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Welcome to  |
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Scroll down past John's celebration of Bradford for gig info for the coming year.
A Celebration of a Nation's City of Culture
The second of December, Sixty-Seven was the day
Luton town had Bradford City in the Football League, away.
We'd travelled many leagues by Seamarks coach
and with winter-time approaching
there was a warming in the offing
after swarming off the coach beside the City football ground.
We were there long enough before the kick-off
to afford a look around.
After purchasing a Pink Un' as the pre-match news was called
we cruised around the alleyways before we were installed;
later on when I got home, I'd tell my mother
that I had found a shop with football studs for sale
for pushing into shoes.
'They cannot afford boots up there, Mum - this is what they use!'
Was this true or a delusion, I can't say
but Bradford had a hook into a Hatters' fan that day.
That Pink Un' with the football news
was twice the size of Luton's Green Un'
with an open kind of fondness on the pages, held within.
There was so much beyond familiar.
I was full of Western Yorkshire wonder
underneath my southern skin.
And the matchday programme-seller
had an inflection I found fine
and back home I'd feel there was a bit of Bradford
that was mine.
It was that match, which matched me up with Bradford University.
Six years later, I'd be resident with several years to stay
with the charm of cheap chapatis, after that December foray
which had sold this city to me.
Sociology and Literature took up my College years
(and the History of Ideas)
in a location for the learning
with so many engineers
and with new alleys to discover
and Halifax, up Horton Lane
not so far over the hill.
Bradford city was to give to me
a privileged education
never mind that in the Sixties
Luton Town had lost two - nil.
Please keep an eye on gig venues' web and social media pages for updates. And woo-hoo, John is now on Spotify, where you can hear the Saint and Blurry album from deepest yesteryear. It can also be found on Youtube where you can leave comments and engage in discussion.
On Saturday 22nd February at 8.30pm you can catch John in the Function Room at the Forest Gate Hotel in London E7.
An American In Luton is at the Waterside in Sale in Greater Manchester on Friday 30th May at 7.30pm.
And John will be at the Topic Folk Club, Bradford on Thursday 10th July, details to follow.
More dates to follow in due course.
PODCASTS
'We'd Like a Word' podcast at Milton's Cottage Chalfont St Giles.
John was accompanied by poet and musician Clare Elstow, followed by a Q&A session hosted by presenter Paul Waters. Co-host Stevyn Colgan posted some video from the event on his Colganology YouTube channel.
John is also the subject of a podcast entitled Wide-Eyed Creation: Crafting Your World, From Page to Stage with John Hegley, part of the Extraordinary Creatives series by Ceri Hand (opens in Facebook). John reflects on finding inspiration in everyday objects, overcoming challenges of fame, and the importance of mental well-being. Listen on Apple or on Spotify.
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Reviews |
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'Family life would be a lot easier if you could just open the cupboard and pull out your Hegley every time things got fractious, heated or miserable' 'Awesomely mundane' 'Scandalously talented' 'Bleeding marvellous' 'Like a good deed in a naughty world' 'Makes little sense' ‘Marvellous, joyful fun' 'An incurable entertainer' |
| John Hegley - Poet and Comedian | |
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There's masses of interesting stuff about John's Islington connection in a blog called Islington Faces. Who knew that our man was once in a production of The Pajama Game directed by Simon Callow? John's programme about his relationship with the French Baroque composer Jean-Philippe Rameau Who Does John Hegley Think He Is? can also be found here or via the app. It will be available until midnight on 31 December January 2098 so be sure to put that date in your diary to be certain you don't miss it. JOHN HIGHLY RECOMMENDS this celebration of the poetry, prose and life of Sean Hughes, the much-loved comedian who died much too soon in 2017. JOHN ALSO HIGHLY RECOMMENDS: Mel Brimfield's From This World, to That Which Is to Come exhibition, staged at The Tetley in Leeds in 2021, is still viewable online. Free, donations welcome. The show takes its title from John Bunyan's 1678 parable The Pilgrim's Progress, which describes a fictional pilgrimage from 'The City of Destruction' to 'The Celestial City'. ‘Putting You in the Picture' |
| John on Facebook | |
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| John's Picks | |
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Go to the Links page to check out a pot pourri of things that have caught John's fancy. These include Julian Goodacre Bagpipe Maker, Clod Magazine, Luton Haiku, Paul Hegley, and the Jelly Rollers Dragon (love child of Keith Moore of the Popticians). |
| John's Fun Limerick Competition | |
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The winning entries can be viewed by clicking here. |
| Catch John Online | |
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Click here for John's thoughts on Morris Dancing in The Guardian's online comment pages...... |
| A SCARCITY OF BISCUIT | |
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A colourful collection of musings, drawings and dialogues around the poems, letters and loves of John Keats. If you enjoy Keats's poetry, or want to get to know his work, this collection allows you to share in the author's passion for one of Britain's best loved literary figures. |
| I AM A POETATO (Reissued) | |
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And, Zoe: Zoë, Zoë you had to goë. I felt so sad I wrote this poë. |
A creature collection, in alphabetical order including the guillemot, the hamstar, the micetro, the wise camel,
| PEACE LOVE & POTATOES | |
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What's so funny about peace, love and understanding? With drawings largely by the author. Find out more about the book. |
There's Trains. There's John Keats. There is Joan of Arc. There are trucks and boats and ship. With chips.
| NEW & SELECTED POTATOES | |
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This new compilation shows the breadth of his appeal, with seriously funny, cleverly comic poems on everything from love, family, France, art and the sea to dogs, dads, gods, taxidermy, carrots, spectacles and - of course - potatoes. |
A greatest hits, best of golden oldies compilation (with some new stuff).