Mark Grist: Rogue Teacher

Admittedly, the name ‘Mark Grist’ might not immediately ring the bells of recognition with many of us, but if you were to talk about ‘that teacher that beasted a 17-year-old by berating his mother’s vagina’ in a rap-battle we might be back on track. Racking up over four million YouTube hits and swiftly becoming one of the most viewed UK rap battle videos, Mark Grist’s appearance on Don’t Flop in 2011 certainly lived up to the titular advice. It didn’t flop, in fact the ensuing fame pushed him to quit his nine to five teaching job and left him standing on the stage before us tonight.

But Rogue Teacher is more than just a regurgitation of ‘that bloke from the rap battle’ story. Instead, it is a touching journey from Grist’s first moments as a teacher in Peterborough through the many creative, and existential, challenges and changes he was forced to overcome over the past few years.

Opening the show is an ode to Peterborough, a nod to his former position as the city’s Poet Laureate, landing himself in the company of suits and canapés, all the while secretly harbouring desires to write his kind of poetry. This is one of the main arcs of Rogue Teacher, as Grist discovers his voice, cliché as that may sound, amongst the evolving realms of poetry as the word outgrows the page to the stage with the revival of spoken word as a performing art. And it’s an art Grist does fantastically well. Wholesome but by no means coy – just ask the poor gent on the receiving end of his lusty love poem to gingers – his wit and patter seem to come so naturally and with such warm affectation.

However, his school day stories also offer a quiet polemic, challenging the restrictions placed on creativity by the curriculum and school system itself, as demonstrated in his attack on a teacher who swept a troublesome teacher aside, labelling her a ‘fuck-up’, or the chief examiner who dismissed a slightly off-kilter method of poetry analysis. Because, just as he learned in the rap battles, words can be effective weapons.

Taking a break from teaching to pursue poetry full time, Grist enrolled in an MA in Creative Writing to be told his poetry was not good, in that it was bad. And rhymed. Clearly a terrible faux pas in poetry circles – but what Grist had been embracing wholeheartedly, and to great success in the rap battle arena. Refusing to admit defeat, he took another approach, sharing his explorations in the world of Oulipo poetry and univocalism, demonstrating his talent – and determination.

Open minded and open armed, Grist’s humble charm is undoubtedly infectious and it is easy to imagine the positive impact his teaching style had on those he taught. He really would do anything for his students. In fact it was this enthusiasm to identify and support – ‘anything, sir?’ – that propelled him into the world that would make him infamous.

A leading force in the spoken word movement and inspiring figurehead to champion the power of words to entertain and educate. With or without mum jokes.

Mark Grist: Rogue Teacher is now on tour around the UK, returning to London on 26-28 May at:

Roundhouse
Chalk Farm Road
Camden
NW1 8EH