Comedy poet laureate borrows hour from library
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THE man they call comedy’s poet laureate brings his latest tour to Inverness library on Saturday morning – and it is likely that potatoes, glasses, dogs and very possibly peace and love will be on the agenda.
“I have played libraries before – I do quite a lot in libraries. They are good places,” said John.
Currently on a UK tour supporting his new book Peace, Love and Potatoes, John is heading north to be part of a writing course for Highland pupils this week at writers’ centre Moniack Mhor before his own event.
“I am hoping that we can present some of the work the youngsters do when I do this performance.”
For those not already fans of John’s pithy, funny, sometimes surreal and often touching poems, the background story goes like this.
He’s a performance poet, comedian, musician and songwriter who champions Luton – where he grew up – but now lives in North London, where he was born.
He began performing back in 1980 at London’s Comedy Store and appeared on TV first in 1983 with his backing band the Popticians on Carrott’s Lib.
He recorded two sessions for John Peel in 1983 and 1984 and went on to publish his first poetry collection, Visions of the Bone Idol (Poems about Dogs and Glasses) – pieces from it later included in Glad To Wear Glasses.
Since then, there has been a whole series of poetry books, including My Dog Is A Carrot and The Adventures of Monsieur Robinet which has both English and French versions, inspired possibly by John’s French roots from his father’s side.
This year, he has been poet in residence at 19th century poet John Keats’ house in London and some of the work he did while there is set to feature at his Inverness event. Was he allowed to actually live in the poet’s house?
“No, I could sit on a chaise longue,” said John. “But it was brilliant being there.
“We had Morris dancers for my last event. We did it outside Keats house as the light was falling,
“You normally think of Morris dancers on a sunny day, but this felt very different.
“I think it had to do with the twilight and Morris dancers existing between the world of fantasy in one way and being a bit of a crazy thing, not everyday.
“It felt like a seasonal Marking Of The Dark.”
There may be no Morris dancers for John’s Inverness event, but he does intend to mark it in some way.
“We won’t mark the dark, but its elevenses – my mum always used to stop for elevenses – so I think we will have something to do with that.”
At a reading in Rotherham library
To the Wednesday night Rotherham Library audience,
I am describing myself back at ten years old.
I tell them how we climbed over an old garden wall
and went scrumping apples.
Then I ask
‘Do you say “scrumping” up here,
or do you have a different word for it?’
A woman at the back answers,
‘Aye, we do have another word for it:
Theft.’
from Peace, Love & Potatoes (Serpent's Tail, £9.99)
John revealed that as well as coming north to do some shows at Eden Court, he has visited both Torridon and Nethy Bridge, although he admits: “I’m not a climber, a mountain rhymer rather than mountain climber.”
Now John is looking forward to taking the pupils from all over the Highlands out into the landscape.
And he is also planning to start off the hour-long library event at 11am on Saturday in an unusual way – it will begin outside.
He also has some good advice for anyone about to join the world of the glasses-wearer – glasses have inspired a lot of his poems.
“Welcome the joy ahead. Welcome the accessories coming your way and the fact that you will now be in the club where you can swap glasses with people which is a lovely thing to be able to do – and you will be able to join in the glasses dance which hopefully I’ll be able to do on Saturday.”
Leakey’s in Inverness is John’s favourite bookshop in the UK.
A lover of books, John has just one of his own available as an ebook.
“But I only read in book form.
“I left my glasses on the train last week and the man from lost property said they now get more Kindles than they do umbrellas,” said the poet.
John starts imagining runaway Kindles.
There might be a poem coming on...
John Hegley is at Inverness Library Reading Room on Saturday from 11am for an hour, reading material from his new book Peace, Love & Potatoes, as well as much more. Entry is £5 for adults and £3 concession with tickets available on the door only, on a first-come first-served basis from 10.30am. The performance is suitable for ages 9 years and over.
