Adrian Rawlins

This stream featuring Adrian Rawlins was shot during the Aquarius Festival in Nimbin in May 1973.

It comes courtesy of the filmmaker, John Moyle, a member of the Nimbin Film Collective in 1973 (see tile 7D).


Here is a brief summary of Adrian Rawlins' life achievements.....

Adrian Rawlins could be described as the original hippy, a convert to Meher Baba. Baba was his first love in life, poetry and music followed.

Adrian may be remembered as the presenter of Australia's only weekly poetry and jazz session on Australian radio in 1960-1961.

Adrian was closely associated with the famous Melbourne jazz venue Fat Black Pussycat, located at 90 Toorak Road, South Yarra. It was founded in 1963 by Ali Sugerman and functioned as a jazz club under Adrian's ownership from 1965 until 1966.

Adrian Rawlins was one of the first Australian music journalists. One of his claims to fame is that he hung out with Bob Dylan during Dylan's famous 1966 Australian tour with The Hawks (later renamed The Band). When Dylan was in Melbourne in 1966, Adrian got a journalist's ID card while writing for a University magazine and went to interview Dylan. He ended up hanging out with Dylan and later published his Dylan articles as a book: "Bob Dylan Through The Looking Glass". Adrian Rawlins was allegedly the only person that Dylan says ever understood him.

In January 1970, Adrian was the MC at Australia's first rock festival, the "Pilgrimage For Pop" held at Ourimbah on the NSW central Coast over the Australia Day long weekend. In January 1971 he also hosted the Myponga and Wallacia festivals and co-compared the legendary 1972 Sunbury festival.

Adrian is one of the best loved eccentrics in the Australian Arts He has performed and read poems all over Australia. He consciously avoided the literary establishment, always insisting on publishing and performing in obscure places. He was regarded by many as one of the best readers of poetry in the world.

Poet, performer, organiser, promoter, presenter, raconteur, ratbag, stirrer, hipster.....Adrian Rawlins was all of this and more.

Adrian Rawlins died in September 2001, aged 62, after suffering from cancer.