This week George Clinton celebrated his 80th birthday as one of the most beloved and influential musicians of the last fifty years. With his combined Parliament-Funkadelic bands under George’s visionary, nasty and loose leadership the band recorded funk classics and represented a rebel spirit that embraced sex, drugs and organized anarchy. A tremendous crew of singers, musicians and behind the scenes supporters made the P-Funk Mob, on vinyl and on stage, a spectacle that once you heard and saw inflitrated your mind and soul.
The party for George was full of his musical and cultural children — Thundercat, Raphael Saddiq, director Reggie Hudlin, several members of Fishbone, DJ Melissa Weber, radio personality Novena Carmel and Snoop Dogg, and many others. The party’s peak was when DJ Battlecat played a slew of P-Funk hits in lieu of “Happy Birthday,” bringing George, his family and the attendees to the dance floor.
The party brought me back to my first sit down interview with George in, I think, ‘82 or ‘83. It was in the era of “Atomic Dog” and I was a young journalist who’d been going to P-Funk shows since high school. So when I sat down with him I expected a fun, unusual conversation. At one point he asked me if I had a business card. I think I handed him my press pass. George took it, pulled out a small vial, did a one and one and then handed the card back. That’s a memory you don’t forget.
We really a long so well that I invited George to dinner at my favorite Chinese restaurant in midtown Manhattan. I got there early and was at the table when George, and his then wife entered along with an unexpected guest - a small, stuffed monkey. I forget the monkey’s name, but he had his own seat at the table as well as an order of wonton soup. It was another memorable time with George. As a journalist I’ve interviewed thousands of people, but ask me who else I interviewed that year and I probably I could remember a couple if I tried hard. But none of them were George.
That’s just one day back in the ‘80s. George has lived a singular life since he was a barber back in New Jersey in the doo wop era, so there are countless stories that anyone who ever met George has. This were just two of mine.