I, NOSTRADAMUS

Paul's love of music comes a very close second to his love of family. His trusty guitar has made him friends, charmed his partner (he thinks), helped him turn poetry into music, to play lullabies to his children in the womb – and led to many encounters with customs officials who were suspicious of the possible contents of the guitar case and also the owner’s, now long-gone long hair.

Paul has been a labourer in a dairy bottling plant, a brewery, a cold store and a wrought-iron workshop; a van driver; a demolisher of a WW11 air-raid shelter; a social worker and a teacher of English and French. He has travelled widely, has lived in The U.K., France and Australia, and now lives in Queensland Australia with his partner Barbara; they have two children who tolerate his bad puns.

In his distant youth Paul was drummer in a U.K rock band, Some Other Guys; he has also played in a folk trio called Phoenix; is proud to have had some of his songs recorded for and included in a Central Television (U.K.) documentary filmed at Kenilworth Castle England, and sang and played rhythm guitar in Tasmanian (Australia) folk-rock groups Tansey’s Fancy and its love-child Flight of Fancy.

He cites his early influences as Buddy Holly, Ralph McTell, Gordon Lightfoot, Georges Moustaki and Jackson Browne. Current influences include anyone of any age from anywhere who writes a damn good song. He has seen, appreciated and learnt from musicals as diverse as Oh Calcutta, Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, Godspell. Les Misérables, Once, the Lion King, High School Musical, Grease and more.

Paul’s aim in writing I,Nostradamus and planning to see it staged is to share his love of music by telling a fascinating story through his songs; the tale is, at times, confronting, but, as stated in the introduction, it is a production that will not only entertain and amuse, but inspire and uplift. Ultimately it is an affirmation of life and love.