The PiGography
Clive PiG, – aka Mister Storyfella, is a storyteller, poet, songster and potato juggler. Born in St. Albans, Hertfordshire, UK, he attended the Muriel Green Nursery School.
Butlins
Since the age of 5 when he stood on stage at a Butlin’s holiday camp and sang a song made up on the spot, Clive has been creating and performing in one form or another. Brought up in a house next to the gasworks, on summer evenings he’d perch in a pear tree penning poems to the sound of steam trains chugging by.
Never one to miss out on a part in a school play or Gang Show, when punk hit the 70’s it was the crucible fusing action and words. In the heady fomentation of that DIY revolution he created Xeroxed ’zines, postcard poems and cassettes of songs written on a jumble sale guitar.
He formed a band, Clive PiG and the Hopeful Chinamen, and his first single Happy Birthday Sweet 16 was a New Wave cult classic. In the 80’s Clive toured the USA and Canada as a singer-songwriter and recorded 3 albums.
In between times he studied mime and physical theatre in London with Desmond Jones and in Paris at the École Philippe Gaulier, which propelled him into street performing, Theatre-in-Education, Community Arts, Children’s Theatre and a one man show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Later, following the birth of his two sons, Ollie and Oscar, he became enthused by the variety of fairy tales and traditional stories from around the world. Delving deeper into this treasure trove of wordy wonders Clive realised that he could combine his musical and performing skills by taking the words off the page and putting them on the stage and embarked on a never-ending journey of Adventures in Storyland.
Travels
On his travels he has collected hundreds of myths and legends, fables and folktales and these expeditions have inspired more than a tale or two of their own. What’s been seen and heard and imagined along the way can be found in his two illustrated books of original tales and comic poetry: Jurassic Cove and Other Jolly Japes and Unicorn in the Playground.
Nowadays, he’s wound up living slap bang in the middle of the wild and wacky West Country dwelling beneath circling buzzards and cackling ravens on the edge of Dartmoor.
Living in this land of myths and legend is a constant challenge. Crossing the river to get to the shops without being accosted by Cutty Dyer, the ogre who lives under the bridge can be a tricky business. Driving across the moor and not being molested by the Hairy Hands is a feat most people don’t have to worry about in their daily lives.
Still, Clive does manage to roam far and wide without mishap most days of the year.
For over forty years he’s told tales, sung songs and spouted poetry at thousands of events and venues including schools, festivals, deep dark woods, haunted castles, Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan and No 10 Downing Street.
Globetrotting Mr. PiG has plied his trade in Argentina, Brazil, Brunei, Cambodia, Canada, China, Colombia, Germany, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, the Netherlands, Oman, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, Uganda, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, the USA and the UK, OK?.
This travelling talesman, pedlar of poetry and totally modern troubadour, is equally happy sharing stories by the fireside with you and your friends, or performing on stage for hundreds of eager ears.
We have lots of stories and songs you can read or listen to.
Link to resources and downloads