"Good evening. Do not attempt to adjust your radio. There is nothing wrong. We have taken control as to bring you this special show and we will return it to you as soon as you are grooving..."

So say the first words of the now classic album "Mothership Connection" by Parliament. I first heard them back in grade school and have been hooked ever since.

The one who said those words was George Clinton aka "Star Child" aka "Dr. Funkenstein" aka "Maggot Overlord." Little did I know when I heard that first song entitled "P Funk" that I would one day have a lifetime pass on the Mothership, which will land at 8 p.m. tonight at The Rave.

That was back in '75 and I'm still riding today. You can keep your Beatles, Stones and Led Zeppelin. You can make my funk the P Funk.

In case you've been living in a box under an overpass since 1975, "P Funk" stands for a combination of "Parliament" and "Funkadelic." Those are two separate bands were powerhouses on two different record labels back in the '70s. You might not recognize the names of the bands or any of their songs, but I'll bet you've heard some of their music. If you are a fan of current rap, then for surely you've heard it. P Funk is sampled constantly.

George Clinton is the man behind most of the madness. He was the one in charge of all the record deals off stage and all the cosmic insanity on it. The group(s) were famous for having amazing live shows highlighted by an actual space ship landing in the arena with George inside. It was pure spectacle and nothing like it had ever been done.

I have no idea why I liked it all so much but as a kid, I was hooked immediately. There's no reason a white boy from Milwaukee should have such a strong funk gene, but I do. I can remember seeing a James Brown performance on TV when I was about six or seven and having a light go on. My grandparents thought I was possessed by the devil, but I just knew there was something about that music that I liked. It had to be the funk. It still does.

James Brown was one of the "Holy Trinity: of funksters. The other two were Sly Stone and George Clinton. George created Parliament / Funkadelic, but also had help from many others and there is also a P Funk Holy Trinity. They are George Clinton, Bootsy Collins (who got his start as a bassist with Brown) and Bernie Worrell. Those are the three who teamed up on the biggest albums and hits.

I've been following the whole soap opera since I first heard the "Mothership Connection" album and it's been a lifetime of trying to piece together information. P Funk has a strong cult following but -- much like The Grateful Dead or Frank Zappa -- they always seemed to operate outside the mainstream. It was a challenge to keep up with everything in the years before the Web. It's easy now.

There have been recordings under many record labels using many aliases, but it's all the same core of musicians and George heads it all up. He's the maestro and it's been a long and impressive roster that includes Parliament, Funkadelic, Bootsy's Rubber Band, The Brides of Funkenstein, Parlet, P-Funk All Stars, The Horny Horns and a few more, too (and that doesn't even consider the nearly 20-year career Clinton had before "Mothership" came out in 1975). And I love them all.

 Page 1 of 3 

Next >>

4 comments about this article. Post a comment / write a review.

Recent Talkbacks ...