J. R. R. Tolkien in retirement, from 1959 up to his death in 1973, Tolkien received steadily increasing public attention and literary fame. In 1961, his friend C. S. Lewis even nominated him for the Nobel Prize in Literature. The sales of his books were so profitable that he regretted that he had not chosen early retirement. At first, he wrote enthusiastic answers to readers' enquiries, but he became increasingly unhappy about the sudden popularity of his books with the 1960s counter-culture movement. In a 1972 letter, he deplored having become a cult-figure, but admitted that "even the nose of a very modest idol
J*S*T*A*R*S J*S*T*A*R*S Their debut release was a 12" vinyl, "Tripping The Light Fantastic" / "Ickey Plush" on the electronica label, Twentythree Records, which was also based in both Hull and Sheffield. Their first album, "Put Me On A Planet" (Steel Tiger Records) was named "One of the surprise hits of 2006" by Matt Anniss in the December 2006 issue of "International DJ Magazine". Cobby and Lister were founders of both Steel Tiger Records and Twentythree Records. J*S*T*A*R*S's track "Loose Nuke Threat", from "Put me on a Planet", featured in television/cinema advertisements for the John Lewis Partnership spring campaigns for 2004 and