George Clinton On His Musical Inspirations, Barbershops, and Being Sampled by Rap Artists.
The master of funk, George Clinton. He began his musical career as a teenager when he formed The Parliaments. But in the early 70s, Clinton put together a second group, "Funkadelic," that became enormously influential on the pop music scene. Their 1970 album, "Osmium," set the tone for Clinton's wickedly ecclectic style; songs ranged from metaphysical gospel to country and acid rock. But their big hit came with the album "Mothership Connection." In songs like "Tear the Roof Off the Sucker," "Get Up on the Downstroke" and "Think! It ain't illegal yet," Clinton blended rap with a heavy rhythm line that defined the funk sound and culture. His latest album is "The Cinderella Theory." (Rebroadcast. Original date August 8, 1989.)
Guest
Host
Related Topics
Other segments from the episode on November 7, 1989
Music with a "Backbeat So Strong Even White Folks Couldn't Lose It": The Philadelphia Sound.
Rock historian Ed Ward profiles Leon Huff and Kenny Gamble, creators of the Philadelphia International label -- one of the great black pop record labels of the early '70's.
Violinist Shlomo Mintz.
Violinist Shlomo Mintz. Mintz was born in Moscow and emigrated with his family two years later to Israel. He made his concerto debut at age 11 with Zubin Mehta, and has continued to appear with Mehta each season since. Mintz is considered one of the foremost violinists of this generation.
Frederic Morton Delves Into "Vienna As Spectacle."
Book critic John Leonard reviews "Thunder at Twilight: Vienna 1913-1914" by Frederic Morton. It's a sequel to Morton's previous book about Vienna.
Transcript
Transcript currently not available.
Transcripts are created on a rush deadline, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of Fresh Air interviews and reviews are the audio recordings of each segment.
You May Also like
George Clinton is Following Instead of Leading on New Album.
Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews "The Cinderella Theory," the new album by the master of funk, George Clinton. Clinton began his musical career when he formed The Parliaments. But it's with his densely layered rhythm lines and rap that Clinton has made his mark on music, defining the funk sound and culture. His best-known songs include "Tear the Roof Off the Sucker," "Atomic Dog" and "Think! It ain't illegal yet."
George Clinton On His Musical Inspirations
The master of funk, George Clinton. He began his musical career as a teenager when he formed The Parliament. But in the early 70s, Clinton put together a second group, "Funkadelic," that became enormously influential on the pop music scene. Their 1970 album, "Osmium," set the tone for Clinton's wickedly eclectic style; songs ranged from metaphysical gospel to country and acid rock. But their big hit came with the album "Mothership Connection." In songs like "Tear the Roof Off the Sucker," "Get Up on the Downstroke" and "Think!
Prince Wanted To 'Break The Mold Of The Memoir,' Says His Co-Writer
Dan Piepenbring was selected by Prince to help him write his memoirs, but Prince died shortly after they began working together. Piepenbring edited the new book 'The Beautiful Ones' which includes writings by Prince about his childhood and adolescence, as well as photos, letters, and lyric sheets.