Today, September 18th, 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of guitar legend Jimi Hendrix’s passing. Though primarily associated with rock music, Jimi incorporated funk, rhythm and blues to create his remarkably complex signature sound. His legacy has influenced numerous artists across many genres including dance music. He is one of the most recognizable musicians of the modern era; his face gracing everything from t-shirts and mugs to cushions and murals.
To commemorate this special day, I have decided to share a photo album of my experience at Jimi Hendrix’s 40th anniversary in London, England. (see link below):
“Axis: Bold as Love” (1967) was the first album of his I listened to. I was absolutely floored by the richness of textures, soundscapes and lyrics. Quite frankly, I’d never heard anything like it! Jimi Hendrix took me on a journey of self-discovery whose effects resonate within my soul today. As a Black man, Jimi shook the lily-White rock establishment, placing himself at the apex with a bold act of cultural reclamation. Rock music evolved from early rhythm and blues artists such as SisterRosetta Tharpe, Little Richard and Ike Turner, who never got commercial recognition as pioneers of this artform due to institutionalized racism.
Hendrix was fortunate to have worked with many gifted artists and pioneered innovative techniques such as the instrumental usage of feedback and the wah-wah pedal. “Electric Ladyland” (1968) is a sprawling testament to his genius, recorded during a chaotic period of personnel disputes and inner conflict with career goals and his hard-partying lifestyle.
The Band of Gypsys was a band unlike any other. Comprised of bassist Billy Cox and drummer Buddy Miles, their brand of funk-laced rock produced one of the best concerts of all time (Live At The Fillmore East). Furthermore, they were an all-Black rock band – something virtually unheard of at that time. Unfortunately, their success was short-lived but their futuristic legacy lives on for anyone brave enough to pick up where they left off.
As an Afro-Indigenous musician of Native American ancestry, Hendrix proudly embraced his Cherokee heritage, evidenced by his choice of turquoise jewellery, fringed jackets and moccasins during iconic performances such as Woodstock (1969). In an era of police brutality and Black Lives Matter, Jimi is the embodiment of two marginalized groups united in the fight against racial injustice in North America. He raised political consciousness amongst youth of his generation with anti-war classic “Machine Gun” and his rebellious rendition of “Star-Spangled Banner.”
His untimely death raised many questions which may never be answered but the Electric Gypsy’s inimitable style lives on in our hearts and minds. Be Bold As Love from this day forth!
Afrofuturism is hot. Ever since “Black Panther” clawed its way to box-office glory with a killer soundtrack by Kendrick Lamar, the concept has taken feverish hold on a growing fanbase. In the heady rush to capitalize on this trend, let us take time to appreciate Parliament-Funkadelic, the phenomenally futuristic acid-funk-rock-proto-punk-band with a history so vast that it cannot be contained in a single blogpost. Here is a band teeming with enough inspiration to inspire future generations. As pioneers, these exceptionally talented musicians, showmen and show-women were truly ahead of their time. Some of us are only now catching up to them. Others never will but that’s alright. P-Funk knew exactly who they were playing to.
For much of my life, I’ve been familiar with smash hits such as Atomic Dog, One Nation Under a Groove and Tear The Roof Off The Sucker. But I knew nothing about P-Funk mythology until I spied Wax Poetics Issue 18 in a record store on Queen St. West in 2006. My interest was piqued by the animated figures of the band on the cover, (Mothership and all!) created by hip-hop sculptor Jean-Yves Blanc so I bought the magazine. It turned out to be an entertaining mix of archival photos, artwork and interviews with various band members and collaborators but most of all, it gave me clear insight into The Funk Mob spirit. Therefore, photos and references in my blogpost have been extrapolated from Wax Poetics Issue 18 — a rarity since it is now out-of-print.
Peep this photo of The Parliaments taken in 1966. Now try to reconcile that with the wildly colourful elder statesmen of funk we know now. If Sun-Ra was the godfather of musical Afrofuturism then George Clinton is the high-priest!
