A few years
ago, my sister, Ellen, shared a video with me that she had recently seen. It
was called Cup of Brown Joy by a British hip hop artist called Professor
Elemental. Ellen and I are both tea aficionados, so the topic was right up our
alley. And Professor Elemental's clever lyrics and infectious tunes sealed the
deal. His music incorporates classical, jazz, pop and just about every genre of music imaginable. I was hooked, so I took a deeper dive into the Professor Elemental
catalog and have been a huge fan of his music and wit ever since. Professor
Elemental is actually Paul Alborough, and I discovered he is a very gracious,
intelligent and thoughtful artist and person. So much so, he agreed to talk to a
classical music blogger far away in the flatlands of the United States.
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Tim: I started writing
this blog because classical music, at least in America, has such a small
following…it isn’t nearly as popular here as in many countries in Europe.
Paul: It’s more prevalent and prominent here in
England because it’s a country that has a rich history. But at the same time,
there is still very much a class division a lot of the time when it comes to
classical music and it’s a hard thing to get over. Britain is run by a class
system even though no one really talks about it and I think that often means
that people are a bit shut off from it. But we do have a big classical station
here called Classic FM which some people turn their noses up at but it does a
very good job of popularizing classical music which is quite nice, even if you
don’t know anything about it, it’s all there.
Tim: I think I shared with
you that Cup of Brown Joy was my
first introduction to your work...the music, the lyrics and the humor all
captured my interest immediately. First the humor…I grew up loving British
comedy such as Monty Python and Fawtly Towers.
Paul: I know what you mean
by Monty Python influences as well. It was a very key thing growing up. My Dad
was a huge comedy fan and British comedy was going through a good phase in my
childhood. I’m 44 so it was Fawlty Towers and Monty Python and all that kind of
stuff. It definitely was a huge influence, there’s no doubt about that.
Tim: Where in England are
you from?
Paul: Ipswich, which is a
sort of nothing kind of town. I had a very happy childhood growing up in the
countryside, really, which was lovely. And my Dad was not only a huge music
fan, though not classical, but he also did hospital radio when I was a kid…so
he was doing local radio, land hospital radio, so I had access to loads of
music that I would never have had otherwise...a bit like yourself, your Dad
also being a huge influence growing up. So whether you rebel against them or
are inspired by their choices, they are still huge influences on you.
Tim: Was your Mom into music as well?
Paul: Yes, not as much. She’s a very loving and
nurturing kind of person, so she liked music growing up, but the bigger
influence on that side of things came from my Dad.
Tim: What sort of music did your Dad listen to or
like?
Paul: I remember he sat me down when I was only
about 8 years old with Isaac Hayes’ Hot
Buttered Soul album, and it’s got this version of By the Time I Get to Phoenix...it’s like 20 minutes long…just this
epic soul song, and it’s a story as well, and he put some headphones on me an
he said “right, you’re not moving until you’ve heard the entire album.” That
was such a pivotal moment, getting into soul and funk music. And it’s nice as
well because once you know your soul and funk, it was a perfect blend for
getting into hip-hop in the early 1990’s. And also, being a middle class white
boy, with the kind of rap music that was around, it sort of acted as a perfect extension
to music I used to like, but also a really easy way to rebel, as it was for a
lot of fans, particularly in the early days. You were rebelling and trying to
make a statement just like kids were with punk and that kind of stuff. But it’s
actually quite relatable to all of the things that came before. It’s a perfect
cycle.
Tim: Hot Buttered Soul?
Paul: Yeah, Isaac Hayes’ Hot Buttered Soul album. The whole album is great. There’s only
like four songs on it but it’s a perfect example of the mid-70’s funk. It’s
just deep...it’s a deep album you know, when musicians get really deep. Yeah, a lot of funk growing up and
obscure sort of old stacks of records which is lovely. But with the classical
side of things...like a lot of blokes, the sort of autistic feel when it comes
to liking the things you like...the things I’m into…I’m really into and know
everything about. But the things I don’t…I know nothing. And it’s the same with
classical music. I appreciate it when I hear bits and pieces or I have somebody
recommend it, but I don’t know anything really about classical music which
makes me feel a bit guilty that I am missing out on this huge cultural
experience.
