British folk singer Linda Thompson reflects back on her life as a Sufi

The World
Linda Thompson (credit: lindathompsonmusic.com)

Linda Thompson has just released her first new album in six years.

The new record is called "Won't Be Long Now."

Back in the 1970s, Linda and her then husband Richard were known as the king and queen of the British folk music scene.

Together they released the album "Pour Down LIke Silver" in 1974.

This was when they were Sufis, a sect of Islam that practices mysticism and is artistically expressive.

Thompson says converting to Sufism was a very "culty thing" to do at the time. She admits they were "white, over-educated and looking for some meaning to life. And so, we sort of stumbled upon this."

Richard and Linda lived in a commune and made some music.

These days Linda doesn't recommend communal living because who wants to share a bathroom with a lot of people.

The couple divorced in the early 80s.

A lot of water has gone under the bridge since then and so too are her days of being a Sufi.

Thompson doesn't practice Sufism anymore. She laughs and admits she recently had a couple of martinis at dinner and had a bacon sandwich for breakfast.

But she still likes the music and kebabs.

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