's insistence on repeating certain phrases or ideas to describe Thompson's enigmatic position in the industry, or to express the difficulties in his personal life. If I saw Thomspon ... along with two or three other artists of the genre, for that matter ... referred to as "a bard of the bedsit" one more time, I think I would have closed the book and not re-opened it.

What strikes me when reading this author's work and I've read two of his books) is that he should: conduct all of the interviews that are used in his work (his skills in this area are very strong), utilize all of his knowledge as a fan and fact-finding skills to compile discographies, etc., and find himself a far better editor, or link with a writing partner who could check him for repetitiveness and verbosity; both of which became more problematic as the book wears on.

This book is worthwhile simply because it is the only one out on the subject. But there are few revelations, it merely conslidates information that has appeared in articles and interviews over the years. The interviews are rewarding, but should have been edited for coherence and attribution. The writing is trite, hackneyed, and the author too frequently inserts himself and his very biased opinions into the story. And a number of factual blunders calls all the apparent research into question. Disappointing, sometimes apalling, but the only game in town.

I've read this. I think it's unremarkable. I'm not sure that's Humphries' fault - or anybody else's for that matter.

Humphries is quite obviously a Thompson fan. Mostly he makes a fair fist of remaining objective about Thompson's work, though he does get on the soapbox from time to time to air his own views.

The real problem with this book is that there's no real revelation. Some people might be surprised to know that RT is fond of scrabble, cricket and gardening (the anoraks amongst his fans knew all that already), but that's about it really.

The real problem - and it's not really the author's fault - is that Thompson, apart from his music, is a very ordinary person. English post-war middle class upbringing, two marriages, one divorce, one religious conversion (which hasn't coloured his work in the long run). Still touring hard in his middle age but there's no sex and drugs, no groupies, just a bit of scrabble at the back of the bus. Where's the best seller in that?

So full marks to Humphries for trying and full marks to the very private Thompson for agreeing to go along with it all, but unless you're a Thompson completist save the cash and buy the CDs instead. That is where all the truly remarkable things about Richard Thompson are to be found.

This book rates down there with Chris Murphy's Miles To Go as one of the most amatuerishly written biographies I have read. Most of the other readers' reviews here, and especially the Kirkus review, touch on my frustrations, but I think they are being FAR too polite. Yes, it's the only bio of this musical genius, so I guess the intention was good. But unfortunately, the author apparantly thinks that HE is part of the story! There are lots and lots of personal opinions, recollections, critiques that have no place in a bio purporting to tell the life story of its subject. The admittedly good interviews often were strung back to back without editing, then followed by a passage by the author retelling the same facts just discussed by the subjects. The ramblings and redundancies became so tedious to me that I was not only tempted to put it down, but throw it at the wall. Only my love for Richard Thompson prompted me to plow through it.
OK, I admit that the pictures are worth having, but you will probably learn as much from the booklets included in the 2 excellent RT box sets. And you will have the pleasure of listening to Richard's wonderful music.
It IS the only available RT bio, and a lot of work went into it. If you're a fan you're going to buy it anyway, and you probably will be glad to have a copy. The intentions were noble, so I'm raising my rating to 2 stars. :o)

If you're reading this it's probably because you are a Richard Thompson fan. And if you are a real fan, you should get this because: 1) There are no other Richard Thompson biographies (books) 2) It has good reference material in the appendices (although inevitably it's out of date) 3) No one's going to get rich off of writing a Richard Thompson bio, and we should support whoever makes the effort, espcially when it's not THAT expensive 4) You will find out something(s) you didn't know [Afghanistan & "Shoot Out the Lights"; scrabble; "Walking on the Wire" was before the breakup] 5) This book looks like it might be going out of print. Get it while you can. HOWEVER: A good biography makes the person come alive; it succeeds as a story on its own. This doesn't make it on that level. (Yeah, it does have an index [required] but the index didn't have Pentangle, mentioned several times in the text...) SO there's my Caveat Emptor. The passersby could bypass this with no worry; but if you're a fan....

I am a fairly recent (since 1989) fan of RT, and I've always wanted to know more about him as a person and artist. The interviews are good, especially the ones with bandmates and his current wife and ex-wife, however the politics and album details really bog down the reader. I appeciate context, but sometimes it was too much. Still, the book was fascinating in parts and I recommend it for fans.

Humphries concentrates on the history of Thompson's recording career. That involves him in a double reduction: life and work are largely reduced to career, and career is largely reduced to recording career. The result is woefully narrow; the book could have been called GENIUS AS MARGINALITY: PROBLEMS IN THE MARKETING OF RICHARD THOMPSON. To make matters worse, Humphries has a weak grasp of the difference between achievement and reception: the reader who wants to know which albums to buy will find that she is only told which ones have been well-received.

(Clive Gregson: "I don't believe that Richard has ever really been that bothered about making records. It's not the real thing for him.")

Yet there are interesting quotes here, both from the articulate Thompson and from his perceptive wives, friends, colleagues, and critics. Their voices made the book a pleasure to read.

There isn't much information out there about Richard Thompson. As such, this book fills in a lot of empty spaces for me; however, compared to similar books about other musicians it is pretty tame. The best aspect of this book is that it had the cooperation of the subject as well as many of RT's friends and fellow musicians which many similar books do not. Overall, it is a nice book about a very under-rated musician.

Although most likely meant for his small cadre of fans, "Richard Thompson: A Biography" will not disappoint anyone unfamiliar with the name or the art of Herr Thompson. Learning about the personal life of an artist can swiftly degenerate into a cesspool of false modesty and self-aggrandizement, not to mention a "That song came about because..." mentality that can weary terrifically even a die-hard fan. Humphries' book shys away from this and actually focuses on the subject, and not just his work. Although I didn't see much use in his reviews of each Thompson album, his exhaustive interview material with both Mr. Thompson and his lovers/friends/family/colleagues is priceless in trying to come to some sort of understanding of someone who normally shirks from any sort of self-revelation. Not the best musician biography ever written perhaps, but essential for Thompson fans, and a good read for any fan of rock n' roll.