George

January 5, 2015
Clinton, the far-left-of-center mastermind behind the Parliament-Funkadelic universe, is one of the great outliers of American culture, a homegrown visionary who pulled together R&B, psychedelic rock, pop and experimental music to begat his own idiosyncratic, and massively influential, version of funk. Now in his early 70s, Clinton has been in the game from doo-wop to hip-hop; his own unmistakable contributions reflecting a boundary-free imagination stoked by obsessions with science fiction, societal unease and personal freedom. Collaborating with Greenman, a New Yorker contributor and R&B authority, Clinton recounts, with clearheaded vigor, an absorbing story of early scuffling, slow but steady success, and restless artistic experimentation, in counterpoint with darker tales of drug addiction and inevitable legal wrangling. While we get considerable insight into the workings of an inclusive musical mind unfettered by limitations, what is conspicuously missing is an authentic sense of Clinton's outrageous humor and radical worldview. How can the artist who brought us "Maggot Brain" come off so well behaved?

October 15, 2014
Uncle Jam's funkadactic crusade continues in a book that, though less rollicking than a fan might expect, still kicks it. "When I'm asked about something serious, I try to make jokes because deep down, I know that I don't know what the fuck I'm talking about." Thus says Clinton, the mastermind behind Parliament/Funkadelic, aka P-Funk, and the author of such classics as "Maggot Brain" and "The Electric Spanking of War Babies." It's not exactly Socrates's "I know only that I know nothing," but Clinton is a born, if rough-speaking, philosopher, as when he allows that, though he's not so inclined, he never minded playing with gay musicians: "I don't give a fuck who he's fucking. Can he drum?" Clinton, with a helpful hand from pop ghost Greenman (co-author of Questlove's Mo' Meta Blues, 2013), recounts coming up on gritty East Coast streets, where, in between working as a barber, he engaged in various felonious acts while seeking fame on the Motown funway. That changed with his "introduction to three important letters: L-S-D," along with the recruitment of players such as Eddie Hazel and later William "Bootsy" Collins, who took R&B, mixed it with rock, turned it into funk, and then took the whole enterprise into outer space. (Clinton opens with an anecdote in which Mylar space suits figure prominently.) Sadly-but fittingly, as it turns out-Clinton's tale begins to limp halfway in, as acid-funk glory slowly begins to erode in the face of one lawsuit after another. He closes in the glow of a comfortable semiretirement tinged with a hint of sadness: "Kids today don't know the difference between me and Snoop Dogg, or me and Stevie Wonder. Everybody who's old is old." Though sometimes too slow and a touch, well, normal, Clinton's memoir proves a treat for the many who love his work.

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October 15, 2014

Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Clinton (b. 1941) is best known as the man behind the funk bands Parliament and Funkadelic, and his music has assured him a lasting legacy as one of the seminal figures in R&B. Clinton was born in North Carolina but raised in New Jersey in the 1950s. His autobiography (written with Greenman, coauthor of Questlove's Mo' Meta Blues) follows the almost standard trajectory of hardscrabble upbringing, academic trouble, professional struggle, success, excess, drugs, lawyers, downfall, and renewal. However, Clinton was involved in so much music and with so many key musicians that the anecdotes are plentiful, and the description of his development from doo-wop to soul to funk is fascinating reading. The prolific Clinton wisely includes a discography and a "sampleology." VERDICT Clinton ruled the world of funk, and he produced music that may be among the most sampled. This is his story in rich detail. P-funk fans rejoice! [See Prepub Alert, 4/14/14.]--Bill Baars, Lake Oswego P.L., OR

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2014
Parliament-Funkadelic genius and guru Clinton has done everything at maximum-warp intensity, from running a New Jersey barber shop to making revolutionary music to doing drugs to getting blindsided by managerial financial malfeasance. This seminal songwriter, performer, bandleader, producer, founder of the funk nation, pilot of the Mothership, and creator of such hits as Flash Light and One Nation under a Groove tells the mind-blowing story of how and why his artistic mission transcended musical and racial categories. He vividly recounts his mining of doo-wop, R&B, soul, rock and roll, and rap to forge psychedelic funk and its gleefully mischievous mythology mixing science fiction, cartoons, ribald humor, and a call for uplift, freedom, and peace. He also shares his exceptionally astute analysis of the evolution of pop music. Adeptly assisted by New Yorker editor and writer Greenman, Clinton reveals the tumultuous and trippy adventures behind his influential albums, record labels, and dynamic collaborations with the likes of Bootsy Collins and Sly Stone. Clinton's irrepressible spirit, eloquence, and musical acumen flow full-force through this candid, hilarious, outrageous, poignant, and resounding chronicle of perpetual creativity and hope.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)