Detail from Parliament's Mothership Connection (1975) |
I've long expressed my enthusiasm for "funk" music and afro-futuristic imaginings. These approaches to creative expression combine a wacky playfulness with a legitimate critique of social biases, hiding subversive countercultural values under a veneer of gaudy caprice.
One of the masters of this style is George Clinton. The creative leader of Parliament-Funkadelic, he brought an innovative approach to African-American music. Simultaneously impertinent and inspired, his music could lift the mind up to the stars with a funky rhythm.
So, since he was born on this date in 1941, let's wish George Clinton a Happy Birthday!
Detail from the cover of Funkadelic's Maggot Brain (1971) |
Can you dig it?