QLS Classic: Bootsy Collins (Part 2)

In part 2 of 2, Bootsy talks about his partnership with George Clinton, what he was doing night-fishing in the Bermuda Triangle and becoming Bootzilla.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Of Course Love Supreme is a production of I Heart Radio.
This classic episode was produced by the team at Pandora.
Previously on k l S Classic with Booty Collins, he
told us about growing up in Cincinnati, Ohio, me and
his idol James Brown, and James Brown taking him under
his wing, taking him all the way to Africa to

(00:21):
see failer, and then coming back to build the p
Funk Empire. You do not want to miss part two
of the Bootsy Column episode q LS y'all q LS
Classic to be a matter of fact, Okay, what are

(00:41):
we gonna do now? You know, because I knew that
was it. You know, it's like, we gotta go. So
we're sitting on the bus, we all the whole band
sitting on the bus, you know, looking at each other
on trailway, I know, with trail trailway bus man, and

(01:06):
you know, we're looking at each other. And then they're
looking at me like, okay, well we're gonna do now.
Since you went in there and you know you and
and so you know, that was whin me out. I
started feeling like, dag, what are we gonna do? So
the next thing came to my mind is you're gonna

(01:29):
go to Cincinnati. You're gonna practice, You're gonna get in
that basement, you're gonna practice, you're gonna get tight, and
you're gonna go to Detroit, you know, and see what happens.
Because you know that's what we were into, taking people's gigs.
You know, you may Motown could sign us. We actually,
let me tell you why Detroit. Billy from the Spinner's

(01:52):
Call and asked, uh what told us that he needed
a band, and he also needed a lead singer. And
you know, Philip a Win which is feel so walker.
He was singing with us before we got with James,
after we got left James right after we got you know, left,

(02:13):
and so um, we already had the lead singer. We
didn't know it, but I told him. I was like, Billy,
we got the lead singer you need. Man, I said, well,
we'll play behind y'all, you know, um, you know, but
but seriously, we did not want to play behind another
set of singers. If you know, if it killed us,

(02:35):
you know, because you gotta understand the time that it
was coming through sliding them these bands was coming up.
We wanted to be a band. Yeah, you know, we
wanted to dress crazy act of fool and and do
anything we wanted to do and singers wouldn't let us
do it. Yeah, yeah, and so we was really through

(02:58):
with that. So we we go to Detroit, you know,
um on Billie's dime. And once we get to Detroit,
we play and take a few gigs, right, we take
it to the stage, all right, take some gigs. And
when we did that this I met this uh young

(03:18):
lady named Mallia Franklin, and she was um tired with
with George Clinton, and because her sister was dating George,
so she know him, and she wanted to take me
over the meeting because you know, y'all, y'all look just
like funk a delly, y'all sound like them. You know,
y'all need to hook up. So she convinced me, and

(03:40):
I'm like, yeah, I gotta go meet this man. I said, yeah,
we've been wanting to take it to the stage on
the mom because anyway, you know, you were you you
were fully aware of a by this point, not fully
we had just been hearing about him. You know. It's
like everywhere we went, it's like, man, y'all look like
fun doll y'all. So I like them. You know, so

(04:01):
everywhere we went it was like it followed us. It's
about what years this around, this is like seventy two. Yeah,
and so um we heard that so much. You know.
It's like then when we got to Detroit, you know,
it was like, Okay, I need to meet George. You know,

(04:21):
so Malia sets up the meeting. I go over there
get with George. You know, that's the whole story in itself,
which is another three or four hours. You know, you
love it first night when you all first met each other. Yeah,
basically basically, you know, I I knocked on the door,

(04:42):
and the door kind of the creepy, the creepy thing
Adam family thing, So it kind of creeped open, and
uh I heard a voice say come on, come on there,
and so I kinda walked walked in and I saw
this black light and I immediately it was like, oh,

(05:06):
you know, I went straight to the black light. You know.
Then I looked right down below it. This mug is
sitting in a Buddhist buddhistance right with with a sheet
white sheet on the picture. This in a black light,
white sheet on't and chicken feet on now yell yellow

(05:28):
yellow chicken feet. Yeah, he's sitting there like this on
the floor like this, you know, and he's just sitting
there in the corner and he's got a half moon
on one side, star on the other. Rest of his
ball is here, and he is looking just as crazy

(05:51):
as I mean, you know, I mean, you know, And
when I seen it, it was like, whatever he's talking about,
I won't end whatever it is. I mean, whatever he says.
You know, I already know about the money thing, you know,
and why you know, you know, I was not into that.

(06:13):
I was in the if you just let me get
in I will I will produce, I will give it
to you. I lay it on you, you know. And
you know I didn't have to go through all that
with George. He was like, you know, you just come
on in here and help me with this Parliament, this
funk a dollic, these records I gotta do. Just come
on in here and do that. And and on down

(06:34):
the line. You know, I'll get you a deal, a
record deal, you in the band. It wasn't at that point,
it wasn't about getting me a deal. It was about
getting the band, you know. And and he's the one Georgia,
the one to talk me into doing the solo thing
because I wouldn't you know, I wasn't down with that.
It was like, man, we're a band. I mean, you know,
I had always been used to be in a band,

(06:57):
and I never even entertained the idea of me doing so.
I can't sing, Man, what what am I gonna do?
You know, that's what, That's exactly what he's there. I mean,
you're the first larger than life character, like your persona
supersedes you're You're already powerful catalog and you know your

