M. J. Parrish

Man Parrish on Heatstroke: When I first started out I was so broke I made this song called "Heatstroke" as a soundtrack for a porno movie. Some DJ had sampled it off the movie, made an acetate, and somebody told me, "Hey they're playing your music at this club." I ran down to the club and all of a sudden my song came on. I asked the DJ, "Wait a minute, where'd you get that record? It's my music." He told me, "That's your music? Come down to the record company, they'll sign you on the spot."

Man Parrish on Hip-Hop Be-Bop: I was doing ambient experimental music before--I was into Brian Eno. There was a place called the Mud Club where he'd hold court and we'd go and listen to him speak in awe. So music had to be art. That's how I approached it--I was more interested in doing art music than pop music. When "Hip Hop" came out, people wanted me to perform it, but I hated it, it wasn't a real song. There was no structure to it. It wasn't real music, it was a piece of audio art. How could people be interested in that?

Man Parrish on Electro: "Planet Rock" and "Hip Hop Bee Bop" weren't made by starving kids in the ghetto with a message, they were made by whiteboys who wanted to party and dance a little.