Rags to Riches – The James Harries Story
It’s BACK and in one part! The much requested (well, 1 person asked in an offhand manner) powerhouse of a jumbling audiobook, “Rags to Riches”, by James Charles Harries.
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It’s BACK and in one part! The much requested (well, 1 person asked in an offhand manner) powerhouse of a jumbling audiobook, “Rags to Riches”, by James Charles Harries.
Is all ok George? We’ve not heard from you for a while and I really hope your health hasn’t taken a bad turn.
I guess the only news around is another retro game book is being crowdfunded, this time by Kim J.
We all love George’s videos, but there’s a pretty obvious reason why he can’t slate book kick-starters any more
Why? because he did one himself? Pretty sure you can slate them for being late, not delivered or a poor idea.
lol, tell me you haven’t read my book without telling me you haven’t read my book. the whole POINT of my book was to spotlight the idiocy, and sheer lack of creativity, of these endless “retro” books. I think it did it quite well, and it is in no way a preclusion to me making further videos on other piss-thin “retro” gaming books. I’ve just been in and out of the hospital having parts carved out of my brain and am finding it difficult to speak at the moment, hence not making a video about the recent nonsensical book that kim has been “working for 18 months” on. I mean, if it takes 18 months to photo some arcade cabs and crib some stuff from Wikipedia… Also, probably worth noting, I created my whole book in a month or thereabouts (with the emphasis on CREATED, as nothing whatsoever within it existed prior to me doing so). I’ll be back when I’m able.
I’m also working on Volume 2 of my book, which is going okay when I’m able. It’s about 1/2 done. With regards to Kickstarters, I have zero money, do people expect that I’d be able to publish a very high quality hardback book with nothing? I refuse to go the Amazon route (I tried with a paperback version of the first book and will NEVER be using Amazon again) so what remains? Plus, the Kickstarter pledgers got a really thick, high-quality book which included a complete 60 page graphic novel, an A2 poster with a complete boardgame on the flipside, A free Steam game (poo pusher) and (upcoming) an EP of music inspired by bands mentioned in the book. I can’t think of a Kickstarter for a retro book that’s ever gone that deep into “good value” territory, despite the initial price of the book being high. You get what you pay for. There’s something interesting on every page and it’s worth going back to. It’s NOT a “cofee table book”, it’s designed to be read properly. I enjoyed doing it and, as I feared, writing may be the only thing I actually CAN do shortly so excuse me for trying to support myself (although I’m currently in debt for about 3 grand for the first book, so there’s that).
Also, my Youtube channels were never focused on drama, I just, after some time, decided to focus on things that others weren’t picking up on because they were scared (vega+) or because of “Political allegiances” (top hat etc). I’d made hundreds of videos before I covered that stuff. To expect me to kick off about things continually is not what this site, or my channels, were ever for. I kick off about things when I see an injustice being done and when I see everyone else ignoring it. I’m sure Kim’s book will be every bit the “coffee table book” she claims it’ll be, but is it worth a video to tell people what they can already read? Not really. If people want to buy that (and it appears that many people do) then good luck to them. They can enjoy another book that brings nothing new to the table (no pun intended). I’ve come to the opinion of late that focusing on these plonks gives them oxygen, and maybe the best thing to do is just to NOT focus on them and see where they wind up? Anyway, I’m off to bed.
I think you’ve hit the nail on the head there George, best not to focus on them. I think the Kim arcade book sounds like something about 15 years too late and probably not very interesting or insightful to anyone but the most casual reader, but unless it turns out to be a scam or full of plagiarism then at worst it would just be another dull retro game book in an already crowded field. Not worth wasting your energy on. Hope you feel better soon mate!
Kim was on the Retro Hour about the book, sounds like a lot of old print media is used for research. One of the better people doing this sort of thing. But I still don’t get the concept of books on computer stuff. I’ve somehow ended up with lots of books I’ll never read. But the problem with retro books in general is if the information is wrong it some how legitimises these incorrect statements.
George’s book is at least fiction and humorous, not supposed to be factual at all.
“sounds like a lot of old print media is used for research” cribbing and copying more like. it’s pointless, really. or, for me, I don’t see the point in it. freely available facts that can be had anywhere and scant at that. bizarre. still, good luck to kim. 60k is nothing to sneeze at! seems people want coffee table books over originality, anyway :p
not really, mate, you can/should join the discord to keep up on stuff as I post in there more than here.
ah, i used to fall asleep to this one and now it’s all here in one handy (ooh-err) place, so i can drift off to the insane ramblings of the weirdest family in britain. it certainly was a different time. i was informed by olly that the money box that gobbles up the pennies is something you definitely wouldn’t find in a shop nowadays. it does have a weird charm to it, it’s like something from alan partridge. thank you for uploading, george 🙂
my uncle used to have one of “those” money boxes, he collected stuff from jumbles, too. It was amazing and I was equally enthralled by it when I was younger. I have no idea what happened to it. Their house was packed to the gunnels with jumble, there was a lot of interesting stuff there – when they passed away my mum spent a lot of time picking through it all. I asked about the coin eater/money box but I think one of my cousins maybe took it. It disappeared. Probably quite a hard/sought after thing to get hold of these days! I remember it had a real sneer, and was always hungry!
“06 Aug 2024 First Gazette notice for compulsory strike-off
This document is being processed and will be available in 10 days.”
