SOUNDTRACK: GEORGE CLINTON & THE P-FUNK ALL STARS-Tiny Desk Concert #697 (January 24, 2018).
George Clinton is famous for being from outer space and for bringing the funk. That was a pretty long time ago. He’s now 77, but he still has the energy and the passion, although it is weird to see him looking so…normal.
He’s just got on a cool coat–no colored dreadlocks, no dresses or sequins. But he still holds a room’s attention.
P-Funk’s lineage runs 50-plus years. From The Parliaments to Funkadelic to Parliament Funkadelic to the P-Funk All Stars, George Clinton has conducted the mothership as a reliable father figure. When he commands you to “put a glide in your stride and a dip in your hip, and come on up to the Mothership,” he’s presenting to you the first law of Funktonian physics. We at NPR pledged our groovellegiance when he and his P-Funk All Stars touched down to bless the Tiny Desk.
I love that Clinton has kept the spirit and familial nature of P-Funk alive all these years:
Clinton has brought his own bloodline into the most recent lineup of P-Funk: His grandchildren are the newest backup singers, while another grandchild serves as tour manager. Though this was a much smaller outfit than their traditional stage shows — no horn section, no dancers, no Sir Nose D’Voidoffunk — the extended family was also in full effect. Garrett Shider on rhythm guitar, filling in for his late father, Garry Shider, aka Starchild. Even original trumpeter Bennie Cowan, who still tours with the group but didn’t make it to the Tiny Desk, typically plays alongside his son Benzel on drums. Blackbyrd McKnight and Lige Curry cement the foundation as elder statesmen who’ve been rocking with Clinton since 1978.
They play three songs. I don’t know how much Clinton sang back in the day–was he the lead singer or just a bringer of the funk? But in “Standing On The Verge Of Getting It On” most of the vocals are chanted and sung by the backing vocalists (Tonysha Nelson, Patavian Lewis, and Tairee Parks). Clinton is more like the hype man–getting everyone worked up, clapping and making noise. Rhythm guitarist Garrett Shider takes a lead vocal, keeping the funk going. The song is big and the riff is great and the funk is entirely in the house. Dwayne Blackbyrd McKnight plays an awesome funky guitar throughout the Concert.
“One Nation Under A Groove” is a more mellow (relatively), smoother song. I love the guitar sound, and there’s some suitably funky and retro-sounding keyboards from Danny Bedrosian.
“Give up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)” is the real classic. Clinton is really into this one–dancing and clapping and the bass by Lige Curry and drums by Benzel Cowan are terrific.
He may not have the interstellar look, but Clinton still has the funk.
[READ: October 25, 2017] Birthright: Volume Five
This is the first Birthright volume that I didn’t love. There was a lot of demon head ripping off and tentacles and splatters. Fire and blood and gore, but not a lot of coherent action.
It started out quite good with Rya’s back story. We see her as a baby on a battlefield being rescued by, of all creaturs…an orc. He told her of the prophecy to defeat Lore. And then she met young Mikey and “knew that the prophecy was a load of razorbeast dung.”
Then we see Mikey quickly develop into the man he is–and then disappear. It was rumored he was killed but then Kallista gave away that he was still alive. That made Rya really mad. (more…)
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I’ve had Parliament’s Greatest Hits since like 1990. I have a couple Funkadelic albums. I am in no way a huge fan, but I’ve always liked them and I’ve always thought that George Clinton was a pretty great guy. I realize 100% that the P-Funk heyday was literally decades ago. And of course I knew that any P-Funk concert in 2023 was going to be an imitation of what the band(s) got up to back in the day.
I saw Okilly Dokilly open for Mac Sabbath last summer. The show was bizarre for sure.
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