Inside the purple library guy
Once upon a time there was an employee of the Simon Fraser University library who was famous for always wearing purple clothes, including a notorious purple beret. Inspired by the purple guy’s bold individualism, a campus wag started up a comic strip in The Peak starring the purple guy as a Batman-esque superhero who defended the library against various evildoers. Suddenly everyone wanted to know more about the purple guy and whether he liked the comic, setting the stage for this classic interview.
All over SFU voices are rising, and upon thousands of lips lies the same burning question: “What’s the deal with that purple guy at the library?”
For 16 years, ever since he arrived at SFU in 1983, this question has gone unanswered. Unanswered... until now. I recently sat down with Rufus Polson, the purple one, to shed some light on the enigma that is the purple library guy.
* * *
First of all, why purple? As opposed to red, or maroon?
I hate to disappoint everyone, but there’s no mystical significance at all. It’s my favourite colour.
That’s it?
That’s it. And I figured, it’s my favourite colour, and I don’t care if most guys don’t wear it, I’m going to do my thing.
Purple doesn’t really mean anything to you, then.
No. I think it’s got a lot of the nice aspects of blue and of red, and lacks the disadvantages. I think it’s a pretty cool colour.
Rufus Polson, the purple library guy.
Does your purplehood extend beyond your clothing? Do you have a purple house, or car, or bedsheets?
Bedsheets, yes. Purple-painted bedroom, yes. Not the car or anything like that. I’ve got a lot of purple stuff. People give me purple things. Everyone knows, ah, Rufus! Purple! Give him something purple. So I always get purple things. It’s very handy.
How about purple food? Do you like purple food?
No.
How about eggplant?
No. I like dark chocolate.
Dark chocolate. Hmmm. At what point in time did you come to the conclusion that you were a purple person?
Longer ago than I can remember, but I didn’t have the guts to start doing anything about it until late in high school.
That’s when you “came out,” so to speak, as a purple individual?
Yes.
How did your peers react?
On the average well, at least comparatively speaking. I mean, before I was just a weird social outcast. Now I was a weird social outcast who was making a statement.
So there’s some guy drawing a comic about you in The Peak.
Yeah. The ironic thing is that the comic started now, after I’ve calmed down a little bit. I used to go around wearing a cape, but I haven’t in the last little while.
You wore a cape? A purple cape?
Yes. Not all the time, but often enough.
Have you done anything heroic in real life that we should know about?
No. [Smiles] Trouble does not seem to come my way a whole lot.
Are any of the other library employees jealous because they don’t have comics?
[Laughs] They’re all snapping at my heels. It’s terrible, I tell you.
Do you like the film “The Color Purple”?
I’ve never seen it.
The song “Purple People Eater”?
Uhhhh... I don’t know. And when it comes to “Purple Rain,” I’m not fond of ‘the artist formerly known as,’ so I haven’t heard that one, either.
So you don’t gravitate towards purple-related things out in society.
No. I try not to let it devolve into a gimmick.
Do purple people face any difficulties in today’s society?
Yes. Do you realize how difficult it is to find purple clothes?
It’s that hard?
I’ve given up.
So how do you do it?
I have them made. There’s this place where there’s this guy who makes shirts. You bring him the material, he makes you the shirt.
I see. Is there anything else about purplehood you feel we ought to know?
You know, it shouldn’t be such a deal! I mean, I bask in it, right? [Laughs] But nonetheless, it shows that people don’t seem to feel entitled to do their own thing. They’ll do the mainstream thing, or if they’re sick and tired of the mainstream thing they’ll join the counterculture thing, or a sub-movement, but the idea of just following your own personal taste because it’s your own personal taste, just doing it because you’re doing it ’cause that’s what you like, is hardly an option at all. I don’t know if it’s the media or if it’s just the way people are. But I think people need to feel freer about that kind of stuff.
* * *
Alas, the mystery is solved! The purple library guy is simply a guy who likes purple, and isn’t afraid to show it. If that makes him a hero in the eyes of some, then so be it.
It is heartening to know that the purple library guy is here to fight the dark forces of conformity. And if the opportunity for true heroism ever arises, perhaps we’ll be seeing his cape again someday. •
Originally published in The Peak, March 8 1999.
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