Bruce Robinson's They All Love Jack

[biggytitbo]

Due to a scam I've got going with audible [nb]i got the 30 hour audio book version for nothing on their 30 day, after which I'll cancel...HAHAHAHAHAHAHA suckers! [/nb] I'm currently a small way through Bruce Robinsons epic long awaited book about Jack the Ripper. About 2 hours in he's not even got to the ripper, but it's great - he's sitting the scene with a a vicious dissection of Victorian hypocrisy and the venality and corruption of the establishment. His anger is palpable and as to be excoected he's often very funny about it too.


Anyone else got it? If so, this is the thread to discuss it!

[Steven]

Oh for fuck's sake, I was expecting this.

[biggytitbo]

I know who his suspect is, but I actually think it matters less than his attempt to rip apart the entire ripper mythos and the industry that has grown up around it.


At the very least it should be interesting.

[Default to the negative]

Well, I know you haven't finished the book and you're not really in a position to answer this question. But so far, based on what you've read, is there anything new?

Come on biggy, dish the dirt. Or at least give us a sample.

[biggytitbo]

Well he's developed a new suspect, and done lots of original research on him.


So far however, he's more interested in the people we already know about, the royals, the politicians and the coppers, and how they were all, almost to a man, Freemasons.


He destroys the Steven Knight Royal theory, which he thinks was deliberate misinformation to protect the real Masonic consoiracy behind the murdere. And he thinks the goulston street graphitti is intimately linked to he murders after all.


More soon.

[Steven]

S'funny how I worked out who his suspect was as well as his entire theory, Michael Maybrick faking the diary contemporaneously as James as a get-out and setting up Florence Maybrick with his murder, the diary put under the floorboards of Battlecrease until it was nicked by workman, plus the Masonic and police cover-up bloody years ago and have mentioned this many times over the years even directly to you and mentioned the book and to wait for its release. Now, smack bang, plumb right in the middle of it all here's Inspector Biggy who hasn't even fucking got a copy, or bothered to read it, a free audio book? That you've not even listened to and haven't got a clue about? I love Robinson but I couldn't even listen to his awful recitation, he's not very good at reading his work, go with the book every time! Why not post another thread where you fake not being a total dullard by nicking a load of someone else's ideas.

[biggytitbo]

[biggytitbo]

Anyway I started the thread so we can discuss the book, not so I can recite the entire thing to you mate.


And he isn't reading it.

[Serge]

I was completely unaware of this book, and will accordingly add it to the list of things I need to buy soon, along with the new Bill Bryson and Brian Blessed's autobiography. If only Bruce's surname was Bobinson, I'd have a 6-B line-up.

[Steven]

Anyway I started the thread so we can discuss the book, not so I can recite the entire thing to you mate.

Yes, the people who you steal your ideas from tend never to get much of a look in on your amazing detective work, nary a reference. You were completely unaware of the book until I referred to it possibly coming out at some point in the future. I also related my own theory which happens to be exactly the same as this book, however I worked it all out from one oblique reference Robinson gave in an old interview so not entirely independently, and there are definitely a few problems with this particular theory. Been waiting for this for years and barely been left a chance to get through the thing before you have to insert yourself right into the middle of it all without even having read it. Typical.

And he isn't reading it.

Good. Neither are you it seems.

[biggytitbo]

Yes, the people who you steal your ideas from tend never to get much of a look in on your amazing detective work, nary a reference. You were completely unaware of the book until I referred to it possibly coming out at some point in the future. I also related my own theory which happens to be exactly the same as this book, however I worked it all out from one oblique reference Robinson gave in an old interview so not entirely independently, and there are definitely a few problems with this particular theory. Been waiting for this for years and barely been left a chance to get through the thing before you have to insert yourself right into the middle of it all without even having read it. Typical.

I'm just informing you you sound insane.

Thanks,

Biggy.

[Steven]

I'm just informing you you sound insane.

A lot of people are saying that about Robinson, so at least I'm in good company. And I still have my hair.

[non capisco]

Brian Blessed's autobiography

An extract...

CHAPTER ONE: BORN!!!!!!!!!!

I REMEMBER IT WELL, THE DAY I ROARED OUT OF MY MUM'S FANNY! I'D HAD MORE THAN ENOUGH OF LYING AROUND DOING NOTHING WITHIN THE OLD DORIS SO I BELLOWED 'HURRY UP, WOMAN!' DOWN HER CANAL AND LO AND BEHOLD OUT I EMERGED, HEAD FIRST AND LAUGHING LIKE A MANIAC!!!!!!!! IT WAS THEN THAT I DECIDED I WISHED TO BECOME AN ACTOR.

I'm also up for reading this Jack the Ripper thing.

[biggytitbo]

A lot of people are saying that about Robinson, so at least I'm in good company.

No they aren't, a lot of people disagree with his theory but nobody is calling him insane.


You sound insane because of your increasingly bizarre, shitty attitude in threads like this.

[Steven]

No they aren't, a lot of people disagree with his theory but nobody is calling him insane.

Some are, he's even said it of himself if his theory is wrong, and before even reading some parts of the book I know there are major flaws. There are also swathes of the Sickert related material which tie in to all of this which you probably know nothing of, and everybody is throwing that baby out with the bathwater. It's very murky and Robinson is picking out bits and pieces as he's already going in with his culprit decided, like most Ripper authors.

