Some would say Paris the Black Fu is a slightly confused man. The creative genius behind the Detroit Grand Pubahs, Paris has tussled frequently with his numerous personalities over the expanse of the Pubah’s back catalogue, at various times having taken on the guise of characters including Nurse Hearse, Offbeat Killer, Percy Slade, Plasticene Gene, and the Schizofrenic Brainchild of Funko. So what should we call him? “Yeah man, you can call me Paris… or Black Fu!” Originally a duo, the Detroit Grand Pubahs are now a leaner and meaner one man show, Paris the Black Fu having taken up the reigns on his own for their most recent album, ‘Galactic Ass Creatures From Uranus’ – original groupmate Andy Toth currently in a ‘cryogenic life-support chamber’ (if you’re to believe the Pubahs biography). On the phone from his new home country of Switzerland, ITM’s i_have_ADD got the lowdown from Paris on the eve of his new album’s release. Formed in 1998, as the name would suggest the Detroit Grand Pubahs met in the Motor City, USA. Weaned on a steady diet of seminal radio legends like The Electrifying Mojo and the Wizard (Jeff Mills), the Pubahs shot to notoriety in the year 2000 with their instantly recognisable track ‘Sandwiches’. Following up with their major label album debut soon after, the Pubahs struggled to come to terms with the fact they were sharing a roster with artists like Brittany Spears and *NSYNC, “I think independent is a lot better for an artist like me because the label can concentrate on my releases, rather than a major label having to fit it in around big pop stars. When we were signed to a major we had our album coming out around the same time as Brittany Spears, and they wanted us to rush our album so they could spend more time on promotion. I was like, ‘You can’t rush this! We can’t just give you anything.’ We weren’t big stars and our music wasn’t widely accepted, or known for that matter, whereas here with Pokerflat they know where to gear the music to.” Along with a change in label Paris also decided a change in scenery was in order, relocating from Detroit to Europe, now settled in Switzerland, “I moved from Detroit last May, so it’s almost been a whole year. I made bits and pieces [of the album] in Switzerland but wrote a lot of it in my bedroom in Detroit. It’s probably around a third made in Switzerland, a third made in Detroit, and then a third made in Holland while I was there. You can definitely pick out the songs I did in Detroit, the environment has a lot to do with it.” Owing a lot musically to his breeding ground of Detroit, Paris was able to offer an insight into the problems currently facing the States, “It’s kind of sad really. A lot of people in the States, when they went to my shows, they reacted great, we all had a good time because they could understand me. But at the same time, here I’ve just done a few gigs in Germany and Ireland, and the people treated me really, really well. So I think it’s sad that I’m not at home and getting the same response, but at the same time it’s great. I just went home recently to do a show in Chicago and Indiana and it was just terrible!” So with a new location, a new label, and after 3 years a new album, Paris is happy he’s working his way back into the thick of it all, “The response has been really good, and it’s only getting better. I think the response to ‘The Clapper’ [first single] was a little bit slow, but it’s been great for ‘Big Onion’ [second single], everybody likes that. There’s also been a lot of reactions to the cover! People who’ve listened to the album and really enjoyed it said that they’ve liked it more on the second or third listen.” One thing it doesn’t take many listens to realise is that the Pubahs are yet to lose their bizarrely unique sense of humour, a number of Paris’ alter-egos popping up throughout the album, “When I first sit down the feel of the track tells me whose doing it. Around 3 years ago I was with Andy and we were talking about doing a track called ‘Nurse Hearse Jack Move’, because I was singing in her voice and we started laughing. Afterwards though, I couldn’t come up with a track, then one day here in Switzerland I sat down and was making this track, and all of a sudden Nurse Hearse came into my head, and she was like, ‘That’s my song, I can do the vocals for that shit. Let me take over!’ And so she did.” So with a formidable sense of humour firmly in place, Paris the Black Fu is able to take the music scene head on. And in a genre where chin stroking can sometimes take precedence over booty stroking, the Detroit Grand Pubahs have always been a welcomed change, mixing sex, music and humour together from day 1 with interesting results. “I’m a pervert, plain and simple. When I was growing up my teething ring was a pair of ass cheeks!”, Paris revealed with a laugh. “People react positively to it, they like what I do and how lighthearted I am about it. Too many people are too serious about simple things, music to me is supposed to be medicinal, just like humour. They say laughter is the best medicine, I mean if you can laugh about something serious it helps you get through it. Music can help you come out of depression, or keep you from committing suicide, or whatever. I try to bring people back to being level headed, I just want people to have a good time.” Playing frequently across Europe, there’s been nothing but rave reviews for the Detroit Grand Pubahs rather exuberant live shows, Jocket Slut naming them ‘the only non-stop erotic techno cabaret worth catching’, “It’s just me and my partner, the Mysterious Mr. O, onstage for right now. I tried to get my guitarist Dr Thick Thumbs over here, but he couldn’t make it, he’s busy operating.” And, having not toured Australia before Paris ended the conversation with some interesting news for his local fans, “I’m waiting to get over to Australia dude! I hear that there’s been a plan to bring me over there for the last 6 months, but nobodies done anything about it. How much money you got?!” The new album from the Detroit Grand Pubahs, ‘Galactic Ass Creatures From Uranus’, is out now through Pokerflat/Stomp.
