Interview: George Clinton
04.08.15
Before his super-funky show at Seattle’s Neptune Theatre, we were lucky enough to chat with the legendary George Clinton. The funk-master himself shared a few moments, memories, and musings on Kendrick Lamar. Read on for a little insight into the artistry of this intergalactic star.
SMN: Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions for your Seattle audience. I can certainly say that we are excited for you to play our town.
George Clinton: Oh I’m glad to be back.
SMN: You actually answered one of my questions about if you have played Seattle before. I guess in a career that spans so much time you would have come through here. When it comes to Seattle, is there anything in particular that you like to experience, eat, etc.?
GC: Oh, I like to eat some fish down on the Waterfront. I’m just looking forward to getting up there period. We used to play the Paramount back in the old days.
SMN: The Paramount is one of our favorite theaters so we can only imagine what kind of shows you played there.
GC: Well yes sir we had the Mothership in there.
SMN: Hearing you refer to the Mothership is one of the highlights of my life. The first time I heard you I was 13 years old; thank you for influencing my musical taste at such an early age.
GC: You should listen to my new track, “Ain’t That Funkin Kind of Hard” with Kendrick Lamar & Ice Cube.
SMN: I watched it this morning. It is great to see music videos still being made and it is one of the better ones I have seen lately. The song had the classic funk in it, with some newer modern hooks too. So, when it comes to collaboration, I’m sure you have worked with many different artists and so many people have sampled you.
SMN: Looking back, the first name that comes to mind, who is your favorite musician that you have collaborated with?
GC: Oh, that’s a hard one. There’s been so many different styles, so many different you know. I’ve worked a lot with the Digital Underground back in the day, you know, the Humpty Dance. That is one of the best. There is a few people in the band too, Judy Morrison, Bernie Worrell, all of the Funkadelic members.
SMN: It is amazing how many people you have worked with, and reading about the many musicians whom you have worked with or sampled you, it spans not only R&B and Funk, but Rock and Pop music as well.
GC: You know we were on Tupac’s stuff; he was part of the Digital Underground. Then Dre came with the beginning of NWA, like when you see “Straight Outta Compton” over half of the music in it is our songs.
SMN: I’m sure it has been hard to imagine over the years that you have been such an influence on so many modern day icons in their musical genre. Looking back on when you got started, who were your influences?
GC: Well you know, the Motown artists, the Beatles, Ray Charles, I was influenced by pretty much everybody. I was in the Brill Building.where in the 50’s, doo wop and rock and roll first got started. That is where I started writing songs. That is where everyone was, Don Kirshner, Carole King. Everybody worked in that building. I learned to appreciate all kinds and styles of music and figuring out the politics of what is getting played, what is happening, what is going on underground, I pretty much lived there in the 60’s and 70’s.
SMN: Sounds like quite the place to start a career.
GC: It pretty much was the place to see things go up and come down.
SMN: It has been brought to my attention that you are an artist and that you are beginning to exhibit your art.
GC: Oh ya! I have been doodling in art for years. The guys who do our album covers, which has been a big part of our career, has had me doodling in it and stuff. People think it is interesting, I’m color blind.
SMN: You’re color blind?
GC: Yes, I’m color blind.
SMN: Wow, so all of those years that you had that hair, with so many colors in your hair, you really had no idea what color your hair was?
GC: Nope, but if you have enough colors in there, you don’t clash. It is like a box of crayons.
SMN: So you are exhibiting your art, do you have an exhibit open now?
GC: We have one in Jackson, MS right now and we are going to start showing it more in the future.
SMN: What would say is the theme of your art?
GC: I would say Psychadelic Impressionism. Whatever I can recall while going down old timers lane.
SMN: So you did this music video with Kendrick and Ice Cube. Now Kendrick is one of our modern day leaders in his genre.
GC: Now I did that record “Pimp a Butterfly” with him. That record is amazing. He has got something else. Like Donna Summer taking disco into rock, he is going to do the same thing with rap.
SMN: That is quite the endorsement. Now that you have entered the latter stages of your career and you have been carrying the torch of funk for the better part of 40 years, who do you think in the modern music landscape can take the torch into the next generation?
GC: I’m telling you it is going to be Kendrick because he appreciates music and the band that is playing with him…and the rap. He has a really slick band behind him, so it is not just sampling now.
SMN: One more question for you, if you were stuck on a desert island and could only bring one book, one movie, and one album, what it would it be?
GC: Damn! That changes everything. I’m going to bring the movie “Yellow Submarine”, the record is “A Riot’s Going On” by Sly and the Family Stone, and the book is “Mumbo Jumbo” by Ishmael Reed
SMN: George, I can’t appreciate enough the time you have given us to answer some questions. I hope you have a great show and take care!
Interview by Phillip Johnson
