To say he was excited is a huge understatement. When Paul received the call to join Madame Psychosis, he was absolutely thrilled. A longtime friend of the band, a talented multi-instrumentalist and just a really good guy, Paul is the perfect fit – and now is your chance to get to know Paul in this musical Q&A.

What are your biggest musical influences?

Some of the bigger influences of mine are Nirvana, Björk, Radiohead, Massive Attack, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Killers and Deftones. I’ve always been drawn to the playing style and textures of Jonny Greenwood for Radiohead’s music. I love electronic music so I listen to such artists as Porter Robinson, Skrillex, Alison Wonderland and Alesso to name a few. Hammock is a group I really took to for a more ambient sound. I studied classical music and musical theatre, so composers like Mozart, Beethoven, Bach and Sondheim among many others are major influences. Mozart’s Requiem was and still is a body of work I am very captivated by and gives me more every time I come back to it. Classical music had a significant effect on shaping both my love for music and my curiosity for it.

What is your favourite music video?

I love the music videos of Björk. One that comes to mind is Mutual Core directed by Andrew Thomas Huang, who has directed a number of her videos. I also love a lot of music videos by Radiohead. Two of them being Just for the story and wondering what the man at the end of the video is saying to the crowd and Street Spirit (Fade Out) for its monochrome look, dark imagery, use of light and shadows, and what’s captured during moments in slow motion. The footage that makes up the music video for You Know You’re Right by Nirvana is another one I’ve always loved because it captures so much about what I love about the band and what got me into music at an early age.

What is your guilty pleasure?

I don’t know if I’d call it a guilty pleasure because I think it’s a great song that’s really catchy and well-produced but I would say I Don’t Care by 2NE1. I lived in Seoul for three years and it was playing everywhere I went, so the song also reminds me of my time living in South Korea. I do appreciate a good K-Pop song.

What are you listening to right now?

I’m listening to a lot of Paramore and Sleigh Bells. They give me a real boost for the day or before a workout. For electronic music, I’ve been listening to Rüfüs Du Sol. For solo piano or piano concertos, I love watching performances of Khatia Buniatishvili. I’m also watching performances of all of the symphonies of Jean Sibelius, a composer I never listened to during my training. I find his Symphony No. 5 incredible. 

If not guitar, which instrument would you choose to play?

I would say piano. I’ve done a lot of writing for it ever since studying classical voice in university. Since I’ve also sung in musicals and choirs, singing is a role I can jump into.

What was the first song you learned to play?

Disarm by The Smashing Pumpkins on guitar.

What was the moment you thought, “I want to do this”?

It puts me in a state of awe to see how potent an influence both getting my guitar in my early teens and listening to Nirvana had on me. That combination flipped a switch and ignited something in me that I still feel today.

What is your favourite Madame Psychosis song?

Hopeless is a lot of fun to play. It was already written and very solid when I joined the band and I wanted to write my guitar part for it. The more I listened to it, the more I thought about a cross between Prince’s Purple Rain and something Johnny Greenwood might play on a Radiohead song. I get this sense of pain, beauty, suffering and love with all of their complexities intertwining with each other.

Photo credit: Joe Mac