Tim: You’re still young and exploring new material,
so perhaps you will go into that door. It’s never too late to jump in. I feel
the same way about rap and hip-hop. I remember Run DMC, Tone Loc…
Paul: Those were the days!
Tim: My son likes Tupac and NWA…so I’ve heard some
their music too.
Paul: It’s tricky with hip hop though. Whether
you’re talking about old school stuff or the stuff that’s out now, loads of it
is junk. Objectively, loads of it is rubbish. Some it has indefensibly awful
lyrics or is just appallingly quickly made for a quick buck. In some ways it’s purposefully
alienating. It can be quite hard to get into or to defend to the casual
listener. But like a lot of things, once you start digging a bit deeper,
underneath the rubbish at the top, sometimes there are these beautiful things.
I’ve got friends who’ve rapped about things that no one’s ever rapped about…the
place of women in religion for example. I’ve got another friend who works for a
Spanish rapper and translates each other’s lyrics bar
for bar and it’s some of the most beautiful and fierce poetry I’ve ever seen. It’s
buried under the surface of the rubbish you get on the top.
Tim: While doing some research about you, I heard a
comment you made about some of Kanye West’s music being “rubbish.”
Paul: It’s a tricky one,
particularly in the case of Kanye West. It's money isn’t it? And it’s been that
way with so many musicians. There’s a journalist who was saying that hip hop
gets a lot of flak for being all about money…getting as much money as possible...the
consumption of stuff. And he said hip hop gets a lot of flak for that, but
actually it’s more of an American thing than a hip hop thing. That’s the story
of America…sex, violence and money. It’s not necessarily the story of rap. It’s
a tricky thing because on the one hand, rappers are often better when acts are
coming up...it’s pure and they don’t have any understanding of what the rules
are. But as soon as they start making some money, which in some ways is great
for a lot of the traditional rap audience, if you are looking at a poor,
working class black audience, the idea that people like Jay-Z or Kanye West
have made it...they’ve got out of wherever they were…they’ve made it themselves
and done it themselves…that’s all brilliant, but also, it’s ugly to listen to
the second time. They’re flying around in their private jets or just had
plastic surgery...I couldn’t give a fuck. It’s a really weird one...It’s really
tricky and interesting to be a fan of hip hop and so many aspects of it.
Tim: So you heard great
funk music as a kid…did you study music?
Paul: I didn’t have musical training and the music
lessons at school were very uninspiring and to this day I’ve still got just the
most limited ability and understanding of how a lot of music works. But I
really love words. Words was the thing that got me into it. And also the kind
of rap that came out when I was young was all sort of silly as well. In 1991,
people were writing songs about their parents not understanding them…or
underwater fish or whatever! There were all sorts of crazy rhymes that came out
at the time. And I liked that because it meant you could write songs about
anything at all. So I used to write and write and write. I wrote some of the
most horrendous things a human being has ever committed to paper…endless things
about the plight of the black woman or problems in South Africa that I wrote as
a 13 year old white boy in Ipswich. But that’s all part of the journey. Yeah, I
wrote a lot of bad rhymes to get a few good ones.
Tim: You have to look for
the gem in all of the crap that comes out.
Paul: You really do…it’s the same with any writing.
Tim: When did you begin to perform…to realize you
could perform this? And how did you turn this writing into a performance
vehicle?
Paul: It was really
delayed. My parents were never very encouraging. For all of my Dad’s
wonderfulness, he never really put much faith in this art as a career. The idea
of an artistic career to him was ridiculous. I should never pursue such a
thing. I was sort of gently discouraged, not in a “you must never do this” way,
but it’s just not even an option. And no one else I knew liked rap music
either. Everybody else hated it, so I was kind of out on a limb. It was very
much for me a kept secret. And even through my twenties, I’ve sort of done
little tiny bits and pieces and it was only when I got to Brighton in my
thirties that it sort of started to take off. I started trying to give it a try
and found fans who were like minded…sort of weirdos who liked rap and didn’t
fit the usual mold. And then, the Professor stuff came on… taking my love of
hip hop and combing it with my nerdiness and comedy. I came to it late and I’ve
been doing it professionally for the last ten years. It exploded in a quick,
early mid-life crisis that is now stretching on into old age!
