John Hegley

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John Hegley
John Hegley 2009.jpg
Hegley in 2009
Born (1953-10-01) 1 October 1953 (age 71)
London, England
MediumPerformance poetry, Stand-up comedy
NationalityBritish
Alma mater University of Bradford
Website johnhegley.co.uk

John Richard Hegley [1] (born 1 October 1953) is an English performance poet, comedian, radio broadcaster, musician and songwriter. He has a reputation for wry and surreal humour, mostly performance-oriented or designed for younger audiences, and often sung or accompanied by music he himself plays; his material incorporates "a mix of anecdotes, jokes, idiosyncratic observations, confessions and surreal narratives". [2]

Contents

Early life

Hegley was born in the Newington Green area of Islington (north London, UK) into a Roman Catholic household. [3] He was brought up in Luton and later Bristol, where he attended Rodway School (now Mangotsfield School). After school he worked as a bus conductor and civil servant before attending the University of Bradford, where he gained a BSc in European Literature and the History of Ideas and Sociology. [4] Hegley has French ancestry (his father's name was René) and claims he is descended from the composer Jean-Philippe Rameau. [5] His paternal grandmother was a dancer with the Folies Bergère. [6]

Career

Hegley began his performing career at London's Comedy Store in 1980, and toured as one half of The Brown Paper Bag Brothers with Otiz Cannelloni. [7] He received national exposure when he appeared with his backing band the Popticians on Carrott's Lib in 1983, and recorded two sessions for John Peel in 1983 and 1984. [8]

Hegley published his first poetry collection in 1984, Visions of the Bone Idol (Poems about Dogs and Glasses) [9] – pieces from which were later incorporated into Glad to Wear Glasses. Further collections followed whose subject matter ranges from the surreal and the humorous through to the personal and emotional. [10] There are several recurring themes in his work, including oddities such as glasses, dogs or Romans, along with self-targeted pathos and ribbing, and reminiscences of his childhood in Luton. [11]

He was presenter of the Border Television series Word of Mouth – in which numerous contemporary poets performed their work – in 1990, and the BBC Radio series Hearing with Hegley from 1996 to 1999. His other television appearances include Wogan and Never Mind the Buzzcocks . In 1998, Hegley's poem "Malcolm" came second in a BBC survey to find Britain's most popular comic poem. [12] In 1999 he starred in a Simon Callow-directed revival of the musical The Pajama Game in London's West End. [13]

In September 1999, together with Simon Munnery, he wrote and performed in a comedy series for BBC Radio 4 entitled The Adventures of John and Tony . [14]

Hegley in a Luton Town FC supporter's cap JohnHegley2002.jpg
Hegley in a Luton Town FC supporter's cap

Hegley frequently performs live and is a regular at the Edinburgh Festival. His stage act includes elements of poetry, music (he plays the mandolin and is often accompanied by a double bassist), comedy and references to Luton Town Football Club. He also likes to utilise audience participation in his shows, for example by having a dog drawing competition during the interval, or by asking his audience to try writing poetry themselves.

The University of Luton awarded him an honorary LL.D. in 2000, and he has also led creative writing courses at the university. [15]

Hegley launched "Warning: May Contain Nuts", a project using comedy to increase awareness of mental illness. [16] He performed these shows in 2010 with other performers, including comic Mackenzie Taylor, talking about mental illness. [17]

Books

Discography

References

  1. ↑ "University of Bradford: John Hegley". 12 February 2001. Archived from the original on 12 February 2001.
  2. ↑ "Poetry International biography for John Hegley". Archived from the original on 13 February 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
  3. ↑ "Stanza and deliver", The Observer, 27 April 2003
  4. ↑ "British Council biography: John Hegley", British Council, Literature, retrieved 1 October 2024
  5. ↑ "People's Poet Laureate Plays Adam Smith Theatre" Archived 8 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine , fifedirect.org.uk, 29 May 2008
  6. ↑ "My family values: John Hegley, poet", The Guardian, 20 June 2009
  7. ↑ Davies, Alan. My Favourite People & Me: 1978–1988, Michael Joseph Ltd (2009).
  8. ↑ "BBC – Radio 1 – Keeping It Peel – The Popticians". BBC. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  9. ↑ "Scottish Poetry Library biography of John Hegley". 3 October 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  10. ↑ "Poem Hunter archive for John Hegley poems & biography" . Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  11. ↑ "Grammar, Style, and Usage". Writingexplained.org. Archived from the original on 10 April 2007. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  12. ↑ "Top poetry is complete nonsense". BBC News. 10 October 1998. Retrieved 6 January 2009.
  13. ↑ "Pajama Game pillowtalk", BBC, 4 October 1999
  14. ↑ "The Adventures of John and Tony (a Titles and Air Dates Guide)". Epguides.com. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  15. ↑ Rampton, J. Review: There once was a fellow named John..., The Independent, 20 January 1998
  16. ↑ Jenny Minard (25 May 2010). "Mackenzie Taylor talks about mental health problems". BBC News. Retrieved 10 November 2010.
  17. ↑ Toby Green (20 May 2010). "Warning: May Contain Nuts, South Street Arts Centre, Reading". The Independent. London. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
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