ARTS



Wednesday, October 22, 1986

Page 7



Richard Thompson

to

rock the Ark

By Joseph Kraus
If Richard Thompson were a real
rock star he'd be hung over in the
morning.
If he were the sort who spent his
nights stumbling through seedy
bars with groupies paying the way,
he might sell more albums.
As it is, he's polite in the
morning and he doesn't really sell a
lot of albums.
He (and' his management) also
has a hard time with time zones.
When it's 10 a.m. here, it's only 9
a.m. in Wisconsin. But, polite as
he is, he talked anyway.
For those who don't know
anything about him, Thompson has
been one of rock and folk-rock's
guiding geniuses for most of the
last 20 years. In Fairport
Convention and in solo he's
snagged critical acclaim and
influenced everyone from Steeleye
Span to Dire Straits.
With a new album, Daring

Adventures, he's touring the
midwest and trying to balance the
expectations of fans he's won with
his early folk-rock, his powerful
emotional ballads with his wife in
the '70s, and his current bouncier-
sounding serious rock.
He's come under some critical
fire for this new record, his first
produced by an American in years.
Some argue that the "daring
adventures" referred to in the title
consists of his moves toward sell -
ing more albums in the highly
competitive rock world.
Defending the album he said, "In
terms of style it's the same (as his
other recent albums). It's just
there's a different edge to it...a
subtle flavor to it."
So where did you get the title for
it?
"Well, it was a working title. It
was originally longer and if you
have a working title, often, you
kind of get stuck with it."
What was the longer title

originally?
"I can't tell you that."
Can we guess?
"Well, I suppose. If you have a
wild and lewd imagination."
Cleared, then, on charges of
selling out, he explained how he
came to work with producer
Mtichell Froom.
"(Froom was) a late
recommendation and he worked out
really well. It wasn't like we
wanted an American or anything, he
just seemed like a good producer."
Sales must be going great, right.
What else could be the result of
marrying a stylistic genius to a
commercially successful producer?
"Who knows. I'm always afraid
to ask. I'm too embarassed to
discuss things like sales with a
record company.",
Who cares. It doesn't take large
sales to put on a great concert, and
Thompson's concerts are always
great. And this time around he has
a special bonus. English accordion
wizard John Kirkpatrick is touring

along with the same electric band
Thompson had last year.
And with so much material to
draw on, anything can happen.
"It's a fairly flexible.
performance. We have a pool of
material we can draw from and I'm
not sure exactly what the concert
will be from night to night. It's
usually a surprise for us."
So there it is. Don't miss
Thompson when he plays tonight
at the Ark at 7:30 and 10 p.m.
Tickets are $10.50, but don't let
that scare you off, he's worth every
penny of it.
Even so, you might want to
show up early. These early-rising
English rock poets have a hard time
with time zones.
"We're unbelievably confused
ourselves. We seem to be crossing
a time zone every day. A sort of
endless backwards and forwards of
the watch."
Set your alarm for Ann Arbor
time, and be there.

Guitarist Richard Thompson plays two shows tonight, 7:30 and 10:00 p.m.
at the Ark.


Sciffi writer takes stab
at Hollywood's domain

Help new students or their parents
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The Fourteenth Annual
Hayward Keniston Lecture
"In the end was the word"
ERNST PULGRAM
Emeritus, University of Michigan
Thursday, October 23, 1986, 4:10 p.m.
Rackham Amphitheater
Reception following in the East Conference Room, Rackham

An Affirmative Action, Non-Discriminatory Employer

................

r The(

Japan
D
Professor o

Center for Japanese Studies
Presents:
mese Archaeology: Ancient
Religion and Ritual
A Brown-Bag Lecture by
R. RICHARD PEARSON,
)f Anthropology, University of British Columbia
A look at the religions and
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12 noon
[ALL IN THE COMMONS ROOM
Call 764-6307
for further
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