Everything’s All Funked Up

So I’m chilling out, listening to some old school hip-hop, surfing the net and browsing my e-mails, when I get one from my editor. The subject line read: “George Clinton Interview!!!”

Of course I hit the button on that one because I wasn’t too sure I read it right. I opened it, and there it was. “Marcus, I've got an interview with George Clinton if you want it. Let me know ASAP.”

I thought, are you kidding me?

Let’s keep it real for a sec, what music journalist wouldn’t want to interview the Atomic Dog, The Prime Minister of Funk, Dr. Funkenstein, and the man who put a nation under a groove.

George Clinton has been producing music since before I was born. He started out as a staff songwriter for Motown Records. Inspired to create his own group in Plainfield, New Jersey by the doo-wop group Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, and being influenced by the many soul artists who created the legendary Motown sound, he created his own doo-wop group The Parliaments. The band recorded several songs, but found little success besides the single “Testify” in 1967, which went as high as #3 on the Billboard R & B Charts.

Yet, he wasn’t deterred. Clinton just didn’t believe the people were ready for what he had to give. Clinton knew the music he produced would be different than any that had been heard before. Clinton watched as rock & roll groups and other soul artists cashed in on the attitude of the 60’s, including the Vietnam War and Civil Rights Movement.

In the early 70’s, The Parliaments became Parliament, but after Revilot Records folded and took name with it, he pioneered another group, originally the back-up band for Parliament, called Funkadelic, which was composed of a lot of the same members, the groups were later collectively known as P-Funk, as both groups spent the decade bringing the R&B world a new sound. The bands made most of their music in the Motor City, seeking to find a level of excitement for it out of the Motown home-base. Clinton and both bands, which were influenced by artists like Sly and the Family Stone, Jimi Hendrix, as well as Cream, added a more electronic sound to their music. The new sound was a prescription for a nation of people entranced by blaxplotation films, disco and the Black Power Movement.

While artists such as Isaac Hayes and Curtis Mayfield focused on theme styled R&B, as Stevie Wonder and Earth, Wind and Fire spread love, Clinton and his bands brought forth a unique sound with the albums “Cosmic Slop” and “Up For The Down Stroke.” Both albums held a significant position on the Billboard R &B charts, cracking the top 100. Yet, the bands still achieved less success of than some of their peers.

In 1978, P-Funk continued to break ground on the music scene, and released the earthquake album “One Nation Under A Groove” and making an impact on the disco hungry masses. The album included hits “Flashlight and the title track “One Nation Under A Groove,” which brought massive success, as both songs achieved the number one spot on Billboard’s R&B Chart, as well as ranking #16 and #29, respectively, on Billboard’s United States Top 100 Singles chart. The album is also #177 on Rolling Stones Magazine’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

However, during the 1980’s, Clinton went solo, and usually featured members of the P-Funk crew. Clinton recorded the songs “Loopzilla” and “Atomic Dog,” which both garnered high rankings on the R&B charts. Both songs continued the tradition of the Funk, which Clinton bands had made so famous.

Clinton continued to make music, but soon that music would effect a whole new generation of listeners and musicians. Clinton’s musical influence has had an impact of the careers of famous musicians such as Prince, Rick James and Queen.

In the 1990’s, Clinton’s P-Funk sound was being sampled, and made a significant impact on another whole genre of music. The basslines and rhythms of Clinton’s P-Funk bands were sampled and became the core part of hip-hop music. Artists such as Public Enemy, Dr. Dre, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, X-Clan, Digital Underground and Outkast have all made Clinton’s music a major part of their albums by sampling his music.

Clinton is the second most sampled artist in the world. His music’s pioneering sound has made a difference for countless musicians, and prompted numerous spin-off bands. His contribution to hip-hop music is immeasurable, and can only be rivaled by the late James Brown.

At 67 years old, Clinton pilots his music vessel like Magellan, weaving his craft from country to country, state to state, funking up everything in his path. It took me a while to catch the Mothership docked, and over a two week period he had been to more ports than I could count.

Once I caught up with him, I could see why almost four decades of musicians rode along with him on his fantastic, Funk voyage.

After I thanked him for his eternal contribution to my life as well as my musical enjoyment, we got into it:

NB: Damn! What’s it like to be Admiral George Clinton, master and commander of the Funk Mothership?

GC: It’s the same ole same. I keep funkin’. I mean, I’m blessed because I had lot people help me do what I did. Know what I’m sayin’? If you look at the way my music has come full circle, hip-hop has made it more popular than ever. The way they sampling it makes me continue to be who I am. I look at other artists and say to myself wow look at them, like Rakim, Dr. Dre and them. I mean I listen to them, and it’s still going.

NB: C’mon man, during your early years you were a staff writer at Motown, they were making seminal rhythm and blues—just exactly when did you get that first funky feeling.

GC: We wanted to make something raw. I realized I couldn’t I was doing, if hadn’t been for other people. I watched other big artists come back and hang on the block and they weren’t stars anymore. They were just regular people, so that gave me incentive to believe in what I was doing and just keep going on that path. I realized I could be that type of person too. I tried to make sure that I didn’t stop.

