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American Singer-songwriter Teddy Thompson is in that unenviable of having famous musicians for parents. It’s clear from the show later on that some audience members had come to see what the son of Richard and Linda Thompson could do. Not that it’s deterred him in anyway and he is becoming a household name in his own right with recent album 'Seperate Ways' garnering glowing reviews from all and sundry . He does however, have fond memories of being brought up by musicians.
“We weren’t a musical family in the sense that there weren’t people playing guitars day and night and things like that. But even though that wasn’t the case my mum was still a big music person, she still exposed us to really good records and stuff. It was a huge part of life, but not in a sing along kind of sense” he says of his musical upbringing. “I had good memories of being at festivals when my parents were playing festival. When were on summer holiday we’d go along with them. I remember we’d sit at the back of the station wagon and build forts, play around and there were lots of other kids there. Festivals were fun for kids. You could run around barefoot and face painting and things like that”.
He has worked them on several occasions and they both feature on 'Separate Ways'. “I did some touring with my dad when I was just starting out, which was nice, he was very gracious and took a leap of faith and let me come and play with him, so that was fun. I learnt a lot”. He also has kind words for his mother who had taken a seventeen year break from recording until her comeback album, 'Fashionably Late', in 2002. “She’s a talent and she’s a hell of a singer but she’s not particularly organised. So that was a different role. I wanted to encourage her to release it because it was good and it was all good material. She was hesitant here and there, and it took a bit of time, but I think it was worth it. I love hanging out with my mum, it’s great. I’m a mummy’s boy, so it’s good. I like working with her”.
So, what pearls of wisdom did they offer Teddy about the music business? “It’s very different now, so there’s not many comparisons for them to make. There’s a couple of things like don’t have a manager who’s also a lawyer or something terrible. They were never particularly business savvy, but nothing too specific. They always left me to go along with it”.
Also making an appearance are long time friends Rufus and Martha Wainwright. “I’ve known Rufus for a long time, for about ten years. We met in LA, when he moved there to do his first record. He didn’t know many people and we went out on a date, kind of… our parents set us up on a date and we had a good time and became good friends. I met Martha obviously through him shortly after that and we’ve been friends for a long time”.
Teddy spent the first few years of his life living in and out of a commune in London before Linda and Richard divorced. “My parents were both Sufi Muslims, my dad still is, and so they lived in a commune in London and I was born there. I wasn’t there for very long though. We were only there for a couple of years when I was young aside from that, we were still Muslims until my parents divorced and then we went to live with my mum”.
At the age of 18 Teddy packed his bags and headed off to LA. “I was running away from my A levels results because I knew they were going to be bad and I thought I should take an extended holiday and wait for things to die down, and I just didn’t make it back.” He recalls. “It’s not a healthy environment for someone who that’s still becoming who they are and it can be different. There’s good things, and I enjoyed it some of the time, but I just think your perception of other people and things around you is a bit warped”. Six years later he moved to New York where he now resides. “It’s a bit like Europe but with 24 hour pizza, Hungarian barbecues and whatever else you want”.
He released his self titled debut album in 2000 and it was at that point he’d decided that a career in music was for him. “Up until then I didn’t know. I wasn’t planning on that for a career. I wasn’t counting on it on it at all. I wasn’t sure if that would happen. I’m really cautious about those things. I’m a pessimist so I like to think it might not happen so don’t think it happens unless it happens”.
Teddy Thompson is due to tour the UK again in April and May.
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