Comments for THUS Magazine

Comment on The person you have called is not available, loser. by John Kelly

John Kelly — Tue, 17 May 2011 10:42:01 +0000

Another comment from Patrick Hughes an assiduous communicator (whom I recall used to send out letters edged in black to his enemies):

But I would say that it is odder that people are harder to get, than businesses. In a time of easy communication it can be awfully hard to get to a someone or friends. I expect it of organisations so write to them, I never ring them, it is getting to people that is hard, it started the moment of the answerphone when we realised that we could pretend to be out, and censor our calls. It is human cruelty to despise some people and to aggrandise oneself by being hard to get, like a girl.

Comment on The person you have called is not available, loser. by John Kelly

John Kelly — Tue, 17 May 2011 10:40:06 +0000

Comment received by email from Jane Wells, founder of 3Generations, a wonderful campaigning site:

Great piece…and I was fascinating by Victorian mail trivia: and then remembered the afternoon post from my childhood (hell maybe there were even 3 then, not sure)…
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Comment on Yuri Gagarin table lamp blasts into Thus Magazine Quality Hall of Fame by John Kelly

John Kelly — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 06:49:24 +0000

Yuri was wrong on this occasion, Jo. Although it would have been better if Gags were named after him, the name was chosen, for no real reason, in dubious homage to a foul-mouthed didicoi acquaintance of mouth organ maestro front man, the Konglike Brendan Gore. There is no truth in the rumour that Lady Gaga chose her name having heard Death in Buzzard’s Gulch, a pisspoor album from my old band, notwithstanding its great cover.

Comment on Yuri Gagarin table lamp blasts into Thus Magazine Quality Hall of Fame by Jo Bird

Jo Bird — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 18:08:25 +0000

In fact there was a beloved band in manchester at about the time JJK was there named after Gagarin, or so Yuri told me.

Comment on Yuri Gagarin table lamp blasts into Thus Magazine Quality Hall of Fame by Matthew Kelly

Matthew Kelly — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 11:48:42 +0000

Mr Keane, you could be on to something here. Was this association the heavily ironic inspiration for Whacko’s pioneering moonwalk?

Comment on Yuri Gagarin table lamp blasts into Thus Magazine Quality Hall of Fame by John Keane

John Keane — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 11:34:11 +0000

Don’t be silly – everybody knows who he was – it was his exposure to cosmic rays on his space flight that gave him his famous talent for bending household cutlery and making friends with Michael Jackson.

Comment on Yuri Gagarin table lamp blasts into Thus Magazine Quality Hall of Fame by John Kelly

John Kelly — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 11:16:32 +0000

Thanks for your useful discographic information, Matthew. Hawkwind produced a not-very-good record in 1987 called ‘Bring me the Head of Yuri Gagarin.

Comment on Yuri Gagarin table lamp blasts into Thus Magazine Quality Hall of Fame by John Kelly

John Kelly — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 11:13:38 +0000

Further extensive research has revealed that Gagarin derives from the word ‘gagara’ – which means ‘loon’ in Russian. Indeed, ‘gaga’ means ‘loony’ in English. There is a tiny town called Gagarin in Armenia founded in 1955 and named after Yuri, though his space flight didn’t take place until 1961 so they were ahead of the curve. Some Armenians claim Yuri was called Gagarian and was, in fact, Armenian, though he was definitely born in Siberia, where the town of Gzhatsk has now been renamed Gagarin in his honour.

There is a pub called Looneys in Kilrush, Co Clare, but now I’m just free associating.

Comment on Yuri Gagarin table lamp blasts into Thus Magazine Quality Hall of Fame by John kelly

John kelly — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 15:08:06 +0000

Thanks, Patrick.I wasn’t actually on the same flight as Yuri but like yourself spent a considerable amount of time spaced out. Now we are all in cyberspace. So it goes.

Comment on Yuri Gagarin table lamp blasts into Thus Magazine Quality Hall of Fame by Patrick Hughes

Patrick Hughes — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 14:44:03 +0000

A wonderful story John, I am surprised to read you were in space with Yuri, I knew you had been somewhere else in those days – Love Patrick