Der Stuff Innenseite
Stranger Than the New $20 Bill
The Painter and the Rock Star
Let
me tell you about two of the most creative people on the planet, in my
own humble opinion. Paul and Linda. Not the Linda and Paul you may be
thinking about (you know, the one who was in a band named after an insect),
but some lovely friends of mine.
Linda and my truly wonderful friend, Aminda, are the only two good things to come out of my 14 months spent in the employment of "the evil one who shall not be named." None of us work there anymore, but that's because we are all too nice and genuinely creative therefore, our talents were being squashed under an overpriced Italian leather heel. But this article isn't about evil-ness run rampant in the workplace. It's about Linda and Paul.
Paul is an absolutely amazing musician. He has a day job as a security guard at the Bronx Zoo, which I think would be lovely, that is if you liked animals. Originally, from London, Paul moved to New York after meeting and falling head-over-heels in love with Linda, while they were both traveling in Paris. He moved to New York in 1989, to be with the lovely Linda and within five months, he was playing bass for three different bands. I don't know which bands, but I'm sure they rocked. Paul tells me that being a bass player was ideal for him at the time because there isn't much responsibility involved, just stand in the back and don't mess up. But the flip side is that the bass player doesn't get much of the credit either.
Which brought Paul to his current musical incarnation. After much yelling and screaming from Linda, who is so quiet and has such a pleasant demeanor that none of us at Monstress can ever imagine she would do anything such as yelling, Paul struck out on his own, writing his own music, singing and playing his guitar on center stage.
It is rather difficult to describe Paul's musical style. Linda says, "It's just Paul." I'm sure that really helps my dear readers, but it is not my fault. When talking about his musical influences, Paul lists a whole bunch of people I don't know, as well as Chryssie Hynde, Ani DeFranco, Tom Waits, all with a touch of vaudeville, as evidenced in his "Perfect Gentleman" track on his new relase that he's still working on in the studio he's assembled in his bedroom.
But possibly his greatest inspiration is his lovely wife, Linda, who has been writing songs with him for about three years. In her own right, Linda is an amazing painter. She is currently working on a series of portraits of strong women, my dear friend Aminda included. After Linda was asked to leave her long-term freelance page designer job working for the "evil one" (actually, they just didn't renew her contract but never actually asked her to leave until she confronted them), she's painting again saying that it's God's way of telling her it's time to create again.
Like I mentioned before, these are two truly creative and original people. I was escorted into their back room to listen to Paul's latest musical creation, "Virginia" (as in Virginia Woolf, not the state, which is what I thought it was about because the lyrics mentioned the beach, so I just assumed it was about the state, since I hear the Virginia has lovely beaches, which are not just for lovers). And above their bed is a large photo-collage artwork of Linda wearing only Saran Wrap and Paul looking quite dapper in his bow tie, guitar and nothing else. Trust me, I'm all about being comfortable with your body, but it is a bit discerning to be looking at a naked picture of the person you are trying to have a serious conversation with. But they didn't care, so neither did I.
Did
I mention this pair is eccentric? These two can make macaroni and cheese
without wheat or dairy. Why you would want to do that is beyond me, but
then again, I could live for weeks on just on yogurt and Grape Nuts. And
everything stops when "The Simpsons" comes on the tube. Like I said, these
are my kind of people.
But I suppose I should talk about the music, since that's what these two are all about. I've seen Paul perform twice at the CBGB's Gallery in New York City. Both times can be described as electrifying. I think there is just something about a man, especially a man with an English accent, on stage performing with nothing but a guitar. It takes guts. And the music is just amazing. I see it as telling stories about their lives, travels, the stories that move them as well. It was very inspiring to me the first time I saw one of his shows. Linda had told me about the inspiration behind writing songs when I would casually ask her what she did over the weekend. And I was envious that she was leading a very creative life with the person she loved. At the time, I didn't have that. I took phone messages for a living. And I knew I wouldn't be happy unless I could do that also. Thus, Monstress was born. Maybe I can't draw a direct line between the two events, but I'm sure they are somehow related. I can remember the last gig I went to. Paul was performing with a friend of his, Mick, who played the electric guitar. That extra voice and sound brought the songs to life. And while I listened, I was inspired to ponder my own creative endeavor, which you are reading right now, but was about half way done at that point.
So thanks Paul and Linda for being the inspiration in my life. This zine's for you.