When did Jake play Scarborough?

[Jim1]

Loved the TV programs about Jake at the weekend. I’d kind of forgotten about him, or at least let him slip to the back of my mind for many years, but the programmes brought back happy childhood memories. My mum really liked him and had several LP’s, and she took me to see him when he played at the Stephen Joseph Theatre In The Round in Scarborough. I’ve no idea when that was but I was old enough to know that some of the words were rather naughty and mum shouldn’t be laughing at them. I loved the gig and never forgot the words ‘The bigger the bull, the bigger the…’ etc.

Any idea when that might have been? I don’t remember ever seeing him on the tele, I might be too young so I guess the gig was later on in his performing career.

Cheers,
Jim.

You’re right on all counts, Jim. I was manager at the SJT at the time and it was I who booked Jake in. It was 1986, which was only a year or two before he gave up touring and performing altogether. It was in 1990 that he turned instead to being a columnist for the Yorkshire Post.

Ian W

[Jim1]

Thanks Ian, I’d have been 9 then.

I loved the gig, even if much of the humour was over my head I still understood that it was all very cheeky and rather fun. My parents must have had a hoot listening to me trying to sing the chorus of The Bull afterwards.

I certainly got the musicality of it all and he left a big impression on me even if I never followed his music up directly. Funny that years later I really got into the music of Jack Brell, I wonder if Jake led me there..?

My parents often took me to the SJT but it’s this gig that I remember most fondly, all those Ayckbourn plays were just too grown up for me really, I remember them as ‘The Good Life’ without the funny bits – kids eh, what do they know?

[Paul]

Coincidentally I have a recording of Jake performing Brassens’ Dans L’Eau (the full song in French), live on Radio 4, from the Ayckbourn theatre in Scarborough in 1986 (February, I think). Ayckbourn was on the same programme. Might this perhaps have been round about the same time as the show mentioned here?

Yes, Paul, it was the same year. It was the morning Radio 4 programme broadcast live at 9am and also featured a former mayor of Scarborough, Peter Jaconelli, eating vast quantities of oysters (brilliant radio!). It was produced, incidentally, by Victor Lewis-Smith, who was responsible for last week’s Jake on the Box. Jake sang ans L’Eau de la Claire Fontaine to everyone’s surprise – including Victor’s – as he was supposed to be singing Lah-di-Dah! You say you have a recording: if a copy is available, I’d love to have one. Perhaps you’d contact me on ScarTam@aol.com. Thanks.

Ian W

[philreckless]

ScarTam wrote:

You’re right on all counts, Jim. I was manager at the SJT at the time and it was I who booked Jake in. It was 1986, which was only a year or two before he gave up touring and performing altogether. It was in 1990 that he turned instead to being a columnist for the Yorkshire Post.

Ian W

Sorry I’m a bit slow at picking this one up, Ian. I saw Jake in 95 or 96 at Parkgate, mentioned elswhere by Hugh Williams. Do you or anyone else know how many gigs he was doing at this time? Perhaps it was a one-off for the organisers of the club or something.
Cheers

[Author]

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