Barcadia will be shut down if they don’t sort their paperwork out 😀
So they’ve made the update. I guess this was a useful reminder?
Finally we have details of the shares:
Shareholding 1: 40 ORDINARY shares held as at the date of this confirmation statement
Name: SAMANTHA WHITEHOUSE
Shareholding 2: 40 ORDINARY shares held as at the date of this confirmation statement
Name: PETER LEIGH
Shareholding 3: 7 ORDINARY shares held as at the date of this confirmation statement
Name: STUART ASHEN
Shareholding 4: 7 ORDINARY shares held as at the date of this confirmation statement
Name: DANIEL BROWN
Shareholding 5: 6 ORDINARY shares held as at the date of this confirmation statement
Name: THEMEBORNE LTD
Interesting. I wonder if Themeborne were the last-minute crowdfunding saviour who negotiated a “bespoke” deal?
If they are, it’s notable that they received shares whilst the remainder of the backers got a special package of excuses and lies from Peter Leigh.
Looking at their page they are a small board games producer it seems. So clearly a friend of Slice and Dice who helped them over the line. It’s odd how Sam has so many shares still.
well, she’s a shareholder and helped to set the place up. Also, I don’t imagine Peter was/is in a position to buy her out so it seems logical to me. I feel bad for Sam in this situation, she clearly got involved with the idea of a bright future and a companion business to her own – even bringing some of her staff onboard – then got let down by someone who’s not prepared to do any work.
Yeah, but controlling share and all that. Nobody has 50%
indeed, I thought that strange. In order for anything to happen, basically, everything has to go through everyone else. Typically ass backwards way to set up a business. Maybe Sam has effectively given control to Peter of her shares, as she certainly seems to want nothing to do with him!
I doubt it has been properly set up, but there’s such a thing as a sleeping partner. Someone who owns part of the business but has no control at all.
So Peter’s BARCADIA avoided any leftorium style schadenfreude? Put simply its because he severely reduced the opening hours as do most struggling businesses. The main clientelle don’t play the games, they use the joint as a stop on their nightclub crawls. So maybe Peter should’ve focused on a happy hour bar for binge drinkers with only a few cabinets and fun gaming merchandise motifs like silly hats or t-shirts? Samantha Whitehouse is doing the same with SLICE AND DICE opting to open during peak hours of 12pm to later on. She did an article I’ll post below.
https://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/news/24494010.slice-dice-norwich-one-last-vegan-restaurants/
Lets face it, when you’ve had a few drinks and get the munchies you probably want some chips or a kebab.
Peter Leigh did temporarily allow for BARCADIA customers to order in take out and eat it at his premises but didn’t specify vegan only. Most customers drubken bankers and solicitors probbably just bounced to said endless kebab or pizza houses on Prince of Wales Road before they “popped” i.e. threw up their stomach’s multi coloured rainbowslaw.
Once the zero hour contract ban comes in (if Labour are still going ahead with it), there will be a lot of places closing.
Just get an illegal in.Works for the endless dodgy newsagents and vape shops in Norwich for staffing issues.
Oh but Peter is so ethical.
Love this, shall be enjoying this one George. They/thum is a fascinating creature
it’s a great read/listen, mate, and it was in 4 parts on the previous upload. I think it is fitting that it’s all in one part, less faffing to listen to the whole thing in one.
“The sticky coating was just creosote”.. of course it was.. from a sofa used for ‘courting’.
Great read Sir and, having looked into where she is now it’s nice to hear she’s at least still alive.
only just, as I heard they nearly died a year or so back. This is an epic book that I couldn’t NOT share with everyone! My mum was quite fixated with James when I was younger, I think she thought that I could take after him and be more polite (his appearance on “Wogan” is a horror to behold!). An insurance fire, a general debunking of his antique “knowledge” and a car crash of a life later and she’s stopped talking about him/her.
I’m not one for public displays of emotion, but I must say George you’ve been a constant virtual companion of mine since 2018 – was working away in Kuala Lumpur for two years and your YouTube videos of games on (primarily) the ZX SPECTRUM! kept me sane. The whole Vega thing was also compulsive viewing (well, listening).
After that I was in Indonesia, and we had the LD/THGM incident, plus regular content, and as a loyal bummer (by then), it was a great touch of sanity and homeliness in what was otherwise a fairly hardball 60 hour working week.
Then Singapore and the Barcadia stuff – by then even our lass could recognise your dulcet and obscene tones. That’s when I first heard this audiobook.
Back in Blighty now, and still a loyal Bummer, and modest Patreon.
So thanks for 6 years of pure entertainment! Long may it continue.
(p.s. I’m not Commander Keen)
thanks for your kind words mate and I’m happy to have been a virtual companion for all this time! There’s usually something bubbling up every now and then, for sure, and I try to take an in depth look at the things that interest me. I really love this book, it’s both passive aggressive to quite an extreme degree but also manages to be quite innocent and charming. I wondered if James/Lauren him/herself has listened to it, but I daren’t ask for fear of it not going down well! It captures a slice of Britain that no longer exists and is, in many ways, a bit of a secret comfort blanket for a lot of people. I wish there had been a follow up, and it’s a shame – but a joy – that this book is the only one of its type that exists. Thanks for taking 6 years out of your life to listen to my drivel, mate, and thank you for your support for all this time!