John Hegley @ The Stand, 12 Jun

After a few moments of speaking to him, it becomes obvious that John Hegley is just a guy in love with the rhythm of language and the joy of wordplay. On the question about his role in the birth of alternative comedy he tells us: “There is room for the traditional and room for the alternative, plenty of rooms as in any house. And sometimes you need room for the post-modern, and sometimes you need to post something modern and sometimes you need to post something traditional.”

We’re not sure what that means, but it sounds fantastic.

Hegley has been the Poet Laureate of the comedy world for over 30 years now. In between securing his position as a stand-up legend, he has produced ten volumes of poetry, recorded a couple of Peel Sessions and earned second place in BBC’s search for the nation’s favourite comic poem (just behind Spike Milligan). He’s involved in educational programmes, bringing poetry to school children, and continues to tour extensively, mixing old work with new. He is possibly the only person who will perform this summer at the Ledbury Poetry Festival, the Edinburgh Fringe and Glastonbury.

This month, he’s appearing at The Stand in Edinburgh to read from his latest volume of poetry, The Adventures of Monseuir Robinet, a bilingual collection of work about a shy Frenchman and his dog, Chirac. “Some of the poems are in French,” he advises us. “Also, at the end the audience will be encouraged to dance to Morrissey. Although they will have to bring their own flowers. There will be some French and some dancing in the show, but both will be minimal.”

Hegley is a unique performer and a unique interviewee, becoming perhaps the first person to ever write a poem especially for The Skinny. Whether he did this out of love or because he was amused by our name is subject to debate, but either way we are very honoured:

Fat, I am Coming To Chew

With book in hand, I need to
See the book is skinny
And I'll be mandoliney
And I can rely on the crew
To ensure it doesn't have
an unpleasant tinny sound.

Again, we’re not sure what it means. But it sounds fantastic.