Dogs, glasses and funky music (John Hegley in general)

Member Name: cheesemonster

Product:	John Hegley in general
Date:	29/10/01 (368 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very funny, Kind of intellectual

Disadvantages: Bizarre

I’m so excited.

I’ve got tickets to see John Hegley on his Autumn/Winter tour.

I discovered John Hegley a few years ago now, whilst I was at university. He did a gig at City Hall in Sheffield, and I went to see him with a mate. I haven’t laughed so much in ages.

For those of you uninitiated into the world of this strange phenomenon, I’ll give you a brief introduction. John Hegley was born in 1953 in Newington Green, and moved to Luton at an early age. After leaving school he worked as a bus conductor and social security clerk, until he went to Bradford University, where he supplemented his grant by working as a nurse in a local mental hospital.
He worked with two children's theatre groups and began his highly successful career at the Comedy Store in 1980. He appeared in the John Peel sessions on Radio One in 1983/4, with songs about glasses and the misery of human existence. His first book, ‘Glad to Wear Glasses’ was published in 1990, and since then he’s written another 6 books, packed with hysterically funny verse, prose and mad drawings of dogs. He has also produced a cassette entitled ‘Saint and Blurry’. Other books include ‘Can I come down now, Dad?’, ‘Five Sugars Please’, ‘Love Cuts’, and ‘These were your father’s’. I've seen him twice now - he has a small group who appear with him to provide the music that some of his poems are set to. He has a miserable side-kick called Nigel, on guitar, and last time I saw him, there was also a woman playing double bass. He's even been known to do a spot of morris dancing on stage!

One of the best bits of his live gigs is the interval - he sets the audience a task (writing a poem, obviously), and then reads them out at the start of the second half.

If you’ve ever read or listened to any of his work, you’ll know he has an obsession with several
things – namely dogs, glasses and trains. Not very funny you might think, but think again. His poems shatter the common myth that poetry has to rhyme, and his use of timing is key. Although the poems are funny written down, you miss out on an important part of the whole experience if you haven’t seen him live, or listened to him. He is truly ridiculous, sometimes nonsensical, but very very funny.

Relaxing with Taxidermy
When their chihuahua got stuffed
they were really chuffed,
no need to feed her
or walkies on a lead her
no more poop to scoop
and doesn't she look smashing on the mantle piece?
She'll always look at the camera now.
I don't know why we bothered having her alive at all.

Luton
I remember Luton
When I’m swallowing my crouton

Imagine my excitement if you will, when I discovered that John embarked upon an Autumn tour on 23rd September. A quick visit to his website, and 15 minutes later I was the thrilled owner of two tickets to his show at the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith in January 2002. I can’t wait.

He is touring until the end of January, and rumour has it that he is starting a new series on Radio 4 this Autumn. He has also been the BBC’s Resident Poet for some time. To read some more of John’s poems, check out his website at www.johnhegley.co.uk, or the BBC website at www.bbc.co.uk/arts/poetry.

If you fancy some intelligent but wacky humour, he comes highly recommended, even though his poems aren’t about cheese!

As a parting shot, here's my favourite Hegly poem:-

There was a young martian from space
Who entered a three legged race
He wasn't that fast
In fact he came last
Because he was a bag of over-ready chips

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