Tim: So you were a teacher
before you became Professor Elemental full time? What did you teach?
Paul: Young people with special needs. Teenagers
with a variety of things like autism and Down’s syndrome…that sort of stuff. After
being fired from numerous jobs and being fairly unemployable, I sort of found a
job that I quite liked because it was very anarchic and rewarding and fun, but
not quite as anarchic as putting on a funny hat and rapping every week.
Tim: And you had a family
to feed!
Paul: I couldn’t have
timed it worse in so many ways. It’s a miracle that my partner was so
understanding as to go “OK go give it a try if you want too.” But at the same
time, that pressure and being slightly older, and knowing that there genuinely
wasn’t going to be another chance to do this kind of thing, I said give it a go and if it doesn’t work out,
then it’s definitely not going to happen again! The pressure definitely
helps...and still does…it still helps me be creative and not waste my time while
doing the sort of boring admin that goes with it. I know what having a proper
job is like and it’s horrible and I’m really bad at it (laughs).
Tim: I don’t know much about the British
educational system. What was you’re your formal schooling? Did you go to
college?
Paul: Yeah I did go to
college. I scraped through and ended up going to a fairly poor college and it
was just at the tail end…when tuition was free in England. So you could have
the kind of college experience that you just can’t have now, and it was really
good for creativity…I was on a kind of creative course. But it wasn’t costing
me anything. I didn’t really have to work doing it so it was a wonderful to
discover who you were supposed to be and not worry what your job was going to
be afterward. Whereas now, everything from your first step of education to
being at University is all tailored around... “What job are you going to do
after this?? You’re working towards a job…what’s the job going to be???” I
don’t think that’s very fair because it deterred a lot of people from a more
creative lifestyle.
Tim: Do you read a lot to find inspiration or
creative ideas?
Paul: Oh yeah, definitely. I’m constantly reading. I’ve
always got something on the go. But I’ve also got really bad taste! (laughs) I
read loads and loads but I read a lot of rubbish to get the gem. I’m a huge fan
of horror and that kind of stuff. So I read a lot of horror, and I read a lot
of comic books. But so I don’t turn into a moron, I force myself to read a high
brow book to insure that I’m reading a bit of philosophy or a bit of politics.
Tim: Or Shakespeare…
Paul: It’s a bit tricky
because I don’t think any book is a bad book necessarily. I think reading as an
act is a really good thing, but I do think when you read for pleasure you can
read a lot of rubbish. But you need to read to better yourself. You’ve got a
bit of responsibility on yourself as a human being to become a better person if
you can. And a way to do that is to read more…and read stuff that may be out of
your comfort zone. I’ve read some boring books this year I tell you
(laughs)…but it was worth it.
Tim: When you read, do you read paper books or are
you a digital reader?
Paul: Definitely books. What about yourself?
Paul: Increasingly, I
think that’s a good way to be. Books and vinyl slow down consumption. We are in
an age when you can get everything all the time and sometimes that’s brilliant.
But once you get over the initial excitement that you can have everything all
at once the important part becomes “how do I make sure this has a bit of rhythm
and stays with me?” Like, if I bought a book even at some second hand
bookstore, and I’ve physically got it, it’s a lot harder to skip it or throw it
away. But if I have it on a Kindle, and it’s not brilliant from the first page,
I’ll just move on to the next one. It can be quite useful with music and with any
kind of culture to sort of slow yourself down and focus in on a particular
thing. There was a really great quote from Neil Gaiman the other day…
“Finding things you like in
popular culture used to be like finding a rose in a desert, and now it’s like finding
a rose in a jungle.” Good isn’t it!?!
Tim: Amazing! When I
listen to your music or watch your videos, I love the variety of references and
pictures you paint with your words.
In the song Closing Credits, you have some music of
Felix Mendelssohn closing out the track. Were you aware of that and was that a
conscious choice?
Paul: That would be Tom
Caruana, my producer. He makes all of the music and he is a classically trained
musician. He plays all kinds of instruments. He’s a master of fusing classical
records, a children’s record and a jazz song...and twenty minutes later he’s
made this incredible beat! The artistry of that is the other side of the music
that I make.