(07:19):
your name is associated with a lot of make a
ton of hits in the p funct uh you know, yeah,
So how when how did he finally truly convince you
that this has to happen? And you know, you know what,

(07:40):
he didn't have to convince me. I mean, um, he
already knew about us, you know, um from the James
Brown thing, So he he knew more about us than
I knew about him. You know, yeah, yeah, he knew.
I mean, George's George's a silent genius. I mean that

(08:03):
mug is um. I can't say enough about him and
how he have moved through not only the music but
the business um, all of us could use a bit
more of what we're lacking. But him as a person, he,

(08:23):
you know, the thing that that messes us all up
is the flesh. If we didn't have flash, we'd be cool,
We really, we'd be really cool because we wouldn't have
to take care of this, you know. Uh, and we
wouldn't be so addicted, you know, addictable, you know. And
so those are the things that called him, you know what.

(08:46):
It catches not just him, he catches all of us, yeah,
you know. And so but his mind was just so
I mean, he's the one that got me into reading
and being up on the mother ship and you know, clones.
And let me ask you, star wise at this point,
where were you and how did you get there? From James? Right,

(09:09):
because when you met George, I'm imagining that you was
already there. Okay, So how did stage? He was dressing
crazy on stage he had to suit and tie with James. Okay,
and then George that you didn't influence James a little
bit because he started dressing you know, yeah, he got
black and eyes right. Well, actually that's what James named

(09:32):
us first, y'all was black and Eyes, the black Nisers Wow,
that was you know, he named us that before the
j BS, we was the Black and Eyes and he
sent us out with I Haint Ballot, so it was
Hank the Ballot, Ballot, the Midnighters and the Black and
Niss band. So you guys are the band on that
record as well on the on the Hank Ballot record,

(09:56):
which one now now the ones like like a round
in the twist time we wentn't no no no, I'm
talking about if you haven't cut your no no? That
was that was That was Macy on new from the
love side at least store there's I knew he had
one record out in seventy that was okay. So the

(10:20):
sound of p funk it's actually the opposite of James Brown.
Yeah who So who's crafting the sound of it? And
was it that much of a science or was it
just whatever you felt? Let me let me tell you
exactly how it was. Everybody that was involved brought their

(10:45):
signature and was allowed to use it. In other words,
George gave me an opportunity to get in the studio
and find myself, you know. Um, and that is what
you know I didn't get from James. So what I

(11:07):
got from James was the ABC like the discipline fun.
You know. Then what I got with Georgie, with George's
whole thing was whatever the funk you got, bring it,
And so I wouldn't never at a stand still. I
was always That's why I wasn't ever going back listening.

(11:29):
I was always It's like George said, whatever I got,
so I gotta see what I got. You know, he
allowed he allowed me to have that freedom to find myself.
He allowed Bernie to have that freedom to find himself.
And it just so happened that all that stuff worked.

(11:50):
The magic was coming from each mug. You know. It
wasn't like we planned it or planned the sound or
are you know the sound was anytime I'm with Bernie,
uh with Catfish, you know, um, it's gonna sign that way.

(12:10):
How long will all those records did they take? I've
read stories of them, y'all cutting records in like a week,
week and a half. How How would the average studio
session work? Well, we didn't have no plan first of all.
Whatever happened, yeah, yeah, you know, we just going to
studio and stuff cutting. George say, I like this for Funkadelic,
I like that for Parliament. Um, I like that for

(12:32):
part Lad and Day. You know, So it wasn't like
that we were just recording. We wasn't thinking, We wasn't
thinking about what we had to cut. One question I
always had Glenn Goings, because you're the only person I
met that you know, I actually worked with him. What
was he like? Man? He was such an incredible voice. Well,
not only was he incredible voice, his songwriting ability along

(12:53):
with his guitar playing. You know, actually that's him playing
twelve string on Monkey's Yeah, that's glam lamb twilt strang guitar.
So okay, not many people know that for a lot
of those Parliament songs, you're drumming on it, which I

(13:16):
want to know. I mean, now I appreciate it. But
for me, like the sound of funk and the sound
of raw soul was always James Brown esque like tight snares,
high tune stuff. You guys were the opposite of that.
So what was what was the ideology behind like the
lowest tuned snare ever and you know, playing like under

(13:39):
orthodox rhythms like I know Jerome also, you know he
shouldn't be slept on as far as Jerom Bigfoot. Yeah,
but what just with with the the age of synthesizers,
which I know, like everyone, especially with Stevie. Yeah, that
sounded futuristic and right up there with you guys. But

(14:00):
just as far as like slowing the pace down like
a lot like Dr Funkenstein is so slow an anti
disco like what that? That for me was what funk was?
I mean it felt like that. I mean, you know,
you don't do the rabbit thing. I mean, you know
when you get on a chick, you know, it's like

(14:22):
making love. You know, it ain't about being a rabbit.
You know, you gotta be a slow, go slowgo that
funk down so she can feel it. He needs his
own love advice. He wants to feel it. Man, I'm

(14:46):
jumping all over the place, but I know that we
might as well start the regret questions. So okay, now
you say stop the questions, the ones that we know
we're gonna forget. We have regret questions that we think
of now and then forget about because we're on a
tangent um. Okay, So in in seventy eight and again

