Born in Adelaide, Paul moved to Canberra aged three. Growing up, he describes himself as being painfully shy and a "bit of a loner". He describes painting as his first love, and only started performing at the age of 25 because he needed money to buy canvases. "It was either that or waiting on tables and I thought I'd soon get pissed off with people doing that," he says. He has one son, Xavier, with his partner Melissa Lyne.