AP News, March 13th, 2007
Richard Thompson didn't set out to write a searing anti-war song. He was fascinated by the language of the soldiers in Iraq and wanted to put it to music.
"I was looking at Web sites of military slang, because I like language and I find language interesting, and I love some of the language that was coming out of the Iraqi war, and I just started to put some of these phrases together," the 57-year-old British guitarist/songwriter told The Associated Press in a recent interview.
"Then I figured it was a bit too cryptic for most people to understand, so I modified it a bit and made it more accessible," Thompson said.
His song "Dad's Gonna Kill Me" is very clear on its position regarding the Iraq war. It opens with the lines: "Out in the desert there's a soldier lying dead, vultures pecking the eyes out of his head, another day that could have been me there instead, nobody loves me here, nobody loves me here, Dad's gonna kill me."
While the song seems to be the most political of his long career, Thompson said he's always written political songs.
"Sometimes they've manifested ... into being more subtle or more open, depending on the times," he said. "Sometimes you want your political songs for the sake of impact to be more subtle, to be couched in metaphors."
But Thompson, an opponent of the war in Iraq who wants the troops home, added: "At other times you have to stand up and be counted. You have to name names. ... There are times for songs like that, and this song is somewhere in between."
Diverse artists including Neil Young, John Mayer and Norah Jones are among those who have spoken to the war in song with negativity, or at the very least, confusion. So far, Thompson said, he hasn't heard any that he considers great songs.
"There are songs that carry a great message. There are a couple Neil Young songs that I think are very strong but they are fairly bland statements," he said. "I wouldn't say they are great songs and they're going to have a lasting value, but I give him full credit for saying the right thing at the right time."
Thompson's new album, due out May 29, is titled, "Sweet Warrior." Iraq isn't the focal point, he said.
"It's kind of a war record, not just political war but also domestic war or relationship war. There's a sweetness to it as well."
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On the Net:
Richard Thompson:
http://www.richardthompson-music.com/
