The singer-songwriter answers your questions on the bank robber that inspired her, playing with Bob Dylan and Clarke Peters, and her love of classic comics

I’m not sure we have been in a more depressing, hope-bashing time since 1945. What can the ordinary person do? eamonmcc
Well, the title of my new album is How Did This Happen and What Does It Now Mean. I have no answers and I haven’t met anybody who has, but I hope we get rebooted to something a bit more balanced. I think we’ve become polarised because when you’re face to face with somebody, things such as body language and eye contact stop us doing certain things. That doesn’t happen on social media, then it spills into the real world. We’re not going to get rid of all wars and disagreements, but the album title is asking how on earth do we get out of this situation that we’re in and get back to a nicer place.

What are your memories of your legendary performances on the BBC’s Old Grey Whistle Test? VerulamiumParkRanger
I remember being very nervous – I’m always nervous! – and it would have been one of the first times people would have seen me playing on television. Before that, John Peel would play me and he would come to the sessions, so people had an inkling of me, but you wonder: “What will people think?” I remember meeting [presenter] Bob Harris – his big smiley face hasn’t changed. I introduced Love and Affection by saying “Track four, album three, side one, Joan Armatrading”, because I tend to do stuff like that.