Fresh from publishing the first-ever and much-anticipated biography of the late, great Jake Thackray, John Watterson (‘Fake Thackray’) is delighted to present an evening featuring Jake’s brilliant, hilarious songs and stories from his remarkable life. With its sometimes overly-lush orchestration, the overall sound of this first LP is not representative of Thackray's stripped-back future records but it already showcases a remarkable artist who could combine belly laughs and fine-tuned pathos in meticulously crafted songs. I was exactly the wrong age to like or appreciate him,” Gaiman told author and Thackray fan Paul Thompson in 2019.

Most purchases from business sellers are protected by the Consumer Contract Regulations 2013 which give you the right to cancel the purchase within 14 days after the day you receive the item. The story of Jake’s own life is a truly fascinating one, and the first ever biography, ‘Beware of the Bull – The enigmatic genius of Jake Thackray’ has been written with the full support of the Thackray family and has been received with critical acclaim. A book that made me feel sadness whilst also being uplifted because this book is the tribute he deserved. On Again’, Beware of the Bull hangs opinions and interpretations not on onerous analysis (leave that to me) but various excellent sources like Thackray’s ex-wife, son, agent, close friends, and the man himself. It is the story of a charismatic, complex, self-effacing man who remained an enigma even to his friends.Having grown up in a heavy drinking culture Thackray had, over the years, developed an alcohol dependency which, up until his later life, he had more or less been able to disguise as social conviviality. Although the title track is a product of its time in terms of its misogynistic premise --a man’s complaint about his excessively talkative wife-- such is the skill and humour with which Thackray laments her incessant chatter that the cleverly comedic lyrics override misgivings about sexism.

In 1968, Vashti Bunyan gave up everything and everybody she knew in London to take to the road with a horse, wagon, dog, guitar and her then partner. For instance, he “attended a Conservative Association barbecue because so many friends were going, but first leafleted the assorted Land Rovers, Volvos and Saabs in the car park with ‘Coal, not dole’ flyers, declaring that this was to ‘atone for the sin of hobnobbing’ at a Tory ‘do’”. After being a fan of Jake's music and lyrics for some 50 years, it was grand to read the book, which I was given for Christmas.

A biography works best when it adds local colour, humbly shades in knowledge gaps, situates its subject in a loose timeline, when its author is transparent, and there’s clear blue water between hunter and quarry (there’s no ‘Jake: My Story’ attempts to point us to any pre-existing connections between author and subject).

John’s performance is a celebration of the man that was Jake Thackray - his work, his genius and his very essence, an essence that the new age of music lovers are in danger of missing out on. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. Chronological biographies don't always work, but the fascinating arc of Jake Thackray's life suits the format perfectly, and the parallel insights into changing fashions at the BBC and in the record industry provide constant wider interest. He became known to millions through his regular appearances in the 1960s and 1970s on programmes such as Braden’s Week and That’s Life.Whilst he was at the school the headteacher spotted Thackray’s unconventionally charismatic personality, creativity, and ability to win over an audience, and encouraged him to perform his early songs in front of pupils and colleagues. Thankfully, as Thackray would have preferred (being surely embarrassed at the very notion of a biography), there are no weighty codas or unnecessary prologues that describe the state of the nation or Thackray’s far-reaching impact on musicians today. He loved Monmouth and he loved the people there; he liked the church and being involved with Amnesty International”. Read more about the condition New: A new, unread, unused book in perfect condition with no missing or damaged pages. It contains some of his best loved songs, including The Statues (one of Lennon’s particular favourites), Ulysses, about an over-affectionate lunatic of a pet dog, The Black Swan, a heart-rending tale about a group of drinkers down the local pub who have no other purpose in life but to carry on boozing in the absence of their beloved, and the supremely comical Lah-Di-Dah.