Beware of the Bull – The Enigmatic Genius of Jake Thackray
by Paul Thompson and John Watterson
Available now - order here
Admired by Neil Gaiman, Jarvis Cocker, Jon Richardson and Arctic Monkeys, among others, Jake is increasingly recognised as one of the greatest and most original songwriters of the twentieth century; a unique talent and master storyteller, whose songs are full of wit, poetry, irreverence and humanity.
The book reveals a life as extraordinary as his writing: the hard childhood in the terraces of Leeds, remarkable Catholic education and formative years in France and war-torn Algeria; the first career as an inspirational, unorthodox, highly creative teacher; the meteoric development as a writer and performer, and discovery by the BBC; the Abbey Road recordings and impact on The Beatles; the friendship with Georges Brassens; the fame and fortune brought by a remarkable television career… and Jake’s rejection of it. It is the story of a charismatic, complex, self-effacing man who remained an enigma even to his friends.
The book has been written with the full support of Jake’s family. With exclusive access to his personal papers, it includes a wealth of previously unpublished letters, poetry and lyrics, and is illustrated with rare and never-before-seen photographs. Through it all, Jake’s voice is heard afresh, and his life and work better understood.
‘The LOST Will and Testament of Jake Thackray of Jake Thackray by John Watterson’. During his research for Jake’s biography, John has uncovered a number of songs of real quality written by Jake but never officially recorded. These ‘lost’ gems have now been recorded on a new critically acclaimed CD. More info HERE.
On 28 October 1973, Jake Thackray played a concert in Cardiff together with his 'hero' Georges Brassens. Jake later described this event as the high point of his career. On 14 November 2017, on the same stage, John Watterson, along with bass player extraordinaire Hugh Bradley, plus special guests Rudolf Rocker, celebrate that concert which took place 44 years ago. The set list includes several Thackray classics performed at the 1973 concert along with a number of ‘lost’ songs written by Thackray but never released.
John Watterson has performed the songs of Jake Thackray at festivals, concerts, clubs, after dinner venues and – most specially – to members of Jake’s family.
Jake’s songs are exquisitely funny, satirical, incisive, irreverent, witty and gloriously un-PC – and sometimes all of these at the same time. Jake was a one off, his poetry broke the rules yet worked beautifully. He was a true craftsman of the English language, and his legacy of scores of songs continues to delight audiences of all ages today.
John's appreciation and love of Jake Thackray's music is obvious to his audience. 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.
John is a talented guitarist and vocalist and has that engaging quality that makes you want to listen to his performance. When you wrap these ingredients up in the songs of Jake Thackray the result is a highly entertaining, heartfelt tribute to one of the finest songwriters of the 20th century.
