John Hegley (born 1 October 1953) is a popular British performance poet, whose poems have appeared both in print and on the radio. He was born in Islington, London, England, into a Roman Catholic household. He was brought up in Luton and Bristol. He has a B.Sc. from the University of Bradford in social sciences, concentrating on European literature and the history of ideas. Hegley has French ancestry (his father's name is René), and his family is believed to be related to the composer Jean-Philippe Rameau. Prior to his career as a poet he was leader of the comedy group The Popticians, who received national exposure when they recorded two sessions for John Peel in 1984, and who still occasionally join Hegley on tour.
Hegley has written a number of collections of poetry, ranging from the surreal through the humorous to the personal and emotional.
He was presenter of the television series Word of Mouth in 1990 and the BBC radio series Hearing with Hegley, 1997 to '99. The University of Luton awarded him an honorary LL.D. in 2000.
Hegley's stage act includes elements of poetry, music (he plays the ukulele and is often accompanied by a Double bassist), comedy and Luton Town Football Club.
Works Glad to Wear Glasses (1990) Can I come down now Dad? (1992) Five Sugars, Please (1993) Love Cuts (1995) The Family Pack (1997) Beyond our Kennel (1998) These were your Father's (1999) (not mentioned in his Who's Who entry) Dog (2000) My Dog is a Carrot (2002) The Sound of Paint Drying (2003) Uncut Confetti (2006)