(15:08):
I'm just jumping all over the police. In seventy eight,
Bootzilla is absolutely and it's it's absolutely inescapable, you know,
I mean, what what brick House was for seventy six
and what uh flashlight was for seventy seven. I mean,
at this point, I felt like your second album was

(15:30):
slightly bigger. Yeah, Motor Booty Affair. So my question is
with boot Zilla, it never occurred to none of you
to just call that song wind me Up, because I'm
just saying that record in the record store, were just

(15:51):
saying you got you gotta understand. The mentality wasn't by this.
The mentality was is I was building a character, and
Boodzilla was the character, not wind me up, but not
even parentheses like no, no, and and if you notice,

(16:14):
if you notice on the album, there's nothing about Boodzilla
on that album. Boots the question mark. So it wasn't
we wanted to go break all the rules, all of
the things you're just saying, you know, we wanted to
break all of those. So we put emphasis on okay,

(16:35):
what we're gonna call it, and and Enjoyge would say uh,
well um, and I say, well how about rubber ducky.
It had nothing to do with the song. I realized
that there's a lot of titles in which are never
but but we only we only pretty much did that
on my stuff, you know, uh, some of some of

(16:57):
the other things did that. But if you notice on
on the Bootsley Rubber Band stuff, a lot of the
titles had nothing to do with the songs. How did
y'all come up with what's the telephone being? Yeah, it's
your phone from that at the gym. That's one of

(17:19):
my love songs. Man. What it is is I used,
you know, when I used to go to school. Um,
it was like this one girl, I just you know,
I messed around, got some mouth from right check it out,
check check it out, check it out. You know. Her

(17:41):
daddy was a preacher, you know, and some kind of
way I was planning to where I got in, I
hit that mouth and I got out, you know what
I'm saying, so, you know, and doing so I got real.
You know, I don't think it was well, it might

(18:02):
have been love, but I think it was more so
lust turn out, Yeah, I think it was more of luck.
And then every chance I got I was on the
you know, the phone booth. I was in the phone
booth calling up talking about what time can I get
some more of that mouth? I need some mouth right now, okay,

(18:26):
And so you know that was the whole conversation. And
you know I would carry that conversation out because if
I couldn't see her, because you know, Dad got the
strict you know, preacher thing going on. So I had
to make you know, you know, make adjustments here and there.
Whatever time I can get that mouth, I had to
sneak in, sneak out. So and I did all that

(18:49):
on the telephone. And so the whole thing came down
to if I can get your loving I mean, what's
the telephone bill? I mean it didn't matter. I mean,
you know, if I can get that some of that mouth,
nothing I I was. I was getting the nickelback anyway,

(19:12):
you know, because you know, we knew how to work
them telephone booths. My god, all these lyrics like that.
So the hook, but then all the stuff you're saying
in the middle, that's just you. And then George wrote
wrote a lot of that one too. Yeah. But the
hook of it, the hook of the whole thing was,

(19:32):
you know, the whole purpose of it was to get
the word out about you know, if I if I
can get some of that mouth, And that was it
what what they were saying, so when you're in concert
and a lot of these songs don't have traditional verses
to earth Hook, it's just you doing dialogue like Hollywood

(19:54):
squares or or or whatever. I mean, just just talking.
Would your audience mouth that back to you as if?
And would they be disappointed if you went off script?
Like would you have to recite your dialogue? Pretty? I
mean they want to hear it. They don't have to
hear it exact exact, but they want to hear it.

(20:18):
They want to hear some of it. You know, they
would love to hear all of it. But if for
some reason, I don't do it that night, it's all
right because they're gonna get some of it anyway, you know. Um,
But I don't know. Um. The audience has been really
good for me, um throughout the career. So it's like

(20:42):
Funk of Tears is funk of tears, man. I mean,
you know, they just come to you know, they want
to give up some funk and then they want to
get some fun. What was the the touring like for you,
because I mean, by that point, black theater really wasn't invented.
I mean, you your typical night and and watching your

(21:04):
favorite act was more like a review like the Motown
review again in suit and tie. Nothing close to theatrics
and and and props and symptom of the opera going
on like a mug I mean, I mean, you know
it was. It was a stage. It was bigger than
all of us. I mean, because we wasn't going for

(21:25):
the sure p A system, you know, um, the little
baby microphones. I mean, we were going for the big
boy stuff, you know. And that was, uh, that was
partially George's idea and my idea as far as we
want to do it like the White Boys, you know,

(21:47):
I mean, why why put us on stage with a
baby p A when you know we're gonna blow that
ship up, you know. So you know, but that's the
way we were always treated. So we had to start
taking our own money and investing, Yeah, invested in p A. Uh.
I had um Maryland Sound make the this thing. I

(22:09):
call it this uh space based station. It was up
in the middle of the um, the Colosseum, and it
would spend on a certain certain part of the show
and the bass solo and stuff would come out of it,
you know. Uh. And that wasn't that year you talked
about nine. So the speakers would rotate. Yeah, well they
would they would turn, okay while listen in the middle

(22:32):
of the uh colosseum or auditor it would turn and
the speakers you know, and the sound would come off
the stage and up here. So it's like an earlier
version of a three D effect um with sound. What

(22:55):
does a writer look like for you guys at this point,
I would be scared as a promoter. Yeah, yeah, it
was different. Yeah, yeah, it was pretty deep. But again,
we wouldn't I don't. I don't think we were that
kind of band where, you know, everybody was tripping. You know,
if a mother can get a sandwich. We was cool.

