When did you start writing and performing songs?
I first picked up a guitar in 1992 when I was 16 years old. It was an old 12 string my dad had so not the easiest for a novice to play or keep in tune. The walls weren’t very thick between my house and my neighbour’s either so they had a lot to endure, not to mention my own family! The first song I learned was Drunken Sailor, which is a sea shanty and only has 2 chords. As I added more chords to my repertoire I found in general I was never happy with my renditions of the songs I covered; so it was really from this discontent that I began writing my own songs.
What influences do you have as a songwriter?
I always find this a difficult question. At school there would be others who obsessed about just one band or artist and followed them religiously. I’ve never been wired that way. This comes through in my music. I’d listen to 80s rock bands and enjoy the escapism and at times bombastic sonic adventures, then I’d pick up my acoustic guitar and write an introspective piece. Having said that, the process of writing and performing for me is a type of escapism.
If you weren’t a musician, what other art forms would you pursue?
Definitely not painting or drawing. I’ve never been good at that and even now if I draw something, someone five years old and barely able to hold a pencil could do much better. I likely would turn to writing fiction.
What would a world without music or art look like and how different would life be to you?
The world would be quieter for a start! Imagine driving a car with no stereo, or walking through a shopping centre with an absence of music anywhere. For me personally I feel I would lack something inside, like that feeling you get if you forget to bring your mobile phone with you, or you’re used to wearing a watch and forget to put it on someday. Something would feel missing, I wouldn’t feel complete. There would be a feeling of absence. Don’t get me wrong though, these are just analogies, I think we would all get along just fine without phones. But without music? - not so. Having said that if music didn’t exist how could we miss what we never had? I suspect at some primordial level we would just have to though. Maybe I’d climb a big tree or a mountain and scream like Tarzan and something would ignite in everyone’s ears (or else someone would just throw a rock at me and tell me to shut up). Which reminds me of another thing, in a world without music would birds still sing?
How important does the role of imagination play in your creativity?
It is the key that unlocks everything. However if you asked me what or where it is I couldn’t tell you. Do you ever think to yourself, how did people eons ago figure out that cooking food was a good thing? Did someone leave some food too close to a fire and discover by accident the process of cooking food? For me there is an accidental process to writing. And maybe this stems from the fact I have never learned to read or write music. I doodle a lot too, and then I’ll kind of formalise the doodling and begin humming a melody. Then from whatever is going on in my life past or present (or indeed imagined future) I’ll find that words just kind of present themselves to me, and then, usually like rolling a snowball down a hill the whole thing gathers size and momentum. Then I think to myself, where did that come from. I don’t think I’ve ever sat down and intentionally tried to write something. I’m sure it’s different for everyone though. And many of my doodles never go anywhere!
Is music therapeutic?
I would say yes. But what’s interesting is if we remind ourselves what the word therapeutic means. Something about how it sounds evokes the feeling of it being soothing. However the deeper meaning if I can call it that is about treating a disease or disorder. So are we all a bit broken and in need of help? I revert to my first answer: I would say yes.
In an ideal world, who would you like to work with as a songwriter?
Leonard Cohen was the first person that popped into my head, however if he were still alive I guess working with him would feel more like receiving a masterclass
In an ideal world, who would you like to see performing your songs?
I have no restrictions and no real preferences on that one. It would be strange hearing another voice singing back to me though. Strange but good; and I hope it would reveal layers I’d never seen before. Someone said to me recently, what if someone did a better cover of my songs. I wouldn’t be surprised if they did - and ironically this goes back quite twistedly to me never feeling good enough about doing covers in general.
Who is your favourite living songwriter?
I perhaps touched on this a little earlier in that I don’t have favourites. But I would lean towards Robin Proper-Sheppard (from The God Machine, and Sophia).
Who is your favourite deceased songwriter?
For me there’s isn’t just one. I would cheat and give two here. John Lennon and Leonard Cohen.
Who is your favourite living performing artist?
I would say Lissie for the wild abandon with which she sings.
Who is your favourite deceased performing artist?
Jimi Hendrix. He had everything. I mentioned earlier the question about how we discover cooking.Here is an example of someone who discovered fire.
What advice would you give a younger songwriter?
Trust in your instincts. Writing can make us feel vulnerable but it is also a source of strength. Have the confidence in yourself that you have something, whatever it is. It is good to have others give you compliments of course, but don’t look for that, or in any way depend on it. Depending on an outside source can be quite devastating in my experience. In my early days I was on the receiving end of a few cutting remarks from someone close (I’ll not say who it was, but suffice to say the cut left a scar). Constructive criticism can and is good too, however in the end you need to trust in yourself, and just go with it.
What advice do you wish you had been giving from a mentor when you first started?
Kind of similar to my last answer I suppose. It’s all about inner strength.
Who is your ideal listener?
Anyone that connects with my songs. Isn’t that what it’s all about?
Darren Beggs is a singer-songwriter who currently lives in Bangor, County Down. He originally recorded Acoustic Memoirs in 1998. Darren is a founding member of Addendum. Both Acoustic Memoirs and Addendum's EP were digitally released in 2020 for the first time.He has an original upcoming new album due out in May 2021 which will feature a mix of old and new material. The first single from the album is called "No One Knows" and was released on 20 February 2021.
