Richard Thompson: I don’t know if the Internet is a better thing or a worse thing. People can offer musical criticism online when they really don’t know what they’re talking about. Whereas a few years back if you were a music journalist employed by Melody Maker or the New Musical Express you had to have some credentials. To get a job, you had to know a bit more than the next person about your musical area. So it is a little strange to read some very misinformed reviews, particularly online. Do I pay attention? No. I used to. I used to get crushed by them sometimes. But then you step back and think, actually, I know more than this journalist about what I’m doing. He doesn’t understand this or that aspect of what I’m trying to do here, so screw him. I’ll just soldier on with what I’m doing. These days, I think if they love you or hate you it’s the same thing. They’re both wrong. It’s the praise and blame thing. Neither are actually true or accurate. It’s amusing to read reviews but ultimately they don’t really count. And they’re not really true, even the one that’s five stars proclaiming you as a genius. Because no record’s that good and you’re not. I think you have to be your own critic.