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Great job again, Ned. You’re right, the original bust is now in the Savoy Theatre.
I have not seen it but been sent by a Mitchel Troy friend an article from a local paper with a photo of it in the presence of both John and one of Jake’s sons.
John was giving a concert there a few days later !
It would certainly have been fantastic if you’d been in the audience… but I guess you probably (like me) live a bit far from Monmouth, unfortunately…Hello all !
I have just discovered the existence of this topic, read all the viewpoints expressed by the four of you and although you don’t quite agree on everything… well, I find it hard to disagree with any of you on anything… (I’m a Norman bloke, you see.)
That doesn’t make my joining in very easy, of course… But perhaps I can use it to stress just a few of the ideas I have particularly enjoyed reading.
First of all, perhaps, the humorous one contained in the assertion of pride linked to expressing oneself here in a bloody (sorry, Hugh and Pam for staining the so respectable use of the theme you’ve been making) pedantic way.
Let me just beg to be considered as “one of you” on this…
Then, of course, there’s the idea that to make a song “singable” in another language, “translating” will never completely do the trick. And Ian knows I fully agree with him on the fact that we shouldn’t shy away from “adapting”. Didn’t I use a fake word like “tradaptation” in one of our e-mails, Ian ?
How pedantic of me, mates !
One last word, perhaps, about “brother” and “beware”.
Yes, “beware” is interesting as it is in the true spirit of warning (with GB’s little “sourire en coin”) contained in the original song.
On the other hand isn’t the “brother gorilla” pair another good way of stressing the bestial side of human nature you rightly insist on, Graham ?
Finally, let me say how pleased I am to see that with Graham adding his name to the prestigious list of the people who have so far been trying their hand at getting English versions of GB’s songs (Jake of course and after him Andrew Kelly, Ian Burdon, Sarah Willans, Pierre de Gaillande, Joe Flood and so many others…), those songs will certainly go on getting discovered in English speaking countries for some time.
Well, I think it’s now time for me to get back to the original quest I was visiting the JTW forum for… which was answering the “Jake and Georges” French friend Antoine Bial’s following question : “On which occasion did Terry Grant first use the nickname he granted you with ?”…
So cheers, les amis !
The Bearded FrogHello Pam and Malcy and thanks for taking part – and for the videos !
I have known for a few years that Ian is one of the authors of the numerous adaptations of scores of GB’s songs in different languages : In 2013 I found out for Les Amis de Georges and Auprès de Son Arbre that there were English versions of over 70 of them … and as many as 4 or 5 different ones for some songs !
Regarding La Guerre de 14-18 I don’t know of any others than Flanders and Swann’s (that was written very shortly after the original song) and Ian’s.
If either he or you, Malcy (I love your statement that “collected” is the correct folk singer euphemism for the more common phrase “pinched” ! …) could post a video of the latter here that would be un joli cadeau de Noël indeed !“I am certainly among those who are now looking forward to watching the DVD that’s probably going to come out of it !” (Above, 6 months 3 weeks ago) …
Got it, watched it and “seen what I thought” … so here it is:A TREAT
For people like us (who had unluckily missed the extraordinary Brassens-Thackray double concert in Cardiff on 28 October 1973) it was a fantastic treat to be at the Sherman Theatre on 14 November 2017.
A treat that can now be enjoyed at home with this most welcome Celebration DVD.
An enduring treat that will no doubt be shared by others who were too young (or maybe not even born !) to attend the 1973 event, whether they were present 44 years later or not.
The DVD of John Watterson, his friends Mark Goodall, Hugh Bradley, Tim Crusher and Bob Fisher’s brilliant performance will indeed be an easily obtained treat for any admirers of Georges or / and Jake, however unlucky (or lucky !) they may have been in 1973 and 2017 …
So, WELL DONE, Fake Thackray !
By the way, wasn’t Jake’s real name … John ? The one his mother always insisted on calling him, even when the whole country knew him as “Jake” ?
Décidément il n’y a pas de hasard !Yes Pam. I certainly subscribe to each of your sentences about what we all lived together on that 14th November.
And I am certainly among those who are now looking forward to watching the DVD that’s probably going to come out of it !
Moreover, I do think that the superb night we enjoyed already three weeks ago pleads for more tributes to JAKE & GEORGES in this excellent location where Colin and Carol Evans convinced them to give their extraordinary bilingual double concert in 1973.
Alors on se dit à bientôt à Cardiff ? …This quirky album of English Chansons was released on the very month when the 44 th anniversary of Brassens and Thackray’s double … and UNIQUE concert was celebrated in Cardiff.
Such a celebration was the very first in the theatre where the original event had taken place. It was brilliant … and so is THE RESURRECTION OF FRÉDÉRIC DEBREU.
Although the two pals (whose songs were all written decades before the end of the last century) had obviously no hand in the craftsmanship revealed by these eleven new “chansons”, the latter undoubtedly offer a taste of the humour, wit and spirit displayed by both masters.
There is therefore no reason to despair for those who have unfortunately been unable to come to the Sherman Theatre on 14th November. Several masterpieces (let me just mention, to avoid using too much space, THE VENGEFUL WIDOW and the poignant HER PRECIOUS SON – my number one favourite so far) can be found in this offbeat pearl oyster of a cd.
In fact Alex Marsh, Paul Thompson, John Watterson and Will Thompson have done so well in their common venture that one suspects both Jake and Georges may have been whispering to their minds, ears and hearts.More about the 14th (that will be, as you’ll hear “Fake Jake” confirm, not a re-creation but a celebration) :
I have just been sent (by a good friend of mine who moved to Wales last year) the link to last Sunday’s episode of Frank Hennessy’s Celtic Heartbeat programme.
It was dedicated to Jake’s brilliant songs, his friendship with Georges, their double 1973 concert, the « Sherman 2017 big event » and Frank’s special guest was, of course, John Watterson whom he chatted with for over half an hour.
Here is the whole episode (the excellent conversation between the two men taking place at the beginning of the second half): http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09by8xs .
It can be shared until the 28th of this month … but the sooner, the better, of course.
“See what you think”, folks et à très bientôt !Good news, Pam :
Jean-Pierre Gabilan ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3IjQOtKJBQ ; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JszWs9szHSk ), to whom I am deeply indebted for updating me about Jake nine years ago, has confirmed that he’ll be jumping over the pond as well !
Couldn’t this provide a fine opportunity for a couple of sessions with a bit of “Georges in French” to take place in some friendly pub(s) in the vicinity of the Sherman ?Terrific, as you say. Thanks for posting this, Paul. We’re looking forward to the big Cardiff show … in just over a month, now ! …
Hi Ian !
Overjoyed to see that John Watterson is about to make my 2013 dream come true, I was thinking of sending Terry Grant (my hilarious “nurse” of the Welling Brassens-Thackray weekend in 2009 and “infirmière” of the 2011 Southampton Leon Rosselson gig – who playfully called me “the bearded frog”) some tongue-in-cheek e-mail expressing my hope of “une revoyure” in Wales BUT …
I have just realised that your post about The Cenotaph refers to “the late Terry Grant”.
Very, very sad, indeed.Being quite unable to respect the normal speed of the few Jake songs I can manage to play and sing I usually change nearly ALL the words.
For instance in The Lodger (one of my numerous favourites …) I only keep Julie, Hélène and Marie.
But I am not sure I pronounce (or even spell) them properly …