Tim: There’s a lot of cool
stuff going on in your work…so many styles and ideas grooved together in such a
cool way.
Paul: I think that’s one
of the things that makes it quite classical to people who don’t like or listen
to a lot of hip hop. And it’s a similar thing to what we were talking about
earlier…sort of choosing vinyl over downloading stuff. Tom could have access to
every song ever made and take samples from it, but he doesn’t. He goes to shops
and digs out old records and finds pieces of classical. Ninety percent of it
comes from old vinyl.
Tim: I love the song Monster, and on that album, you collaborate with other artists. Do
you enjoy the process of collaboration?
Paul: I’m sort of aware
that the Professor is a bit like a one-note joke (laughs). It’s not like I have
any other characters up my sleeve, so for longevity, there has to be as much
variation and the best way to do that is do a gig with some weird band.
Sometimes it doesn’t come off, but sometimes it does.
Tim: Do you enjoy performing
live?
Paul: I used to really fear it. I’d see a gig on
the calendar and say “can’t wait to get that one out of the way”…so I could
relax again. And now I think I probably prefer it to anything else. I’ve
curated a diverse fan base. It’s all quite family friendly as well. I’ll get
kids at a show who really think I live in a mansion with a monkey…sometimes
they’ll be peoples’ parents who normally hate rap music and sometimes they’ll
be kids who like hip hop. And it’s such an honor to meet such lovely people of different
ages. It’s such a pleasing thing to do. And also, I love stand-up comedy and I’m
increasingly trying to sneak more comedy in there as well and that’s quite a
nice experiment…to see where the balance between music and comedy lies.
Tim: That was one of my
questions…whether to refer to you as a musician/rapper who’s very funny, or are
you more of a comic who’s ventured into hip hop/rap?
Paul: I honestly don’t care. I’m happy just to be
mentioned (laughs). I don’t really mind all that…the more people who are
attracted to me the better. Particularly when I do music festivals, a lot of
comedians are frustrated musicians and a lot of musicians would love to be
comedians. There’s definitely a sort of crossover.
Tim: Have you done a stand
up gig…without being the Professor?
Paul: No, to my shame I haven’t. I just did a show
called Tales of Rome which is about
my love of horror and things and most of that was me doing stand-up just as
myself, even though I slipped the odd Professor song in there. And increasingly,
when I’m on stage…obviously all my songs are in character, but when I’m
talking, I’m talking about things that I’ve gone through rather than wacky Professor Elemental things. So I’ve managed to kind of cheat it where I get to
be me onstage, but also get to do the Professor songs without having to take
off the armor of the Professor. If I was brave and had a bit more spare time,
what I should do, exactly as you said, is go and do some open mic spots to see
if it works without people being in on the “joke” of the Professor. I’m so busy
with gigs, I can always use the excuse “I’m doing three gigs, why would I want
to do another unpaid one” (laughs). But one of these days I will, or if the
Professor ever dries up I’ll give it a go.
Tim: I don’t think he’s
going to dry up!
Paul: I reckon I’ll be
able to keep him going. At the end of the day I’m pretending to be a mad old
man, but as I get older, I’m becoming a mad old man! (laughs). I’ll just lean
into it and the whole thing is great.
Tim: I grew up a nerd
basically. You talked in an interview about being a voice for the weird and
nerdy, which makes me like you even more.
Paul: That’s the key isn’t
it…I’m lucky enough to have a position on stage to be able to talk to those
people. My audience are nerds and we’ve all been through some hard time…whether
you’ve had to fight to be heard or find someone else who likes the same stuff
as you, I think there’s a commonality in being a nerd because it’s not a very
easy journey. You have to be willing to be someone whose going to say “I like
playing the violin. I’m going to keep playing it no matter how much you tease
me or whatever else it is.”
Tim: You mentioned you had
children. How old are they and do they know who Professor Elemental is?
Paul: It’s been
interesting having kids because they are quite grounding and I’m sort of silly
with them. They’re quite blunt with me even right from the off. I think they’re
sort of secretly proud that I do the Professor Elemental stuff, but they’re also
massively embarrassed by it as well. When they were little, they were quite
proud...“wow that’s my dad up there.” But they’re 10 and 8 now and they are
kind of proud but they also go “Dad, please don’t rap…please don’t rap in front
of my friends I beg you.” Inevitably, I get on well with them because I get to
see a lot of them because I haven’t got a real job so I can go home and hang
out with them.
