NICK BEGGS
SHY BOY
IN THE 40 YEARS SINCE TOO SHY BECAME A SMASH, NICK BEGGS HAS PLAYED WITH ABC, BELINDA CARLISLE AND HOWARD JONES, AS WELL AS BEING A DISTINCTIVE BASS PRESENCE IN PROG WITH STEVEN WILSON, STEVE HACKETT AND HIS OWN BANDS, THE MUTE GODS AND TRIFECTA. DESPITE THE PAIN OF THEIR TIME TOGETHER, NICK TELLS CLASSIC POP HE KNOWS HE’LL ALWAYS BE ASSOCIATED WITH KAJAGOOGOO…
JOHN EARLS
“LIMAHL BECAME UNTENABLE PRETTY QUICKLY. HE WAS A DIFFICULT CHARACTER.”
NICK BEGGS
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Nick Beggs knows everyone. Not just in music, where his professionalism and unique stage presence have seen Beggs play with musicians as varied as ABC and Steven Wilson. He’s also a welcoming soul who seems to know all the other locals at the pub in suburban Bedfordshire where Classic Pop meets Nick to discuss his 40 years of adventures in music.
“This is the best pub in the world,” beams Beggs, not inaccurately, over a pint of porter at The Black Lion in Leighton Buzzard, the cosy market town where Kajagoogoo formed. Kajagoogoo stood out then, and Nick – long blond hair making him as instantly familiar as when Too Shy made Kajagoogoo stars – is still a compelling personality now. No wonder there’s a photo of Kajagoogoo on display at the Wetherspoons up the street.
“I’m often chosen to be in people’s bands because of my stage presence, not just because of the way I play,” notes Beggs. “They want the strange gonk man. I sometimes see audiences look at me and think: ‘What the fuck is that?’ I got over my ego in the 80s and I just want to be a player. But you’d be surprised how much my ego is called upon in other bands, as musicians will sometime say: ‘Make a Nick Beggs shape there.’”
It’s not often the bassist is the star in a band but, alongside Limahl, Nick had charisma to spare in Kajagoogoo. Nick says of his musical strengths: “I have a good A&R capacity and I can see star quality.” He even worked in A&R at Phonogram in the 90s, overseeing the boyband Let Loose.