(23:19):
I mean just just just because we could. I think
a lot of them did it. But you know, it
wasn't really about none of that with us, you know.
It was it was more about we came to give
up the phone and we're gonna teurn this mother out.
That was the whole thing. You know. When I was
a kid, I've read about problems with using the name

(23:43):
the Rubber Band. What was the band present? No nod
like someone trying to sue for the Rubber Band. It
was a country and Western guy. That's funny you said
that because I was just reading over the because it's
always been rubber Band and me. But well, they were

(24:06):
saying that we took his name rubber Band, and we
nobody never heard of him. I mean, you know, um,
he came in and you know, just because we were
being successful, and you know, I want some money. I
want to get paid. Did the Rubber Band existing, I
don't want Yeah, that's what he well, but I mean,

(24:27):
I mean the actual rubber Band that was in existence,
So how could you claim that? Well, I mean, you
know they'll claim anything. Ownership, I mean ownership, Come on, man,
I mean we were blessed to get away with they
didn't sue me, right, Yeah, well, I think you're saying
the actual literal note. When you are a unit, you

(24:50):
have to register your name, like we I owned the
Roots and as if you're a group, you can't be
named the Roots. But then movie could be made or yeah,
and and then today you gotta understand that what what
quest is saying, you know, that's like that's every day

(25:11):
known fact. Then brothers didn't know nothing, but see Juicy
Fruit still came tried to come after James and two May,
but they just didn't win. That's why I was right,
you know, right right, yeah, Oh they don't Oh yeah,
oh yeah, that's the thing. They come and take it.
You know, they come and take it. They don't care.
You know, it's like it's mine. You know, I don't

(25:33):
care who came up with it. I mean, it is mine.
So was that was that? Why y'all you start you
did the one off the sweatband project? Was that because
of that? Well, sweat Band didn't have nothing to do
with what I think what Quest is talking about? Quest
talking about the rubber band. Yeah, and um, and then
we didn't call it the rubber band. It was always

(25:54):
boots He's rubber band. So that's the other part of
it that we had in our favorite we and going
around trying to sell the rubber band. You know, it
was Bootsy's rubber band. So I think that's how we
won that. Warners came in and blew because they were
so cocky because Dude had already got with them about
you know, give me a little Stomon and everything's cool.

(26:16):
They were like, man, you know, we own this, you know,
we you know, so it's Warner Brothers. What was it
like dealing with Austin and and the cats at Warners.
With them at all I did, but not with mo
uh Bob Krasnow was the cat and we had we
had a we had a good, good relationship, real good

(26:37):
you know. Um at the time. Um, at the time,
I was, you know, doing really good and doing what
I'm supposed to do. So um, yeah it was. It
was good, you know. But they wouldn't. They wouldn't into
investing in something that they had no idea that you know,
we looked like maniacs, man, come on, but they knew

(26:59):
it were well now, I don't know, I can't say
that they knew somebody loved it. They knew yeah, there
you go. They knew somebody and they know who to
somebody was we don't get it, but somebody. Yeah. Yeah.
So if Neil Bogart hadn't come in and like basically
financed the was it the seventy seven tour? Um, Like,

(27:20):
where do you think Funk would have been? Well? I
think we would have been somewhere, But you know, something
would have happened. I don't I don't exactly know what,
but we was at a point that it had to happen,
you know. Um, and it just happened that Neil stepped
up because he's like pretty much the only one. I
guess he's the only one, you know, you, I mean,

(27:43):
by seventy you were such a character figure. Was there
any talk whatsoever about you having your own cartoon? Because
you guys comic books inside the record that's all we
that's all and within our crew, within carrying out. I

(28:07):
was like, yeah, yeah, I mean, it was so much
talent around that whole p funk time. Man, it was.
It was just incredible. But but what it was quest
was they didn't want that kind of thing. That was
too you know, it had to be lightweight. You had
to be talking about just love, uh just you know,

(28:30):
I love you baby, and and dressing nice. And they
didn't want that raw p crap you know, Saturday Morning
didn't want none of that. Man, it's definitely ready for
adult swim nail though, like that oh yeah man, oh
yeah yeah. Well just the way that the shows began
and all that stuff, you guys were showing, like the
three four minute cartoons at the beginning, and but but

(28:52):
guess who bought those we did? I mean, what what
nobody helping? What nobody helping with George, you know, had
to come up with the money, with the uh you know,
with the mother. Yere what nobody helping, you know, and
they knew, they knew how big it was getting. But

(29:13):
at the same time it was like, don't touch them,
crazy mom, you know, you know, especially George that boys
out of his mind. Okay, so is there any truth
to the myth that, um, you and George will purposely
go fishing in the Bermuna Triangle. Yeah, that's not enough.
That's actually true in hopes to get abducted or to

(29:34):
see what happens to get loving to get it. Oh yeah,
well now that that's why I can't. But why go
fishing in the Bermuda Triangle? It's kind of like asking
for it. Wait, do you know how heavy the tides

(29:57):
are the Bermuna Triangle? No, but I'm just saying, like,
if you're trying to take a robe they did. Or
there was one night George told me about the night
you were in Detroit driving you and George saw well,

(30:20):
actually we drove from Detroit to Toronto. Okay, yeah, it
was coming out of Detroit and uh yeah, that's that's
one of the ones that I know really happened. I mean,
I mean, I didn't say I was so okay, I'm
just saying that I know, yeah, I know that that happened.

