Monkey Poet: Matt Panesh to play the~ Hull Truck Theatre

Reminding the Americans about our ape-like origins can be dangerous – even if you are known as Monkey Poet.

At a gig in the Mid West, Matt Panesh had a bag of beer bottles hurled at him – after a punter took offence at a poem about the origins of humanity.

"We are all monkeys," said Matt, who performs as Monkey Poet.

"But I learned that can be a little controversial in those places that are into heavily creationism.

"At one gig in Indianapolis, which is a pretty Republican place anyway, there were lots of walk-outs.

"I said to one man 'It's poetry, so no refunds'. He walked back in, picked up a bag of empty beer bottles and slung it at me – fortunately all of them missed.

"Someone in the audience thought it was part of the show. I said 'I haven't even got to the bits I consider offensive'."

The American trip also gave him his stage name – Monkey Poet being "born out of necessity."

"I had a series of gigs lined up in the United States under a visitor's visa.

"Any time I had to sign something, I put down 'Monkey Poet' – from my initials, MP – so there could be no comeback on me."

Indianapolis aside, the Manchester-based poet finds his work can have an unsettling effect, even if he does temper his political observations with comedy.

"There's a lot of rude, crude comedy as I've never grown up in that regard," he said.

"I find it helps sugar the pill. I do not want to say things in a preachy, moaney way."

This month, Matt brings Welcome to the UK! to Hull Truck for Write To Speak – a spoken poetry event hosted by Hull poets Joe Hakim and Mike Watts.

Matt's performance – in an evening which also includes the South London poet Kate Tempest – is partly a dissection of what it means to be English.

With an ancestry that is a mix of French, Polish and Irish, Matt's show questions the aggressive approach to English patriotism – after centuries of immigration.

"The human species arrived here 700,000 years ago," he said.

"I don't think anyone is that English anymore."

And, after working with genres from novels to film-scripts, Matt thinks that poetry is still the most incisive way to get thoughts across.

"It's the best way to get the art down the arm from the brain and onto the page," he said.

*Write To Speak – featuring Matt Panesh and Kate Tempest is on Tuesday, October 27, 8pm, at Hull Truck Theatre, Ferensway, Hull. Ticket are: £5. Call (01482) 323638