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[miles]

Any fans here?  I love the output from the 70s.  Some of my favorite music.  It's not that I don't like the recent stuff from George Clinton, I just haven't heard much of it.

I'm going to see him in May.  Has anyone seen him recently, say, within the last 5 years?  Does he play some old Parliament/Funkadelic stuff, or is it all new stuff?  I'm looking forward to it, just want to know what to expect.  I can't seem to find any recent setlists.

[Limmo]

Maggot Brain is one of my all-time favorite albums, and I'm very fond of Standing On the Verge.  Parliament: like them in small doses.  

Saw them twice in 89-90.  No idea what a current set would be like.

[jough]

I'm a "Mothership Connection" man myself.  Gotta have that funk.

[miles]

Maggot Brain is George Clinton's finest moment.  And so early in his career.  It is also one of my all-time favorites.  I like most of the stuff from the 70s.

The most recent setlist I found was for the Atlanta Olympics, and it looked like they played a lot of old stuff.  But even if it isn't as good as it would have been back then (and it won't be, I'm sure), part of the experience is just seeing George Clinton.

[slink]

Have to say, I've never really listened to George Clinton. I always get the feeling I listen to Herbie Hancock instead...

[arkabee]

without using the word "funk", can someone explain to me the accomplishments of George Clinton at a personal level rather than a "big picture" how he affected music level?

[Limmo]

George Clinton is not particularly talented as a musician, singer or dancer.  However, he seems to accrete a layer of musicians around him who can play the-genre-of-music-that-I'm-not-allowed-to-mention-but-it-starts-with-an-F, pull amazing music out of them, and then layer his own weirdness over the top.  

I noticed this when I saw him for the first time ( NYC 1989, after sets by De La Soul and Ofra Haza ).  The band came out onstage and played for a few minutes, and it was cool.  And then GC came onstage, and by merely walking up front and silently waving his hands back and forth while making the Dio horns with his fingers, the electricity level in the room jumped.   He had a a kind of gravitational pull around him that brought out the TGOMTINATOMBISWAF in the other players.

Then they played for something like four hours straight.

[arkabee]

oh.  ok, that makes sense.

[miles]

I just got back from my trip where I saw them, and it was actually really great.  I didn't expect much, so I guess that helped.  They played a lot of stuff I know and love, some stuff I didn't know but now love, and very little that I didn't care for.

George didn't come out on stage for quite some time.  When he finally made his entrance, the crowd didn't react so much, because the musicians were so fuck*ng phenomenal, and so fun to watch.  I mean, that guitarist in the diaper!  The attractive female vocalists who could seriously move!  The dude who sang a bit, changed outfits a millions times, and kicked a lot!  The homeless looking dude just standing there!  Sir Nose D'Voidoffunk!  BERNIE fuck*ng WORRELL!!  It was a lot of fun.  Don't get me wrong, it was great to have George up there, and it made it more fun.  But if he hadn't shown his face, it still would have been a fuck*ng good time.

Also, Limmo: I had thought that Clinton got his start as a vocalist, and was at least competent.  And I also thought that he was a particularly good songwriter/arranger.  Was I wrong?

[Limmo]

perhaps i gave the man less credit than he deserves.

or perhaps not.

i haven't made an extensive study of the situation.