(30:43):
I mean, I know that that happened, and I know
also know that there's some missing time that happened that
day night whatever it was. First it was a day
and next thing we know, it was night and Chuck
Barry was on that singing, uh Johnny be Good on
the radio. And that's when George told me after we

(31:07):
saw this, it was yeah, after we actually saw this
come down and hit the car, Yeah, yeah, we um.
I looked at George because I'm always looking up to George,
like you know, he's the savior. He knows everything, you know,
and you know, I'm I'm not afraid that's like, you know,

(31:29):
being out there on to try and shoot. I'm with George,
you know, I mean, I'll be anywhere with night fishing,
you know, and you can't even seeing man, I mean,
and George called just we don't know what it was.

(31:51):
We never got a chance to pull it in. It
went under the boat and he couldn't, you know, couldn't
pull it in. So we don't know what happened. And
because you can't see your hand in front of your face,
you know. So, yeah, it was some deep um. It
was some deep experiences. Uh that one you was talking
about dough in Detroit, Toronto. We went to we went

(32:15):
to Georgia's house over Toronto after that experience. Knocked on
the door and his daughter asked the door, and she
was in shock by the way we looked. She said,
what is wrong with you? Mother? Because we were lit up?
She said, we were lit up? Okay, then this is

(32:38):
her wrap and she she don't know. I mean, you know,
she's a little a little girl growing up Barbarella, you know. Yeah, yeah,
and you know she what happened to y'all? You know,
and we're thinking, we just you know, we got just
got scared out of our mind. We didn't know we
had a certain look and show enough. So when she

(33:00):
saw us, what is wrong with y'all? You know? So
and we never talked about it. George and I never
talked about it because I wasn't sure about, you know,
the facts, and I knew he wasn't sure because he
was he was more confused, and I was another singer

(33:29):
I had a question about, was Leslie and Bailey Love vibes. Uh.
You know, I met leslian Um let's see, in nineteen
seventy three or four, and we started doing you know,
a little recordings and stuff like around in uh Cincinnati,

(33:50):
and I first thought that, well, actually she was a
part of the band in the very first record, um
what was And because I hadn't really put the whole
band together yet, so you know, um, it was myself,
Bone uh cat Um, Frankie and Fred and I had

(34:18):
called them to come in to do the horn things.
But yeah, the band, actual touring band wasn't together yet,
you know, so I was trying to find myself, find
out who the actually rubber band was gonna be, you know,
and she was part of that and uh yeah she
uh she was. She was a heck of a song writer, um,

(34:42):
with those kind of love you know, love vibes and
that kind of like, yeah, that's my girl. So so
by the late seventies, when you guys are just in
full mood, does it get overwhelming because you're dealing with
Parlette Brides, Bootsy, funky delic uh and all these yeah,

(35:07):
every like how do you know our first phase? I
mean because it never technically ran out of gas? But
how did you know like we need a break or
that sort of truth. You know. Um, I think the

(35:29):
worst part about music is the business, right and um,
music is so blissful, it's such a blessing. Um, But
that's the business is the thing that separates everybody. And
that's what happens. You don't. It didn't only happen to us.

(35:50):
That's what happens is pretty much everybody. You know, you
start making money, you know, because when we weren't making
no money, hey, I mean you know, it was like
that was the best time in my life. That's when
we weren't making no money. I mean you know, Um,

(36:11):
when you start making making the money, people start wanting
to separate. Oh you can come over and do this
with me, and you don't need them, and that that
and that, so that all that rap starts happening. The
one thing they couldn't do is separate me and George,
you know, and you know, because that came up a lot,
wanting to separate, you know. But that's one thing that

(36:34):
didn't happen, you know. But everything else. When I started
figuring out that I needed a drug to go to
the studio, I knew something was wrong. With me, not
something wrong when anybody else the blame stopped right here
because I started realizing that ain't that ain't what I do.

(36:57):
You know. I used to go see you because I
love to do music, you know, but now I can't
go out to the house without doing drugs. First, you know,
I knew something was wrong with me, and so I
think that hit everybody at a certain in this time
period that maybe not the same way it hit me,

(37:18):
but it was hitting everybody. Do you think it was
was it trying to deal with the fame like being
like actually fair? I mean, when nobody give us no
manual on how to you know, I mean question to them.
They know more about you know everything. You know, were
just out there, were just out there, you know, for
the experience and the love of music. You know. Um,

(37:42):
George is the only one in the camp I think
even had a clue about how Motown worked or how
you know, Yeah, the business work. You supposed to you know,
try to get a hit, try to make sure you
gotta hook, try to make sure you got you know,
he was the only one that had a little clue,
you know, but he didn't have nobody to push him,

(38:05):
you know, he was it. So what were your thoughts
once who WHOA even before that, Um, you technically are
the producer of the first app album you're listed out. Yeah,
describe people. I still don't think that the world knews

(38:28):
what a virtual So Roger Troutman was as a musician, Well,
you know, Um, I knew Roger before any of that stuff.
So you knew him from the from the hood and yeah, yeah,
and we used to play in the same clubs. I mean,
you know when he was rodding the human body, you know,

(38:48):
um and so um we used to go to their gigs.
They used to come to EE gigs and we used
to joke a lot about his dad, you know, his
dad all it used to um come down on me
about I stole his cigarettes and I'm like, come on, Dad,
I don't even smoke. Well not them, not that, No,

(39:12):
And you know we always had a big joke about
that and roging them always had a big motor home
because Dad had it going on. Now Dad had it gone.
Um he was in construction and you know he didn't. Yeah,
they still have a big construct like they invested in
they have, they had it, they had it going on.

