Beware of the Bull

The Enigmatic Genius of Jake Thackray

By: Paul Thompson, John Watterson

Narrated by: Paul Thompson

Beware of the Bull: The Enigmatic Genius of Jake Thackray is the critically-acclaimed first biography of the late, great singer-songwriter. It was included in the Daily Telegraph's pick of the best music books of 2022.

Admired by Neil Gaiman, Jarvis Cocker, Alex Turner, and Thea Gilmore, among others, Jake was one of the greatest and most original artists of the 20th 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: difficult upbringing in the terraces of Leeds; strict Catholic education; transformative experiences in France and Algeria; time as an inspirational, unorthodox and highly creative teacher; meteoric development as a writer and performer; subsequent discovery by the BBC; Abbey Road recordings and influence on The Beatles; fame, fortune, and remarkable television career...and Jake's rejection of it all.

It is a story of a complex, charismatic, and self-effacing man whom many loved, but few understood. Beware of the Bull was written with the full support of the Thackray family, who granted exclusive access to Jake's personal archive.

This audiobook is abridged. It contains the full text of all the main chapters of the book, but omits the foreword, afterword, and appendices. It is narrated by Paul Thompson, one of the book's authors.

©2022 Paul Thompson, John Watterson (P)2023 Paul Thompson