What inspired you to first start making music? And how did you come to be in your current incarnation? Or if you prefer, a brief bio about you.
Paul: In 1974 I was 14 and a huge fan of Marc Bolan who at that time had passed his peak of popularity, but I was heavily into his poetry and early acoustic albums that he had recorded as Tyrannosaurus Rex. That inspired me to write pretentious poetry and one day I thought it would be fun to ‘play’ at writing songs with a couple of friends. One of them knew a few chords and the other was learning bass. It was a game really with me singing my poetry to a simple chord sequence, but we recorded it on a little cassette recorder and to me it opened a door to an amazing world of infinite possibilities. After that I bought an electric guitar and was very disappointed not to sound like Ritchie Blackmore (!) so I exchanged it for an acoustic guitar and for the next five years I wrote tons of songs until I felt ready to go to a studio and make a real record.
Provide us with some info about your latest release…
Paul: My newest project is a trippy psych rock album recorded with my guitarist Mick Crossley, ‘Through The spectral Gate’. I asked him to send me some tracks he had recorded in his own studio but not released and I wrote the first or second part to these to make a longer track. It was backward engineering with me writing a segment in the same key at the same tempo. I also added instruments to his spacey instrumental tracks like an oboe, or sax so it sounds a bit like Roxy Music meets Hawkwind.
Which ones would you consider your main influences both music-wise & non-music-wise?
Paul: My musical influences have grown incredibly, particularly ovefr the past 5 years, so that now I draw unconsciously upon everyone from Bolan to Captain Beefheart and Snoop Dog and onto minimalist contemporary classical composer Michael Nyman. I think it’s very important for any artist to listen to as wide a range of music as possible.
Non-music influences on my lyrics and the ideas behind my songs come from films or writers such as H. G. Wells, Lovecraft and M.R. James (the English ghost story writer).
In what way does your sound differ from the rest genre-related artists/bands and why should we listen to your music? In other words, how would you describe your sound?
Paul: I range from wistful acoustic chamber music with baroque instrumentation to heavy rock and a strong psych pop element somewhere in between. I couldn’t make just one type of music. It would be so restricting and limiting.
Please name your 3 desert islands albums, movies & books…
Paul: Albums – ‘Unicorn’ by Tyrannosaurus Rex, ‘In The Court of the Crimson King’ by King Crimson and ‘The Draughtman’s Contract’ by Michael Nyman.
Movies would be ‘The Draughtman’s Contract’ (1983), ‘House of Frankenstein’ (1944) and ‘Curse of the Demon’ (1957).
Three books would be ‘M.R. James Collected Ghost Stories’, H.G. Wells ‘Collected Short Stories’ and ‘Jim Morrisson’ by Stephen Davis.
Do you prefer studio or performing live and why?
Paul: Studio because that is the cauldron of creation! Every session os exciting to me because you can bring a stark black and white sketch into life by adding vivid shades in broad strokes or subtle pastel colours. Recording is painting or sculpting in sound. Gigs can be a real buzz but that’s due to the audience as far as I’m concerned. I love being an entertainer but I know the songs, so I don’t get anything from playing them over and over.
Is there any funny-unique story you would like to share with us, always in relation to your music ‘career’?
Paul: The oddest thing that happened to me occurred when I was recording ‘Pavane’ in 2003, my first new album after a 7 year break from music. I was very unsure about recording again and in the middle of a session I ‘saw’ the ghost of Marc Bolan smiling at me! It may have been my imagination, or an actual apparition. It doesn’t really matter. The result was the same – I felt I had been given the approval and reassurance I needed.
Which track of your own would you point out as the most unique and why?
Paul: At the moment I’m getting a buzz from a song I’ve just written for a young Greek band, The Morphine Club from Thessaloniki. It’s one of more whimsical songs – ‘My Dog Is Hooked On Cocaine’ – one of those songs that is just fun to write and record, but when I shuffle off this mortal coil I expect I’ll be remembered if at all for my serious wistfully melancholic acoustic songs such as ‘The Great Edwardian Air Raid’, ‘Wyndham Hill’ and ‘The Poets and The Painters’ which always went over well in Greece when we performed live.
Would you like to share with our readers your future plans?
Paul: My dearest wish for the future is to find a Greek label so my Greek friends can finally hear all the music I’ve made since the closure of Di Di Music back in the early 90s. I think that may happen soon as I have many new friends in Athens and Thessaloniki now who are actively sharing my albums so that new people can discover it.
Free question!!! (Ask yourself a question) you wish to answer and haven’t been given the opportunity…
Paul: What is the most annoying thing anyone has said to me?
Answer: someone in the Greek music business told me they would try to invite me back to play Athens “for old times sake!” That really got under my skin because I have been making really strong albums ever since Di Di folded and the last thing I would want is for people to imagine that I am playing the same ‘hits’ over and over again like some nostalgia band! Grrrrrrr!
Photo Credits: Dirk Lakomy (first one)
Curated by: Christos Doukakis
Recommended listening:
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