Mark Grist Rogue Teacher

A former secondary school English teacher turned performance poet, whose childhood nickname was ‘cabbage head,’ may not be an obvious recipient of teenagers’ respect. But Mark Grist earned considerable kudos when he won a rap battle against a 17 year-old, primarily by slinging lewd insults at his mother.

The video of that contest went viral, picking up two million views on YouTube and making Grist something of minor celebrity, much to his surprise and, later, regret (his opponent’s mother got an apology). His first solo show at the Fringe—he was previously here as part of Dead Poets—charts, through poetry, how he got to this point, dealing with his disillusionment with teaching and his attempts to forge a career out of “shit rhymes,” much to the dismay of his MA tutor at Goldsmiths.

Shit rhymes they may be—a poem about redheads throws up some corkers—but Grist is all the more entertaining for it. His poems are fluid, clever and funny, his delivery crisp and his self-deprecating persona endearing. It’s refreshing to hear a teacher speak passionately about wanting to support and inspire kids; one poem about a girl whose teachers had given up on her is particularly touching. But Grist avoids teetering into sentimentality – a story about a schoolkid defecating on a beach sees to that. 

Watching Grist almost feels like being in a lesson—particularly given his only prop, an overhead projector—but one which you want to be in. Accessible without being naff, it’s a good introduction to performance poetry by the teacher you wish you’d had.