(39:35):
Out of all the bands they had it going on
with music or without it, you know, um, and so
you know, um, we always made uh, it's kind of
like a pledge to each other that if I make
it first, you know I'm gonna reach back and grab you.
If you make it first, you reach back and grab me.

(39:58):
That was our whole thing. Catfish didn't let me forget it,
you know when we messed around started making it cast.
They don't forget about rodding now. And that's when we started.
You know, I was like, okay, let's where they're playing at.
Cat always was in tune with the street. You know,
he always knew all yet the mother they playing up
in dating to night. Let's roll up there. You know,

(40:20):
we're jumping in the limo, or we was big timing
like a mug. Then you know, we're jumping the limo
right up. Called Roger, come on, man, come on jumping
the limbo. Let's wrap, man, let's wrap. We can get
this deal man. You know. So we talked about it
and they was all up for it. Next thing you know,
we're arriving the studio United Sounds in Detroit City today,

(40:45):
I'll say United Sounds. Yeah. What was the United Sounds like?
Was it just a regular studio to you or just
was there anything magical about it? I hear that it's
it was a magical play and for well, I guess
I would have to say it's a magical place because

(41:06):
that's where I found myself. Yeah. Yeah, I would have
to say that because, um, when I when I first
started going there, you know, it was like the engineer,
you know, he he hate to see me coming because
I always had some kind of pedal to hook up.
And you know, he's like, man, you know, because he

(41:27):
was used to doing like Motown stuff. You just plug
it in and play, you know, just come on in
and throw that in the wall as in it, you know.
But I'll come in, you know, I'll be figuring out
my my gadgets, you know, trying to get this sound.
And he's like, why do you just play the part?
You know, I'm like, no, man, you don't understand. See
I didn't even understand what I was doing. I was

(41:50):
just trying to get some different things going on, you know.
And and so I would have to, um, always hear
this going into the studio, I wouldn't know. I would
have to deal with Jim. Jim. Jim is his name
Jim Vitty, I would put him one. Yeah, Jim Vidy

(42:12):
was a smash though, man, that mug. You know. Once
he called on to what I was doing, he was like,
you know, is that all the pedals you've got? You know,
he's like ring up, rang on, you know, because he
started understanding, Oh, I see what you're doing. So since
you're mentioning engineering the collapse or all people, Jim how Yeah,

(42:38):
because the electricogy wasn't harmonizer, the even tad harmonizer and
even even time and uh a m what was that thing?
A m s uh did the only sample for a minute? No,
it wasn't even a minute, it was five or ten seconds. Yeah, yeah,

(43:00):
that was you know Jim Jim Betty came up with
that vibe and is that y'all clapping out in the studio,
you know, all out in the studio clapping at the
same time, you know, and it's making that Beasley brothers
once told me that in your hands. Yeah, they put

(43:22):
their hands in the bucket and then start clapping. But well,
I don't know that that might work for them, but
not for years. You know, we just all went out
and just clap, you know. So how were you surprised
that how your your your catalog slowly started to come
back into fashion, uh in the late eighties, and you

(43:46):
know what, quesse Um, I was never really surprised. Yeah,
I mean on the reel, you know, I was always
kind of just looking forward to the experience. And when
they started sampling and stuff like that, it was like, oh, great,

(44:08):
I got it, you know, great, I'm glad somebody really
like about I'd rather you like my favorite use of sample.
I remember the first time I heard it in high
school and it was like, what the fun is this?
When the first time you heard it and were asked,
is it cool? Can we use this? Well? Actually he

(44:30):
played it for me um before it even came out,
you know, and to get the permission. Yeah yeah, and
you know we were just yeah, not even a question,
just right, just go ahead and hit it, you know.
And you know what, we wasn't even really getting paid
at that point, you know. So it was more for me,

(44:54):
it was more about the re birth like he was
talking about, because when you started doing in concert, then
it's like who this is? Where? Yeah? Yeah, So for
me it was you know, it was more of that.
And then James, I think was the first one that started, um,
you know, what do you call sowing and uh for

(45:17):
the samples and stuff. But George and I was pretty
cool with you know, they legendarily cut great deals like
the I think the not just needy uh rate was
I think half a penny in the album's old. Yeah,
because George's theory was like it was like, let's sell

(45:40):
it for cheap and then everybody will come and use us.
So in comparison, I'm wondering where James would charge. Oh James,
I mean he's not let picture two hundred dollars a
week for gas for gas. He is just just with li.

