RUPERT AND MARC · the slightly older Paul McCartney, Terry Jones and Terence Stamp. We have no...
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RUPERT AND MARC Marc Bolan, Rupert and "hippie" culture K ingsley Mole sat high on a windy knoll, his eyes consuming the silent midnight woods. He nuzzled his long molish snout deep inside the heart of a marigold and let his molish imagination skip to and fro over sunken galleons and pirate pictures of rusted doubloons and deep-water cabins stacked to the brim with musty muskets and goldfish gauntlets, once worn by Henry Morgan. ... so the Mole, kneeling on the soft soil, said a morning prayer to Ra, not even caring if he dirtied his yellow Rupert trousers because his molish mind knew that praying was special .... What on earth? What is this odd outpouring of dippy hippieness? The above is taken from the children's story, read by John Peel, on the Tyrannosaurus Rex album "My People were Fair and had Sky in their Hair - but Now they're Content to wear Stars on their Brows"(!). The story was written by Marc Bolan - the late, great front-man for Tyrannosaurus and then T.Rex. The Rupert reference clearly was not an accident, as we can see from the main photograph on this page, where Marc wears a Rupert Tee-shirt proudly (as did the author of this article at the same time). We also know that Marc was a fan of children's stories in general, as he dedicated "My People..." to "Aslan and all the Old Narnians" and filled his songs and poems with fairytale characters. Unicorns, dwarfish trumpeters, mythical lilyponds and sages poured from Marc's productive pen and fertile imagination. But did he read Rupert? Well, Marc was born in 1947, so he grew up in London (as Mark Feld) through the 1950s, when some of Alfred Bestall's most surreal, imaginative, fairytale stories appeared. He hit his mid-teens in the early 1960s, when Lord of the Rings was beginning to make its mark on youth culture and C.S. Lewis's Narnia stories were happily becoming classics, so he was almost certainly attracted, as an imaginative and poetically-minded pre-hippie, to the same aspects of Rupert that attracted the slightly older Paul McCartney, Terry Jones and Terence Stamp. We have no proof that Marc was a closet Follower, but we know that Marc's delightfully incoherent world of fairytale characters, bringing wizards, magical woods, and fauns together, owed a little to Tolkien and a little to Lewis. Perhaps we can also be allowed to speculate a little that our own Rupert Bear and his equally incongruous adventures with elves, sorcerers, dwarves and impossible locations are implicated? We may be able to even stretch the speculation to one of Marc's earliest big hits, "Ride a White Swan". It's Artwork for George Underwood ... perhaps a little too "hippie" for Rupert, but certainly in the same vein and of the same quality "My People were Fair and had Sky in their Hair - but Now They're Content to Wear Stars on their Brows"
Transcript of RUPERT AND MARC · the slightly older Paul McCartney, Terry Jones and Terence Stamp. We have no...
RUPERT AND MARCMarc Bolan, Rupert and "hippie" culture
Kingsley Mole sat high on a windy knoll, hiseyes consuming the silent midnight woods. He
nuzzled his long molish snout deep inside the heartof a marigold and let his molish imagination skip toand fro over sunken galleons and pirate pictures ofrusted doubloons and deep-water cabins stacked tothe brim with musty muskets and goldfish gauntlets,once worn by Henry Morgan. ... so the Mole, kneelingon the soft soil, said a morning prayer to Ra, noteven caring if he dirtied his yellow Rupert trousersbecause his molish mind knew that praying wasspecial ....What on earth? What is thisodd outpouring of dippyhippieness? The above istaken from the children's story,read by John Peel, on theTyrannosaurus Rex album"My People were Fair and hadSky in their Hair - but Nowthey're Content to wear Starson their Brows"(!). The storywas written by Marc Bolan -the late, great front-man forTyrannosaurus and then T.Rex.The Rupert reference clearlywas not an accident, as we cansee from the main photographon this page, where Marcwears a Rupert Tee-shirtproudly (as did the author ofthis article at the same time).We also know that Marc wasa fan of children's stories ingeneral, as he dedicated "MyPeople..." to "Aslan and all theOld Narnians" and filled hissongs and poems with fairytalecharacters. Unicorns,dwarfish trumpeters, mythical lilyponds and sages pouredfrom Marc's productive pen and fertile imagination. Butdid he read Rupert? Well, Marc was born in 1947, sohe grew up in London (as Mark Feld) through the 1950s,
when some of Alfred Bestall's most surreal, imaginative,fairytale stories appeared. He hit his mid-teens in theearly 1960s, when Lord of the Rings was beginning tomake its mark on youth culture and C.S. Lewis's Narniastories were happily becoming classics, so he was almost
certainly attracted, asan imaginative andpoetically-mindedpre-hippie, to thesame aspects ofRupert that attractedthe slightly older PaulMcCartney, TerryJones and TerenceStamp. We have noproof that Marc wasa closet Follower,but we know thatMarc's delightfullyincoherent world offairytale characters,bringing wizards,magical woods, andfauns together, oweda little to Tolkien anda little to Lewis.Perhaps we can alsobe allowed tospeculate a little thatour own Rupert Bearand his equallyi n c o n g r u o u s
adventures with elves, sorcerers, dwarves and impossiblelocations are implicated?We may be able to even stretch the speculation to oneof Marc's earliest big hits, "Ride a White Swan". It's
Artwork for George Underwood ... perhaps alittle too "hippie" for Rupert, but certainly in thesame vein and of the same quality "My Peoplewere Fair and had Sky in their Hair - but NowThey're Content to Wear Stars on their Brows"
not hard, however, to findRupert on a giant eagle, alarge heron-like bird and, inMary Tourtel's "Rupert inDreamland", riding a largeand very white goose. Ihave even found an image ofour chum on a white swan.It would have been typical ofMarc to have takeninspiration from something
like that and it's a nice thought.Certainly, Marc Bolan wasn't alone at the timein his liking of Rupert. We have already notedRupert's presence on a King Crimson albumsleeve (Letters Page, Nutwood Newsletter 20- which also commented on the Bolanconnection) and Oz magazine's inclusion of arude and rampant Rupert in their 1970"Schoolkids' edition" is the stuff of both legendand law-suit. Sadly, as Marc became more
famous and more influenced byAmericana, his lyrics turned toCadillacs and ladies carryingfrogs in New York City. Heeven abandoned his RupertTee-shirt for a Mickey Mouseone. Harrumph!However, there's very littledoubt in my mind that theyoung Marc Bolan ofTyrannosaurus Rex was afollower, if not a Follower(impossible, as we were not
even a twinkle in Tony Shuker's eye in the 1970s!).Tyrannousarus Rex's songs appealed, and continue toappeal, to me in the same way as does Rupert. Theyamuse me, they fire my imagination and they offer me aplace to go that is often more pleasant than the all-too-real world. Are these the ramblings of an old hippie?Probably - but those of a happy old hippie, not a sadold one!
Alan Murray
Ride a White Swan Goose like adruid in the old days ... (from
Rupert in Dreamland)
Ride a White Swan large Eagle like adruid in the old days ... (from Rupertand the Courier Bird)
Ride a White Swan like a druid in the old days ... da, da, dee, dee,dah! (from Rupert and the Swan Lake)
From Rupert Bear to Mickey Mouse - not an improvement!
