Interview with George Clinton

November 2012 issue

Words: Seth Lyda  |  Photos: Dan Florez  

“I always listened to whatever I would hear parents say ‘that ain’t music.’ That’s when I would know that it was something to pay attention to.”

George Clinton, photo by Dan Florez

George Clinton is the funkiest man on the planet. That said, I’m not entirely sure he’s from this planet. Clinton recently performed at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall and surprisingly took the stage without his signature dreadlocks. But hey, dreadlocks or not, the dude still has it. With a start in the 1960’s Doo Wop group The Parliaments, his career has spanned six decades, releasing more than 40 hit singles, and becoming one of the definitive forefathers of funk along the way. I was lucky enough to have a chance to talk with the Rock n Roll Hall of Famer, and he dropped some funkin’ knowledge on me.

Clinton chronologically describes his musical evolution as going from Doo Wop to Motown, then to Psychedelic, before finally landing on that signature Funkadelic sound. “With Bootsy, Fred Wesley, and Maceo Parker, we just kept merging with other sounds. By the time we got to Atomic Dog, we were influencing hip hop. Funk is the DNA of hip hop.” He went on to say his tastes have “come full circle. As a matter of fact, I just did a bunch of doo wop just recently. It’s all relative; funk, doo wop, to the blues, rock n roll, jazz, it’s all that rhythm. So I’ve been doing a lot of flavors of it…it’s all music to me.”

At age 70, George has collaborated with a multifarious group of talent over the years, and his influence captivates even the unlikeliest of audiences; ranging from The Red Hot Chili Peppers to legendary hip hoppers Chuck D and Ice Cube. Having worked with John Lennon, Tupac, and everybody in between; Clinton has been around the musical world. And even though his stylings have evolved throughout the years, his approach toward music has never wavered. “I always listened to whatever I would hear parents say ‘that ain’t music.’ That’s when I would know that it was something to pay attention to.”

Clinton’s vast catalog of music has been sampled by countless musicians; most notably Snoop Dogg’s smash hit “What’s My Name?” However, he’s still having trouble collecting royalties. Because of this, Clinton is currently at the forefront of the battle to change current copyright laws. “They need to have some checks and balances on how people can come in and just copyright things and alter history. They wanna change something out of someone’s name, and they’re not notifying people. Corporations like BMI and ASCAP, that you would think would be trying to help, they’re becoming part of the problem, and they’re involved with criminal activity.”

Dr. Funkenstein is staying busy in 2012. Amongst all the touring, he was presented with an honorary doctorate from the Berklee College of Music, and also plans on working closely with MixMine; a company designed to help up-and-coming artists. He offers this advice to musicians “Check out the internet, and check it out independently, and get used to it. This shit is the way of the future. Record companies are just grabbing up properties now, because they know they won’t be able to get away with it much longer. Just do it yourself over the internet, even if you have to put it on YouTube. You can get a lot of fresh stuff from YouTube.”

As for what’s next for George Clinton, he’s got a new project coming out with Sly Stone, and another with Alion Craft. “I’ve been working with Sly Stone right now. Working on some nice stuff, and you’re gonna be seeing it any minute. With Alion Craft, that’s a funky piece. They’re friends of mine from back in the Atlanta, and it should also be coming out pretty soon.”

Parliment Funkadelic.