Influences And Recollections of a Musical Mind

I have a distinct memory of being in roll room in high school and overhearing some girls talking about Parliament/Funkadelic and George Clinton. They sounded like the female versions of myself and my friends when we talked about Kiss. It took me a number of years to really explore Clinton’s funk empire and his genius in full, but I came to realize that P-Funk was basically the black Kiss, in that they tapped into the big show mentality and connected with their target audience in pretty much the same way that Kiss did. I chose this album (released in 1977 when I was in high school) primarily because of the songs Flash Light and Bop Gun, but any of Clinton’s myriad projects would have been an acceptable substitute. Between George, Bootsy Colling, Bernie Worrell, and the revolving cast of outrageously costumed musicians and singers that contributed their unique talents, George Clinton forged a funk dynasty that influenced countless artists from then until the present day and will continue far into the funky future. I was late to the party, but better late than never!

Written By Braddon S. Williams