John Hegley

John Hegley has been bridging the divide between performance and poetry for over twenty years, on the radio and on tour. Ahead of his visit to Scotland, the Skinny caught up with him and asked him what we could expect.

"There's love, both given out and received, a bit of melancholy. Why have comedy, comedy, comedy when you can have comedy, tragedy, comedy? I've got a guest on each night to make the show a little bit different. My support act in Glasgow puts a rubber glove on his head and bangs it, while in Edinburgh, I've got a beat band. We'll get people dancing. And there are potatoes, of course. How can we do without them?"

In person, Hegley comes across as warm, witty, concise and engaged. His love for language is evident, and he litters his conversation with spontaneous rhymes, acrostics and speculations on the nature of language. Poetry seems a natural medium for his personality.

"I became a poet through a love of life. And brevity. When I was at University, I used to write really, really short essays. And they say brevity is the soul of wit."

Although he performs in comedy venues, Hegley is not afraid to address serious issues alongside the mudane: his latest collection includes thoughts on his relationship with his father, the potato and, inevitably, his hometown of Luton.

"There's not just poetry - there's poetries: it's important to realise that it's a multi-faceted discipline. I work in diverse areas: there is stuff that tickles the child's funny bones - and the adults' too, I hope. And there is the stuff that is reflective, that makes you sigh."

And what about the vegetables?

"It's the ultimate basic thing - start with the basics and broaden out to the universal."

This sums up Hegley's attitude. His love for Luton becomes a metaphor for the common love of home and does not descend into a tribal regionalism.

"It's about location, location, location. Even if you are from London, you are still localised. It's a load of local places, with its churches, its little schools and foibles. I can't say that Luton is less than crucial for me: I was brought up there. But I write about other places: Dunstable, Tring - don't cast your net too wide!"

In this specificity of place, Hegley finds inspiration.

"It's good for the world - the more we know about places, the better. I do my part: my politics is a politics of place. But I'm not one of those people who does the "scum" thing - hating the people who are closest to you. Why hate the people who are most akin to you?"

Hegley's performances are vibrant and hilarious. Through his mixture of serious and light verse, as well as his choice of guest performers, he creates a show that is unique: funny yet moving, intelligent yet approachable, and capable of expressing a profound message in a rapid, amusing manner.