The Parliaments l to r: Ray Davis, Calvin Simon, Fuzzy Haskins, Grady Thomas, George Clinton
Equally mindblowing is that in the early 70’s, Parliament-Funkadelic briefly relocated to Toronto, Canada. They even played gigs at The Hawk’s Nest which was located at 333 Yonge St. just north of Dundas. On The Robin Seymour show that aired from Windsor in the 60’s, the band used to wild out during their live performance and smoke ganja onstage in a hooka. After glimpsing their appearance on the show in a documentary, I realized that The Parliaments were Black artists that had given birth to punk a decade before it came to prominence through their unique interpretation of performance art that was previously thought to be the domain of hippies and privileged White artists. You could say they were…blippies! P-Funk were far-out, freakishly gifted and too funked-up to care what the mainstream thought. They had embarked on the trip of a lifetime and there was no stopping the souped-up funkateers, on course to make their collective mark on music history.
I could spend days speaking of Maggot Brain and what Eddie Hazel‘s searing guitar solo did to my brain cells. Or Bootsy Collins‘ larger than life Starchild persona. Or raving that Alice In My Fantasies is one of the greatest rock songs ever recorded. What’s the point? Just listen and experience greatness for yourself.
There is no question that the P-Funk multiverse consists of deeply intelligent beings, many playing the role of cosmic clowns in order to get their message of psychic liberation across. Parallel dimensions await people of all colours to “free your mind and your ass will follow!” The Mothership is really a metaphor for the vehicular mind freed from mental slavery. A mind set loose from its artificial moorings can traverse throughout the universe, to places many would not believe possible. Parliament-Funkadelic knew this and embraced cosmic philosophy in their branding strategies and outlandish performances.
My sole criticism of Issue 18 is input should have been included from the leading ladies of P-Funk’s empire, like Brides of Funkenstein’s Dawn Silva and Lynn Mabry. They are still touring and I’m sure they have many interesting tales to tell about their experiences as women in a band notorious for their outlandish antics.
Parliament-Funkadelic knew the masses could only handle small doses of G-(alactic) tonic. So they diluted and spoonfed listeners bit by bit, ensuring to disguise the medicine in polychromatic layers of highbrow silliness, yet retaining the strength of the message in their art. Of course, what they were really creating went over a lot of people’s heads because their stage act and marketing ploys were so outrageous but they didn’t care! Top notch is the donkey taking a dump on the steps of Royal Albert Hall to promote “Free Your Mind and Your Ass Will Follow” in 1971. Apparently, the donkey was telepathically attuned to the band’s desire to overcome institutionalized racism – and made its contribution to the cause. Which in turn caused outrage from the stuffy British establishment while busting down barriers so the band could successfully tour Europe to sold-out crowds.
Through all of the internal squabbles, financial difficulties, drug abuse and inevitable losses, Parliament-Funkadelic succeeded in their mission because they knew it would take at least another 60 years for people to have that aha moment.
Pedro Bell’s insightfully artistic rendition of P-Funk positions them as galactic beings on a mission to bring funk to the masses
Having been recently honoured at the Grammys with a Lifetime Achievement Award in May 2019 and wrapping up a farewell tour for George simultaneously, it’s great to see Parliament-Funkadelic getting industry recognition that ‘s long overdue. Obviously, Afrofuturists can’t rely on the wilfully blind to show us the way because often, by the time they come around, our gifted professors have long flown ship.
Whether you can believe it or not, Parliament-Funkadelic is in fact, a front for futuristic entities to show the dispossessed a way out of their personal funk. They found music to be a far more effective method of preaching to the population and they exploited that angle to the hilt. So what we have 62 years later is a living, breathing legacy that is still influencing next-gen musicians tapping into this dynamic, trans-dimensional lifeline. Despite old wounds, love remains among some surviving members, which was evident during their performance at the 2019 Grammys.
The world famous P-Funk Mothership
Wax Poetics Issue 18 is the definitive guide on the history of Parliament-Funkadelic, albeit in condensed form. It blows the cover off their delirious disguise and exposes them for what they really are and it may even blow your mind as well.
Kudos to Andre Torres, Matt Rogers, Edward Hill, Dante Carfagna and Richard Edson for your outstanding contributions to making Issue 18 a stellar example of music journalism.
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