Today we're spending Seven Questions In Heaven with Gay Paris singer Luke Monks!
Describe your music for our readers who may not be familiar with you.
Gay Paris sounds like a terrible mismatch of ideas, Satanic punk-rock, stoner-soul and huge metal riffs. The important thing to remember is that they are all heavy songs.
Who are your musical influences and idols?
Personally, I want to be Aretha Franklin, but thanks to current ontological difficulties, this will not be possible. I love storytellers and wordsmiths – Nick Cave, John Darnielle, Colin Meloy, and Aesop Rock. Lachlan probably would worship at the Church of Fugazi whilst Dean performed hecatombs at the grave of Dimebag. Simmo grew up listening to pop-punk, so let’s just leave that alone.
What was the first album, cassette, or CD you bought with your own money?
Oh man. Snoop Doggy Dogg, Doggystyle. I bought it at a pawn shop and it was already scratched up pretty bad. Track 16 ("Gz and Hustlas") would always skip and that was my favourite song at the time.
What was the strangest gig you've ever played?
Rock N Roll Markets at University of Sydney. We're not really a family friendly kind of act, but seeing little kids shaking out with their parents instead of pointing and crying when the bad man said those things that are best left unsaid – that gave me hope for the future.
What is your current favorite guilty pleasure?
We don't really believe in guilt. If you are doing it because you want to do it, then doesn't Socrates say that this must be a good thing? I'm not going to argue with such a great mind as that.
If they named an ice cream flavor after you, what would be the name and why?
Probably call it a SundaySurprise, because when you open the tub, you a presented with the blood of Christ instead of ice cream.
Final question: You're the opening act of a music festival. You can get any five artists, living or dead, to perform on the bill with you. Which five do you choose and what song do you all perform as the final jam?
This is tough due to our rampant narcissism, but I'll give it a shot (I'm only avoiding rappers because I can't stand rap-rock, otherwise it would basically be Wu-Tang and Ace Rock). Death (the proto-punk one, not the metal one) Clairy Brown & The Bangin' Rackettes, Pantera (only because Dean would sulk if given the chance of necromancy, we didn't use it to resurrect Dimebag), Queen, and The Jesus Lizard and for a final encore, we all sing Nick Cave's "Death Is Not The End."
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