Paul McDermott: Star of ‘Good News Week’, Melbourne International Comedy Festival and the widely acclaimed Doug Anthony Allstars (DAAS). Everyone seems to have him all figured out; just mention his name and it’s, “Oh, that guy! Yeah I know that guy.” Well, you probably don’t.
Leading up to this interview with Paul, in support of his upcoming production ‘Paul Sings’, I realised that maybe we were missing a lot about Mr. McDermott. Firstly, he can sing, and if you have heard him on ‘Good News Week’ or during his time in DAAS, you’ll already know this. He’s also a brilliant painter - Google “Young Master Paul”. Writer? A book, the Age, the Sydney Morning Herald. Filmmaker? He’s got an AFI award to prove it.
It seems that whatever pie Paul puts his finger into, he turns it into a triple-tiered chocolate cake. In light of all of the above, it seemed impossible that he could have enough time to tour ‘Paul Sings’. However, he assures that there is plenty of time, “I am an incredibly lazy man. Lazy but quick! I don’t like to think too much about the number of things I have started but never finished, that number well outweighs the things I have done.”
‘Paul Sings’ is a polished amalgamation of music, comedy and dialogue, “I have played with real slozzles, drunkards, half-breeds; dreamt from nightmares, summoned from the depths! And they came with baggage, real baggage and horror! But it was always fun, those dirty dogs. But this is the real deal, these fine upstanding and honourable ladies and gentlemen.”
With the acclaimed Stu Hunter leading the band through the anthology of Paul’s songs, old, new, and from various sources, ‘Paul Sings’ is the cumulative effort of Paul and a number of Australian musicians, “the band is pedigree, and here I am, a mad mongrel out the front.”
Blaming his short attention span and busy schedule, ‘Paul Sings’ has been in the pipelines for over two years, “Life is too short to pursue anything other than what you want in the moment. I remember some of the best times have been: me with a guitar, busking in London. Singing has always been a main staple of mine.”
With so many varied projects, Paul still speaks fondly of his first love, “Painting is my first love, probably. But my real first love is the thought process of creating something; singing, scripts, stories, paintings, jokes. That’s what is most appealing to me, distilling reality.”
Paul’s brain seems to move roughly twenty times faster than a normal human being, and he abruptly explains that the thing that plagues him most while performing is that, “I am obsessed with the study that sitting down for long periods shortens your life, and now when I’m on stage it’s like watching everyone slowly die while I stand up and prolong my death. I’ve been killing people for years, slowly, right under their noses! Or above their beady, little eyes, rather.”
So this is where you may seek redemption for judging too quickly, not knowing enough, but Paul doesn’t mind, “I’m a lot like the Bible in that I can be interpreted in many ways; most are total rubbish, and I prefer to just not worry. I don’t know what I’m saying … I just don’t care enough about what people assume to come up with a sensible answer.”
Even in the face of stereotype, Paul does want you to come see ‘Paul Sings’, “If they care enough to look into the things I do, I am sure they won’t pigeonhole me, and if they don’t care enough to look into the things I do, then I don’t care. The show, I believe, is very good. I am very proud of all that I have done, and I have not compromised ever, on any of my creative endeavours.”
