Thom: The first time I heard it was erm when I was about 15 or 16 and erm I sent a demo tape into a magazine and they liked the tape and they said “This guy sounds like Neil Young”. And I was like “Who is Neil Young?” and I went and bought “After the Gold Rush” and immediately fell in love with his voice, erm and I mean, it was especially when you are 16 that era of music ’73 ’74 was just er pretty extraordinary – the idea of vocal harmonies and so on. But erm immediately I sort of er identified with it. Straight off.
Well the frailty thing is obviously appealing and the register of it, you know he’s erm he’s especially during that period he was really going high up and he has this soft erm vibrato that nobody else does.
But more than that it was just his attitude the way he laid the songs down – you know – not just After the Gold Rush but everything was all about capturing a particular moment… and … er saying what is on his mind, you know – but putting it in a way like erm it is sort of semi abstract. At the time I was listening to lots of REM erm and erm and that semi abstract thing I identified with Neil Young but obviously it was I completely different er technique you know.
But even – it doesn’t matter what era it is always that thing about you are just laying down whatever is in your head, wherever you are at - at the time and staying completely true to that no matter what it is you just stay true to that.

Thom: When I went to play the Bridge School Concert that he does. For some reason I had the balls to say to him, er before the concerts there is an event in his house the night before and it is really nice he just invites erm everybody who is going to play to his house. I think that is really erm generous or whatever. And er I asked him at the end of the evening erm “Is it alright if I play After the Gold Rush?” “You’re not going to play it are you? Is it alright…” and he looked at me like I was stark raving mad but he said “Yea absolutely”.
And so er what of the most craziest experiences of my life was having him stand there behind me on the side of the stage while… And he said “If you’re going to play that you should play it on the piano it was done on”. Erm which is erm this one, his old stand up with all the coins on it. So …there I was with his piano, playing the song, playing something trying to remember the words in the right way erm.
But it was er I don’t know why I wanted to do that. But it was the most amazing feeling, cos - but it was er it was the best way I could say to him – you know er – how much I loved his music.
Erm and he’s erm he’s a really nice he’s erm I really open guy you know but er it is one of those weird things where erm er. When you are really in awe of someone like that you know you end up talking at them and talking at them. I was getting more and more lairy and er eventually he was like “OK” and walking away. So I felt kind of embarrassed.
Erm .. I think he’s a bit erm you know he’s really talking to really talking to you and then his mind wanders off and he’s off . So thinking about it afterwards I was like I understand that, I’m a bit like that myself.