(46:02):
I mean, he definitely went back to, you know, get
his money. But I think he also realized that you
know where the bridge being buttered now you know they did.
State just absolutely encourages it. And I'm like, well, you
don't know, like James round has been sampled years now.
They're like, yeah, anytime you when you use it. Here's
some more things at this point in your career, like

(46:26):
where's most of your money coming from? As it shows,
is it like publishing royalties on your records? I don't
know when this money coming from. I mean, you know, uh,
and I think by me not caring, it just comes.
And that's the way it's been all my life. So

(46:47):
you have a very trusting individual in your life. Well,
it ain't like it ain't like trusting. It's more like
I depend on the one period, you know, and the
one is bigger than music. The one is all of us.
It's the essence of all it is. And so that's
what I depend though. You know, it's no religion, you know,

(47:09):
it's it's no nothing, it's no color, you know, it's
the one. Whatever that one is. Our minds can't grasp
what it is. And so I don't even try to
figure it out. I never have. Yeah, I never try
to figure it out. It's like, oh, that's what it is, Okay.
So you've done some collaborations with with a lot of artists,

(47:33):
Like people might know you, uh, the the Light Project,
but there's one particular, this one particular project I will
never for the life of me when it happened. You

(47:54):
were in calling me badge man. You if you remember
the if you remember the very beginning sketch of Fat
Cat Fantastic One, They're like, like, I thought I was
on a roll, but what what what? What? Dank what

(48:19):
Frank Dank and Diller are talking about? And Chance? Yeah, yeah,
they did it on the Soultry and Awards the night before.
And even I was like, wait, is Bootie playing with
Cody back? Like he's on the album too, But you know,
I think too. What I was doing was trying to

(48:42):
get prepare myself to get back into band, you know.
And it wasn't It wasn't so much as Who's band.
It was like let me see where I can fit
in clowning. I mean it actually made sense, made the
lottery like that. I don't but that's when they were
hot kind of that time they were hot after I

(49:04):
want sec okay, and it just seemed like I said,
how the one takes care of me? I mean with
delight now, I mean of all times, of all people
and house music, you know. Even George said, man, you
can't do that really? Yeah? Yeah, And and then I
invited him to the gig he came to get He said,

(49:26):
oh I see, I get it. I mean all this
festival and all of them jump him. He was like, Okay,
I get it. This is all making sense. Now you're
taking chances because I was wondering when I heard you
were doing something with Billy Ray Cyrus. I was like, yeah,
then I'm like, okay, this this is Booty. He on
the one he taking a chance. You never know what
could come out. I don't want to do it with

(49:48):
who you would think I would worry. You know what,
I forgot We all the stuff we did together. I'm
totally forgetting. So Booty and I want did uh they
like read did the Monday Night football theme and that
it was me and Boots, a little Richard, a whole

(50:08):
bunch of bunch of people. But one of the craziest
moments was on break, Charlie Daniels starts playing the p
F on catalog. I didn't realize how deep into soul
music Charlie Daniels was, and he was ending up the
whole fact that like, oh y'all underestimating me. Yea, yeah, yeah,

(50:30):
I know my people, but I mean he was doing
like like good to your ear hole like, and I
was like, what the hell? I did not know that? Yeah,
these teople were just jamming like but you know, you
know what's funny too, is I run into a lot

(50:51):
of cast today't you know you ain't supposed to be
really down with and I find out that they know
more about you than you do undercover. Yeah yeah, and
it's like wow, you know, so you're living leg You're yeah,
you're a timeless, living legend. Well, you know, like I said,

(51:15):
I didn't get into it to be to be what
that is, because I don't even know. But I'm just
glad to still be able to you know, to sit
there and be amongst people and to vibe the good
vibe because it's so much mess. You know, it's so
much mess that's going on, and you know, just to
be able to use your platform. That's what um. I

(51:38):
feel like, whatever I have done, I want to use
the platform for these young mugs that's coming up now,
because they don't they didn't get they didn't get the
platform to play live music like we did. You know.
They you know, they got an iPhone. They got an

(52:01):
iPhone and that's all they need, you know. But we needed,
you know, we needed to be able to touch and
feel people, you know, and have those private moments, you know,
because you can't even have a secret now, ain't nothing private,
you know, you can't even get lost that A question

(52:28):
about the record UM Instant Replay by Michael Wait is
that you playing on that I produced to it. I'm
trying to think another lost song, right right? I remember
the record, but I can't. I have to hear the

(52:49):
song to know if I'm playing on that. Okay, you
know that's how. But you didn't produce that, okayaking from
that side, I love that record looking from the inside
of I had that tape. My question, you got everything? Man, No,
we're just nerds. Man, quays are the the Glenn go inside?

(53:09):
Were you on that? Okay? But the boys is bad man,
Jersey Man, Come on, Mike, wait when when? When when
Paul uh? Bill Paul? I was like, I'm thinking from

(53:29):
Bill Gate's former partner using experience in so Paul Allen Paul?
When Paul Allen uh reunited you guys to do the
uh you guys as in uh the j b S. Yeah, yeah,
what was that? Was that the first time that you

(53:49):
guys played together? And well, what you mean it's like
all of us? Yeah? Actually that was um as far
as um all of us like country yeah, the original crew. Yeah, yeah,

(54:12):
that was definitely the first time, you know, and check
this out, um, you know, so you know they asked James,
you know, now we got your original band. You know
cats here you know. Now, uh, why don't you want
to play with them? Yeah? Yeah, he didn't want to

(54:35):
play with us, and he didn't play with us, so
we had we went on before him, throw it up
all right, mind you playing his stuff, mind you? And
then he came on with his band and you know,
people kinda yeah, they kind of saw him later. What

(54:55):
did he say to you? Did he speak to you? Oh? Well,
you know, he came into room, come on in, you know,
and what men a cat? Do you know? We get
a mugs sitting in the middle of us, right because
we like them headphones. You know, It's like we get
the mugs and in the middle and we were that
mug out. Then we started cracking on and what's with

(55:19):
the shoes? Man? So you know, we had a we
had a thing where we didn't even think about, you know,
like what we're gonna do. It's like Mr Brown want
to come in and see y'all, Yeah, come out, There'll
come on in. Then I'll move over. Cat, move over.
Jay's gonna sit right there. And we put off because
you know, he ain't used it in hugging ship, you know.