NB: Did you ever expect the Funk to mesmerize a nation.

GC: Man, being in Detroit made hell of difference in what I was doing. When I wrote music for Motown, I felt that strong. I saw how people felt about the Beatles. Other Rock & Roll had not been as accepted, and it took a while for people to embrace it. I hoped my music to be that way. I didn’t think it was that way at first because of Rock & Roll. I pretty much jumped up on Jimi Hendrix, and they were doing the exact same things, and for some reason they couldn’t make it a part of the mainstream.

NB: How did the death of JB(James Brown) affect you.

GC: It was a surprise to me. Bootsy(Collins) did a lot of work with him. Even though we didn’t work together at Motown. It was the competition that kept both of us going. I mean between him and me, we tried to affect the people. He did it his way, and I did it mine, so it was sad, and surprising to see him go.

NB: Bro, you made so much music. If you had to name a song that put you on the map, what would it be.

GC: I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t name one. I mean, “Free your mind,” that album we did in one day in the studio. In 24 hours. We wanted just a raw, psychedelic album to come out of the studio. It was something that we didn’t expect, but I always knew doing what I’m doing would eventually be something. I just kept funkin’. I knew it would eventually happen.

NB: When I was a shorty, my Uncle owned a record shop, and I wasn’t old enough to read heavy words yet, but I remembered album covers, and whenever I heard the funk, I looked to tha red, black and green flag on One Nation, and felt good about my Dashiki.

GC: Well, it was always my intention to make something different. We wanted the music to be raw. We didn’t think the people would be ready for it, but we knew it would get some type of acceptance. That’s the sound we’ were trying to bring. So it had a lot to do with the times, but now a whole new generation has made it more than I expected. These guys who make hip-hop do some amazing things so it only adds to the total power of the music.

NB: Man, I heard you’re turnin’ the people out on the We-Funk Tour which has more than 30 dates, how you holding up. I mean, that’s a lot of damn dates for anybody.

GC: I feel more at home when I’m on the road than when I’m at home. I don’t feel right when I’m in one place like that unless it’s the studio. The road is home for me. I been doing like this for years, and it’s the only way I could do it. It’s gives me energy to be out there performing in front of the fans, feeling the love. They provide the energy I need. I feed off it. It keeps me going.

NB: You let people record your joints at live shows for non-commercial use, what made you do that? There’s a lot of artists with your stature that absolutely don’t allow it, aren’t you worried about bootlegging.

GC: Man, the Grateful Dead showed the way. They proved to me that you can have taping of your shows and it doesn’t affect your fan base at all. It only adds to what you’re trying to do. I mean, the Dead gave all their music away at shows, and the fans followed them around the world. That’s the power of music, and that power doesn’t diminish because you let people tape your shows it only makes it better. You don’t necessarily need the radio, The only people who might not like it are the record companies. And I been in a fight with them over the rights for my music for awhile now, so whatever, man.

NB: You popped off your own label, C Kunspyruhzy, and have released your first studio album in ten years. How the people feelin’ it?

GC: People love the new music, and it hasn’t even been on the radio. I found that you don’t really need the radio because the street is where it’s at. With hip-hop and all that’s connected, the street is where you get the most impact. So staying close to the street with our music, and what hip hop has done has made a huge impact. People are always looking for the next funk. People give me love on the music because they just keep wanting more.

NB: There was a time when radio stations wouldn’t give you any air-play, which necessitated the P-Funk origin. Now all of a sudden your songs won’t stay out of mainstream media whether it’s sampled, movies or video.

GC: Now, we get more airplay. But it ain’t necessary. It’s still going. When I started making music, I saw what rock n roll was doing and didn’t think we would have the impact right away, but I knew it would be years later before the full impact would be felt. People were feeling Jimi Hendrix and James(Brown) from the beginning, but it took some time for others to come around, which is what I expected for us, and I wanted us to get in like that.

NB: You been Admiral of the Mothership of Funk for more than 30 years, you bleed funk, bro, what else has been fuel for your Mothership.

GC: Pussy and drugs. They keep wanting more and I keep trying to give it to them. We’ve got reality show coming up on BET(Black Entertainment Television), which is in pre-production. It’s gonna be a show about me and the band as well as new artists who will be battling for a spot to open for us on the next tour. We’re gonna show people what the process is behind sampling and how much other cats pay for it, and what it’s like to roll with the funk. The name of the new show will be “Somebody Let the Monkey Out The Cage.”

NB: What’s next after We Funk Tour for the Funk legend?

GC: After the tour, we’ll be doing the reality show, and then going back on tour. I’m excited to do it. I just keep going. This music thing is all I’m about. I mean, I got some other artists I’m looking to develop and making the label bigger. After I finish dealing with all the court cases, then I’m really looking to let loose.

NB: Man, it was great kickin’ it with you like this. I wish you were performing near me so I could peep the new style.

GC: Man, sounds like you need to get funked up. Come on down and take a ride.

NB: Man, I might have to do that. That’s real.