Tim: That’s awesome. My
sons are 23 and 20…they are men now! And
it goes quickly for sure. Maybe your kids will grow up and go on stage with
you?
Paul: Yeah you never know…or they might completely
rebel against me and become accountants or something like that! I always think
that with friends of mine who’ve
got older children who’ve grown up, it must be quite satisfying to think “wow,
I’ve managed to create two adults, and whatever your kids end up doing, they’re
alive, presumably got jobs, doing all right…it must be a lovely feeling.
Tim: I didn’t screw them up…it’s a great feeling.
Paul: Exactly (laughs)
Tim: But the worry never
goes away...it just moves with them through each phase of life…my god they are
driving now, and it’s terrifying. Or, now they are adults and looking for a
job…what if they can’t find a job? What if something bad happens to them? It
never goes away.
Paul: The worry never ends…I remember my Dad saying
that to me. I was going out with this really awful woman in my twenties, and
I’d say “Dad, you don’t have to worry about me anymore.” And he’d say, “well
I’ll worry about you son…the worry never goes.” There’s always something to
worry about when it comes to your kids.
Tim: So one of my favorite
phrases from one of your videos is at the beginning of The Inn and the End of Time…you see the Inn in the telescope and
amid all of your speculation about time travel and the time space continuum,
you pause and say, “Well, I suppose it won’t hurt to have a bit of a breather”…and
you go in for a pint.
Paul: It’s about as English as you can get. It
represents so much the Britishness of the Professor. Like the movie Shaun of the Dear… “My God, there’s a
zombie apocalypse…what should we do? Well, let’s try and get to the pub!” A
couple of drinks at a pub and we’ll take it from there, and that’s absolutely
the way it is with all things English.
Tim: Or tea perhaps…..
Paul: Yes, or failing the pub, tea. That’s
definitely true as well. Something innocuous to balance out something massive
and terrifying. That’s why we’ve been drinking since breakfast and will
continue to be drinking until its long since been sorted out.
Tim: So what kind of beer do you like?
Paul: Well, much to my Dad’s disgust, on my trips to
America, I quite like the American style IPAs now. I used to turn my nose up at
them. But the problem is you guys, when it comes to beer in your neck of the
woods, and I’ve done three American gigs this year, it’s really strong! And I
forget that. I’m thinking its 3.2% (ABV) like it is over here, but it’s 9%, so
there’s been a few times in the States where I’ve been chatting away and
suddenly I’m saying, slurred…“I’m sorry I think I need to go back to my hotel
room.” (Laughs) I have two pints and I’m really drunk.
Tim: Where have you gig’ d here in the US?
Paul: I went to Arizona,
LA, Seattle, and Boston…all over the place. It was such a lovely year this
year. It takes a lot of work to get to America. You guys don’t make it easy for
us to come over. But when I do, it’s always nice.
Tim: So you like American
comedy and culture then?
Paul: Yes, obsessed really. In my office I’ve got
shelves that are full of every single figure from the Muppet Show on it and
loads of super hero toys and piles of comics on it. As much as the Professor is
the epitome of Britishness, I’m constantly immersing myself in American
culture. I find it still very exotic and exciting.
Tim: Do you drink coffee?
Paul: …(pause) Right, this
interview is over. (laughs)
No, I don’t drink coffee.
I know, I’m into every single vice going, in a relatively unhealthy way. I just
can’t add another one. So I never really try coffee in case I like it!
Tim: Fair enough. But I
assume you do like tea though?
Paul: Oh yes, I do like tea…about ten cups a day!
Absolutely.
Tim: Any particular favorite?
Paul: Like with most things, I’m a bit sort of
quantity over quality really, but Yorkshire tea is the best tea as far as I’m
concerned. And of course, Professor Elemental tea which is available from my
website.
Tim: I will hit that up for sure. Professor, I
can’t thank you enough for taking the time to talk with me and helping me share
your work and career as part pf my blog.
Paul: My pleasure. Thank
you as well!
