ND: Interesting...

AS: ...but it became "Flying Sorcery," because it was actually a better title. But it left me with a title and with a word that hadn't been used, and so I had to construct another song in order to put them to use. (He chuckles.)

ND: Can't let it all go to waste.

AS: Of course, it took 30 years to do it. (More laughter.) Musically, it's an homage to Fairport Convention [the classic British progressive-folk-rock group; members Richard Thompson, Simon Nicol, and Martin Lamble — being under contract to another record company — performed under pseudonyms on Stewart's 1969 LP Love Chronicles].

ND: Yes! You can definitely hear the Fairport influence in all that intricate fretwork... soooo pretty. I really love that one.

AS: I experienced the craziest coincidence, I think it was last week, or two weeks ago, when I came back from Texas after playing the Cactus Café in Austin. When I got off the plane, I'm coming out of LAX and I need a cab. So I go to stand in a long line for taxis, and I notice that the person in front of me has a guitar case. So I just stand there not paying attention to it for about a minute when it occurs to me that the back of his head looks familiar. So I walk around the side of him and, lo and behold, it's Richard Thompson.

ND: Oh my! (Al is cackling.)

AS: Whom I haven't seen in 20 years! So I go, "Richard?" He looks at me and it takes him about a second to realize who it is. So, that was great: We had a long conversation while we waited for a taxi. And then he came round and had tea, so it was fun. It was just extraordinary. If I had been, maybe, three people behind him, I would never have known he was there, but he was literally right in front of me. So, I thought, having done this mock Fairport thing, how amazing that God has seen fit to place Richard Thompson right in front of me in the airport taxi line.

ND: Did you mention the song to him? Do you know if he has heard it?

AS: Oh, no. We were just talking at random; I think we were talking about gardening or something.

ND: Makes sense. I've talked with Richard before and it turns out he is a fan of gardening. Well, I guess his Mock Tudor hints at that. And, of course, he is English.

AS: (Laughs.) Quite true. We also got to talk about his son Teddy [Thompson, an up-and-coming singer and guitarist] — you remember, he toured with me a few years ago. Anyway, I thought the whole thing was interesting. Highly unlikely, but interesting, when you think about it. Richard does the same thing I do, and all these other musicians — of course you're going to bump into them in airports, where they all are.