Beeswing

Losing My Way and Finding My Voice 1967-1975

By: Richard Thompson, Scott Timberg

Narrated by: Richard Thompson

A Rolling Stone Best Music Book of 2021

“Thompson is a master showman . . . [Beeswing is] everything you’d hope a Richard Thompson autobiography would be . . . It’s both major and minor, dirge and ditty, light on its feet but packing a punch.”

—The Wall Street Journal

Now Featuring an Interview with Elvis Costello

In this moving, immersive, and long-awaited memoir, beloved international music legend Richard Thompson recreates the spirit of his early years, where he found, and then lost, and then found his way again. Considered one of the top twenty guitarists of all time, Thompson also belongs in the songwriting pantheon alongside Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, and Randy Newman. Here the British folk musician takes us back to the late 1960s, a period of great change and creativity for both him and the world at large.

During the pivotal years of 1967 to 1975, just as he was discovering his passion for music, he formed the band Fairport Convention with some schoolmates and helped establish the genre of British folk rock. It was a thrilling period of massive tours, where Thompson was on the road in both the UK and the US, crossing paths with the likes of Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Jimi Hendrix, as well as a time of heady and explosive creativity for Thompson, who wrote some of his most famous songs during this time. But as Thompson reveals, those eight years were also marked by upheaval and tragedy. Honest, moving, and compelling, Beeswing vividly captures the life of a remarkable man and musician during a period of artistic intensity, in a world on the cusp of change.

“An absorbing, witty, often deliciously biting read, as all rock memoirs should be.” —Los Angeles Review of Books

©2021 Richard Thompson and Scott Timberg (P)2022 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

“Beeswing is wry, un-ponderous, anti-obligatory. Because the sound Thompson created with Fairport was rooted in centuries-old songs, he isn’t captive to ’60s clichés; and because British electric folk is off the classic-rock grid . . . The book’s period accent makes it feel fresh and exploratory.” —The New York Times Book Review

“Mr. Thompson is a master showman. The balancing act of major and minor, strung together by his witty, self-deprecating banter, is the crux of Mr. Thompson’s shows, and that same equipoise between dirge and ditty is the hallmark of Beeswing: It’s everything you’d hope a Richard Thompson autobiography would be . . . It’s both major and minor, dirge and ditty, light on its feet but packing a punch: like the very best Richard Thompson show.” —Wesley Stace​, The Wall Street Journal

“Thompson has a reputation as a guitarists’ guitarist and a top-notch singer-songwriter . . . With Beeswing, Thompson proves himself equally adept as a memoirist . . . Just as he has a knack for lyrics, Thompson has a way with words on the page, offering colorful portraits of his contemporaries and collaborators . . . Thompson’s humor and insight also shine. He evocatively recreates a time and place, and, like his shows, his memoir leaves you wanting more.” —Booklist, starred review

Wonderful stories, huge emotional leaps.

Richard Thompson is a very talented musician, and a talented writer,orator. Great audio book.

Wonderful book by a masterful musician!

Loved every moment of this book! Wonderful insight into one of our greatest living musicians.

Fantastic reading by a singular talent

Thank you, RT, for reading your own book for us. This wouldn’t have been the same extraordinary experience without your voice and heartfelt manner. Now you know you could always go into a career as an audio book reader, if that music thing doesn’t work out for you. As one who has enjoyed your artistry on stage many times, it was a pleasure getting to know your background story through this marvelous telling.

I loved the story behind the songs

I loved this book telling the story of a man who truly loves music. I have always loved his songs and performances. Hearing his words and stories behind the songs brings more meaning to his music.

Grea

I didn't know about this book until I heard Richard plugging it at a show. It's a good book. I don't know what he could've done to make it 5 stars??? Maybe a little more dirt, maybe a little more information about his life since the early 80s. I'm a huge fan and felt something was missing. I'm under the impression that there's a possible book 2. There are some great stories contained in the book. Unfortunately there are some which I've heard him tell at shows that were missing. One such was the lyrics for "I want to see the bright lights tonight". lyrics ; "a couple drunken nights rolling on the floor" was transcribed by someone as "a couple drunken KNIGHTS Rollin on the floor". Lol. Anyone who's seen him play and heard his banter can imagine this quip. He's so sharp and quick on stage! This was enlightening. Worth a credit but not a page turner per se.

I'd expect no less from Thompson

This is an excellent look back at a time and place from RT's perspective. It gives readers a good idea of where Thompson's style of writing comes from, his years with Fairport, and his spiritual journey.

Fairport and Further

If you want to know more about Fairport Convention and the emergent Folk-Rock scene of England in the 1960s and 70s...this is the book for you, read by one of the masters of the movement.
If you don't want that, it's still a great story well told.
I have a few uncles who will be getting this (or the hardcopy version) in their Christmas stockings this year. It's the perfect gift for that still-stoned Boomer relation who never really left a certain Autumn day in 1972.

Here's an author who is a delight to hear

Richard Thompson's story telling voice is a delight. Not all performers succeed at bringing drama, humor and understatement to their reading. Thompson does, and it's a rewarding story of an artist on a journey, seeking meaning in music beyond the commercial popularity contest.

Breathtaking

Sublime experience, and so much better for having the man himself read it aloud. A durable achievement.

An amazing musician and songwriter tells his story

A warm and illuminating look back by one of the all-time greats.I am a life-long fan of his recordings and live performances and Richard's reading of his autobiography was wonderful.