One thing about blanket mediocrity — as it applies to me, anyway – is that I always imagine stuff I could do if I weren't afflicted with blanket mediocrity. If I were a James Beard-quality chef, for example, I'd pop into the kitchen at casual dinner parties and, with a sort of "aw shucks" innocence, whip up a Duck Leg Confit with Citrus Gastrique.

A wood carver? An exact teak replica of Rio De Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer, installed free of charge in the middle of that weedy lot across from the Burger King on Colman Street in New London.

And if I could play guitar and write tunes, I'd be named Richard Thompson and I'd perform a solo acoustic show Wednesday in the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center. Yes, I'd play material from Fairport Convention, a few gems from "Shoot Out the Lights," and a wealth of faves from my astonishing solo library — including 2015's excellent and Jeff Tweedy-produced "Still" album.

And people would say, "Wow, that guy's so far from mediocre he's actually a genius."

Richard Thompson, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, 300 Main St., Old Saybrook; $72-$75; 1-877-503-1286.