Adrian Rawlins - hailed as a poet by Hal Gye, Clair White, Dame Edith Sitwell (whom he met in the 60s) and Shelton Lea - 'grew up in a world which could remember the Depression.' He was educated at Yarra Park State and Melbourne High Schools, and spent eighteen months at Koornong, a Utopian school in Warrandyte, Victoria - an experience that he averred gave him 'a taste for freedom in life which I have found again only for short duration'. (Mal Morgan (ed.) La Mama Poetica, 1989)
Rawlins performed and read poems all over Australia. He consciously avoided the literary "establishment", instead writing for more obscure publications such as The Age Green Guide, Music Maker, and Radiation from Space (a radical 'zine). Rawlins was the presenter of Australia's only weekly poetry and jazz session on Australian radio in 1960-1961. He was closely associated with the famous Melbourne jazz venue 'Fat Black Pussycat', which was founded in 1963 by Ali Sugerman and functioned as a jazz club under Rawlins's ownership from 1965 until 1966, when it became a discothèque.
Rawlins met and became friends with Bob Dylan during his famous 1966 Australian tour, and he spoke at a Melbourne Dylan convention in 1994. His book, Dylan : Through the Looking Glass (1994), is a compilation of his thoughts and reminiscences about meeting the iconic man.
During his time in Sydney in the late 60s, Rawlins became friends with Sydney poet, musician and mystic Neville Drury (q.v.). In 1968-69 he was closely involved with expatriate New Zealand band The La De Das, and read excerpts of an Oscar Wilde story on their concept album, The Happy Prince (1968). He also wrote album liner notes for many artists.
In January 1970 Rawlins was the MC at Australia's first rock festival, the 'Pilgrimage For Pop' held at Ourimbah, NSW over the Australia Day long weekend. In January 1971 he also hosted the Myponga and Wallacia festivals, and later wrote Festivals in Australia : An Intimate History [1982].
Rawlins also appears reading his poetry in the documentary film John Olsen : Journey Through "You Beaut" Country (1992).
Source: MilesAgo : The #1 Website for Australasian Music and Popular Culture 1964-1975, http://www.milesago.com. Accessed 27 June 2007.