You sound insane because of your increasingly bizarre, shitty attitude in threads like this.

I'm pleased to sound insane coming from a gross plagiarist dullard who declared me a dickhead and an idiot for being able to compare a picture of Howard Hunt with a picture of Howard Hunt, a real free thinker.

[Saucer51]

These I Know Who Dunnit books about the Whitechapel murders are ten a penny now, aren't they? So for me they just take away any credibility. No-one can prove who the culprit was and never will. I understand the fascination but there are warmer cold cases out there, with close relatives still around. These Ripper theories are now pretty tiresome. I was interested in the DNA "evidence" not long ago but that was quickly blown out of the water; one set of experts usurping another. We'll never know what happened to the Princes in the Tower nor the motive for Christopher Marlowe's death, either.

[biggytitbo]

These I Know Who Dunnit books about the Whitechapel murders are ten a penny now, aren't they? So for me they just take away any credibility. No-one can prove who the culprit was and never will. I understand the fascination but there are warmer cold cases out there, with close relatives still around. These Ripper theories are now pretty tiresome. I was interested in the DNA "evidence" not long ago but that was quickly blown out of the water; one set of experts usurping another. We'll never know what happened to the Princes in the Tower nor the motive for Christopher Marlowe's death, either.

What I'm liking about Robinson's take so far (I don't really buy his suspect), is that it's much more concerned with telling a wider picture about how rotten to the core the Victorian establishment was, and its vestiges like the Royal family still are.

Admittedly I haven't got to the meat of his actual suspect yet, maybe he'll convince me. I am fairly convinced myself that the ripper was just some anonymous local crazy and not any of the sensational high society suspects though, so Robinson's evidence is going to have to be pretty damn good.

[Saucer51]

I am fairly convinced myself that the ripper was just some anonymous local crazy and not any of the sensational high society suspects

I tend to agree. The finger pointing at the Victorian Establishment is simply proof that conspiracy theories aren't new.

[biggytitbo]

I tend to agree. The finger pointing at the Victorian Establishment is simply proof that conspiracy theories aren't new.

Yes, although Robinson does amply show that the Victorian Establisment did have a tremendmous amount to hide, and there were many conspiracies that helped them do so.

[Famous Mortimer]

(I don't really buy his suspect)

Admittedly I haven't got to the meat of his actual suspect yet

Never change.

Thanks to Serge recommending this in another thread, I bought it myself, and am but a few pages into it. It is quite fun how he's basically presenting the Victorian version of the Elm House "affair", and how rubbish it is that our press did the same thing theirs did.

Great writing, lots of footnotes, lots of strong research, a good measure of anger about the whole disgusting system, I think I'm going to enjoy it a great deal. Well, not just because of the footnotes, it's more a "this makes it more difficult for fuckwits to pull his book to bits". 

[biggytitbo]

I think his suspect remains suspect, as it where. But the book is far more valuable than just another Jack the Ripper suspect book. I think it'll change how we looks to the case going forward in some fairly fundemental ways.

[Birdie]

I too purchased this (digital version) on Serge's recommendation plus a couple of intriguing reviews. Not a fan of serial killer literature and I've never read any Ripper book before.

Needless to say I felt quite queasy at some points and probably could have done without a couple of photographs- but I got through it.

It would really have helped to have a timeline to refer to as it got confusing - the writer seemed to hop about a lot.

As to the theory- all very interesting but I was left wondering by why? Why did the murders start and why did they stop?  Especially why did they stop.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Well he's developed a new suspect, and done lots of original research on him.

Did he get a fictional Inspector to fart on things

[Sam]

I think his suspect remains suspect, as it where. But the book is far more valuable than just another Jack the Ripper suspect book. I think it'll change how we looks to the case going forward in some fairly fundemental ways.

[biggytitbo]

Did he get a fictional Inspector to fart on things

He wasn't available, but WPC Queefsolver offered her services and was cruelly rebuffed.

[Steven]

I found the release of Robinson's book incredibly troubling, because it gets me so visceral about victimisation (we had a very similar upbringing) and also a lot of it were my own conclusions independently. Though the actual suspect I only got after an oblique reference to a date he once made, but the rest of the context were already in my scope after looking at the total context, which is why I find it so hard to digest as it's sort of like reading my own thoughts back to me and it sort of drove me mad, or more mad I suppose. I think he's bang on.. but there you go, there's such an industry of docs, books, walks, shops etc, it's in nobody's interest to solve it. The entire thing, story, narrative, as I realised is based on a lie. The truth gets in the way of the industry.

[Pinckle Wicker]

Well thanks for bringing this to my attention. I am about 30mins in and captivated by it so far.

[im barry bethel]

I know who his suspect is

It's Troels, or is it Oliver? no wait it's Troels definitely Troels, fuck of is it

Spoiler alert

Vagn

[close]

[MojoJojo]

Why have so many people grabbed this on Serge's and Biggy's recommendation? Are they the new Richard & Judy?

[biggytitbo]

Why have so many people grabbed this on Serge's and Biggy's recommendation? Are they the new Richard & Judy?

Baggys I'm Judy so I can get my hands on those knockers.