#peterhayhoe

Bio

Peter Hayhoe is a spoken word artist from Penge, South East London. Currently a member of both The Dirty Hands Collective and Bang Said The Gun, Peter has featured at such festivals as Meadowlands, Lounge on the Farm and The Ledbury literature festival. Mixing the comedic with the inane Peter serves up rhythmical omelettes that surgically pull at your heartstrings.

  Q and A's

How is it living in South London?

  I think everyone I know who has lived and been brought up in South London both loves and hates it. We may not have as many trendy bars as North London, but we have better chicken shops and lots of parks, so you can't grumble.

Describe your poetry in one word

Fucked.

  Your new poetry video 'The Traveller' is out now on You Tube.  Why did you decide to do it?

I wrote The Traveller over a year ago now. I am a bit of an insomniac and often when I write at night I like to listen to music especially Radiohead. People often think I'm a happy go lucky sort of guy, but sometimes I can be rather introspective and down. The Traveller is about that feeling of loneliness and isolation one feels when surrounded by day to day life. It was just by chance that I was listening to Reckonor and adapted it's rhythm. I knew almost instantly that I wanted to make the Traveller into a short, but it took me almost a year to find the right filmmaker.  

    How does it feel being part of the ‘Bang Said The Gun’ Collective?

  Great! Bang was my first true insight into the power of spoken word. I was probably their number 1 fan and learnt a lot from just watching all the great acts and honing my style on the open mic. Bang has never been afraid to be different, that is why I love it so much. 

  What does ‘Stand Up Poetry’ mean to you?

  Stand up poetry doesn't necessarily mean funny poetry, just enjoyable poetry. The stuff that pulls at your heartstrings or makes you laugh or leaves you with an insight into a world you have never felt before.

    Why do you think the ‘Bang Said The Gun’ is such a successful and well enjoyed poetry night?

  Bang Said The Gun makes poetry accessible. We want the audience to enjoy the show as much as a rock concert or a comedy show whilst still keeping to the core values of poetry. We constantly try to make the show bigger and better, sometimes analysing every detail to hopefully give the audience a show they will never forget. 

  Have you heard any poetry lately which you didn't particularly like? What was it about? How did it make you feel when you heard it? (no names please, just the gist of the poem).

To be fair I enjoy most poetry because even the stuff that maybe seen as rather amateur can have a certain truth I can relate to. Truth and sincerity is the most important thing in poetry and nothing else. I have meet a few people on the scene who after a few gigs believe their own hype and think they are going to be the next spoken word superstar. These people normally fade into obscurity within a year.

    Have you ever had a performance when your mind went blank on stage? What did you do? How did you feel?

  Yeah it has happened a couple of times, once at Bang in front of an important guest. Sometimes it is just a word that trips you up and you find yourself lost. For a while that experience dented my confidence and I found myself not performing at the same high standard that I set for myself. In the end I just thought this is stupid, you are good enough Pete, stop worrying so much, just enjoy yourself on stage. Thankfully now I am.

    What was the best feedback you had about your poetry?

  I worked for the Poetry Takeaway for a week on the Southbank. I had to make custom made poems for members of the public. It was a fairly hectic job as you had about 10 - 15 minutes to write each piece. One couple said they wanted a poem for their baby daughter, it was her christening on the weekend and they were hoping I could write something that would capture their hopes and aspirations for her. Luckily they said they would be back tomorrow to pick up the poem, so I had the evening to write it.

It took me about an hour to finish the piece and I was fairly pleased with it. It wasn't untill late afternoon that they picked the poem up. I started to read it and I could see them paling slightly. For a moment I thought oh shit, but then they began to smile and the mother started to wail up. They said it was amazing and they would cherish it forever. They said when their daughter grew older they would show her the poem, i think they said on her 18th birthday. I was really touched that something that I wrote in an hour could hold such importance to someone else, it was an incredible feeling. 

    Do you ever look at your poems and think that ‘what the hell did I write!’ and think it is a pile of shit? (I do).

All the time, but i always find some value in what I write. Sometimes poets are too precious about their poems. If something isnt working I normally just go onto another thing. If you write a 100 poem the chances are 20 of those poems are going to be pretty good. I just love to write.

    I think some of the poems I heard of yours are about ex-girlfriends. Do you still keep in touch with them?

Ha ha the funny thing is the vast amount of those poems are made up. Sure I use some of my experiences but nothing really specific. I think the sign of good poet is take a base emotions and make it something more. The only poem which reflects a true relationship is a poem I call Dalston and even then the majority of that poem is fiction. I recently sent the poem to my ex because I'm about to make it into a short film. She was cool about it. We have a really strong friendship which has been built over many years, so we can be open and truthful with one another.