h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

If you have signed up for the embryonic Jake Thackray enthusiasts' group, you will know that we need to decide where to discuss the activities of the group, and other Jake-related things. That's what this conversation is about.

If you didn't know about the group, and want to know more, please contact me at: [email protected], and I will bring you up to date.

Sarah

Further to the above - several people have suggested Yahoo groups as suitable for our purposes, and I've checked out the group of one of our members. It looks fine to me, and has some useful features (for instance, you can ask to be emailed with new messages - as I understand it, anyway!).

Does anyone else have any thoughts on this, and would anyone like to volunteer to start and moderate a group? Is there anybody there.....

Sarah

hello Sarah and everyone!

Having seen Sarah's email with her analysis of the replies she received, it's really quite exciting to realise that there are still so many Jake "freaks" out there wanting to get together!

Having said that I haven't got a clue about starting up e-groups, so .......... please will someone else do it?

I have a couple of discussion groups through topica. I would be happy to start it and 'moderate' it. All it needs is the email addresses of people to invite, and, preferably, somewhere to post an address for new 'punters' to subscribe.
What do we think?
phil

Another member has emailed me to say that he has set up a group on Topica, and sent me the following address:

[email protected]

Call me stupid, but I can't work out what to do with it, and couldn't find reference to Jake on Topica. Could someone else have a go and let us all know what happens?

Sarah

Sarah isn't stupid, just on a different aspect of the learning curve. As you might have guessed, It's me who has started up a group at topica. Please, if anyone else would like to do it, or who has a better idea, let me know - I won't be offended (actually, would be secretly a bit pleased). Unless there are any objections, you can simply send an email to the address in the previous posting, and you will become a discussion group member. Any emails anyone posts goes to everyone on the list. You don't have to find out if you have messages, the messages come to you. Sarah will be the Co-ordinator!!!
What do you all think?
Phil

I have been a member of a discussion group on Yahoo for several years, and it seems very simple (of course, I'm not the coordinator!). I get daily digests of the messages on the group, and if there are attachments, I just go direct to the site and read them there. You can post pics as well as text, or databases or anything else, and Yahoo seems to make it easy to set up new groups.
John

I forgot to add that, if you go to
www.groups.yahoo.com

you will find a link inviting you to start a group and making it all simple!
John

Hi John,
I've started a group at topica - if you would like to do one through yahoo, please go ahead. It may be that you can do more with them, like the photo thing - I will not be offended - go for it! If you don't want to and others are happy with the topica thing then fair enough. If anyone else has a preference or any other suggestions, please let us all know. Democracy rools!

No worries
Phil

Dear Sarah

Would you please let me have details of your discussion group and were they will be held

Try this link - it should get you to the new group. If you have any problems, post a message here or preferably email me direct at [email protected]

http://www.topica.com/sysmsg/?cid=1.nibiMNeiG.EneTnEMn&p=ConfSub011

Sarah

Oops! Sorry, I've just tried that myself and got an error. It does, however, take you to Topica and you can do a search on Jake Thackray to find the group.

If you have any problems after this, let me know.

Sarah

Hello Sarah,
I've tried all you suggested and still can't get any further than a message telling me I may need to pay a subscription but it doesn't say how or to whom. Perhaps you can help.
Thanks. Suliz.

Hi Suliz,

try this link http://www.topica.com/lists/jakethackray/read

You shouldn't have to pay a subscription.....well, nobody's asked me for one & I haven't agreed to anything like that...

Regards,

Joe

Fat chance of romance with a budgerigar!

After this weeks sad news the need for a forum is ever more evident. I am interested in Jakes links to a French singer/songwriter called George Brassens. I have a lot of affection for Jake who has been in my consciousness since i heard him on Radio Sheffield in 1968 or thereabouts. I have vinyl lps- 4 and wept over the last will and testament this evening. we have of course been to many gigs.
Lets keep his music and songs alive.
Joe#

[email protected]

Hi All

Just a VERY big quickie and this seems like a good place to ask.

I'm trying to track down a radio show that Jake Thackeray hosted on BBC Radio 2 and which would have run for six half-hour shows sometime around the spring or summer of 1987.

Its transmission time was 6:30pm on a Saturday night: but this was in the days of split frequency, where it didn't go out on Radio 2 FM but only on the old 1500m LW frequency.

It was called "They did it... their way" and would have covered the whole gamut of musical parody and pi$$-taking from the Spike Jones Orcestra in the thirties to the Barron Knights and Spitting Image in the eighties.

Each of the six episodes began and ended on a "version" of Frank Sinatra's "my Way". These ranged from Sid Vicious and the Sex Pistols to Berlin punk/caberet chanteuse Nina Hagen, who did hers dragged up as Hitler. (Imagine a karaoke night in the Fuhrer-bunker in April 1945. With the Russians pounding on the door, what do YOU think Hitler would sing? This was Nina Hagen's way of pointing out to an outraged Germany that if Germans of her parents' generation hadn't let Hitler do things his way, there'd have been less to apologise for later...)

In betweeen songs, Jake Thackeray's mellow voice talked about the song, the performer, that which was being sent up, and his reason for making it a personal choice.


If anyone else recalls this series, or where it might be found today, could you share your recollections with me?

Many thanks!

I have just got the utube site up and saw the magic Jake singing On again and The Bull. T see that lovely face again was wonderful, if only the BBC would release some of their archives and show more, a much larger younger audience would enjoy Jake. I am getting on a bit but my young listen avidly to my 4 discs Jake in a Box which I recommend and my young think he is cooooool. His words to his songs are so clever, I could listen to him for ever. If only he was shown to opther people via a DVD, he would again be popular. He iss a British treasure and n ot enough of him is shown. What are the BBC thinking of. They would have an immense audience once Jake got known again. At least BBC make a DVD of some of your archives.
Eileen.

I am replying to my own message now because I had a few chums round and they listened to my Jake in a Box and tho none of them had heard of Jake were absolutely overcome with delight at his guitarplaying and his lyrics. So there are at least 6 more Jake devotees and everone who listens to my CDs wants to hear more and are saddened to know he is not withus any more. So the more we talk about him and make our friends listen to his stuff perhaps he will finally get the recognition he deserves