(55:42):
So you know, we first thing he do is he
sit down hugging then he gets all uncomfortable. It's like, yeah,
that's exactly the way we want you. Now. So is
there anything that you've not done that you wish you

(56:03):
could do? Or what I've not done? Is you scored
a movie? I forgot even Super super Bad? Yeah? Yeah, yeah,
it wasn't well actually, um that was Clyde was there,
Jabbo um and Bernie. Bernie was real okay man catfish

(56:23):
um actually mash up all Stars. Yeah, yeah, it was
really that was a cool time. Now that you mentioned it,
I got some some great tapes of Jabbo and Clyde,
you know, um during during that session. I mean yeah,
and we got the video I got taped. I mean

(56:46):
they were they was killing. It was killing. They was kidding.
I know, I already know already. What does your archives
look like? Because you know there's a lot of your
show was like on YouTube or whatever. But like you know,
you know what I do quit, I just I just
stack stuff, you know, And it's just like my music.

(57:10):
I don't go back and listen to it. I just
know I got it. Yeah. Yeah, because that I think
that's coming. It's coming around, you know, because everybody's really
asking me, and I got It's so many different artists
that's been through there that you know, like, for instance,

(57:34):
Bobby warmack Man. People have no idea how bad that
boy is on the guitar, you know, and I mean
singing he's killing it, but the guitar he's killing it
even more. And I got these tracks that we did
when we did the record before this one, and you know,

(57:58):
he brings you in. It is this spiritual thing with Bobby.
He just brings you in and whatever he's feeling, you
feel it. Um. Actually, you mentioned Bobby wool Matt, which
made me think of Reason, which made me think of
him recording in the same students. There's a ride going on. Yeah, okay,

(58:23):
can you as honest as you can be about it?
What was that miniature Sly period like when Sly kind
of joined yah? Because the thing is that I know

(58:45):
that during that p Funk Earth tour or which fingers
the funking telling oh no no, was Motor Booty fair
seventy he I know that he was opening for you guys,
and you know George Adamore a few records. It was
just okay. But every time I look at the footage

(59:09):
of any old footage of Sly in the p Funk era.
I gotta wonder how much of a psychological part of
my French mind funk that was for him to like
him as a captain kind of he has to go
down to minion status and he's opening for me. Yeah,

(59:33):
how how awkward it was that period. I know that
had to be really stupid, really for him, and it
was felt stupid to me. I don't I can't speak
for nobody else, but I know that you know, you
guys had nothing but love for him, and he's like
my hero and you know, Uh, to actually see him

(59:56):
going through that at that time, I thought it was
good because at least he had came back out of
his shill, you know, So I thought that part of
it was good. But the agony that I can feel
that you know, was coming from him to to have
to do that to get his legs back, you know. Uh,

(01:00:21):
I know that agony too. I felt that I felt
that before feel that. I can't say exactly when I
felt it, but I know I've had I felt that.
You know, who was the artist that you were looking at?
This kind of you saw is if not the next
you but well, well it didn't necessarily have to be

(01:00:43):
in that same way that that it happened. It's just
that feeling I've felt that before. You know, I would
that's what, Okay, that's news to me because I would
still feel as though you are still Bootsy unmistakably Bootsy Collins,
Like your your presence is such if you're if you're

(01:01:05):
standing with Snoop, if you're doing stuff with you know,
Rapp for the moment whatever, and you know, millennials aside
somebody news that's Booty Collins. Whereas I'll tell you when
it was Slide was kind of stup I know. Now, Um,
this is one of the times, um, when you're when

(01:01:26):
you're playing to an audience that don't have a clue
of who the hell is this mother standing up there
with you know, got you know, the starglasses on and
the mugs don't have a clue of who you are,
and all the mugs is on this show. It's like,
what do you call um funkatis from from what you know?

(01:01:52):
That's the time that you feel like damn, I mean,
you know, it's like and it ain't got nothing to
do with the artists. This has something to do with
they don't know and it ain't nothing you can do well,

(01:02:12):
But it wasn't like, you know, it was their fault.
This is why we have But that's that's you know,
that's the closest time I think that i've you know,
that kind of feeling would come out. It's like, you know,

(01:02:34):
when you come on and you know, these mugs supposed
to know something. Somebody's supposed to know something and they don't,
you know, and uh, but but then you know, me
being a man of the world, I kinda understand why
they don't, you know, um because funk was a bad
word when we first came out, you know, and they

(01:02:59):
wanted us to two interviews on the radio, but they
didn't want us to talk about funk. So I understand
that stupid part, you know, like, how are we gonna
tell you all about what the funk you know is
about if we can't say funk? You know, So right there,
that was so stupid, you know. And then it was

(01:03:20):
the people that drove it home that made him realize,
hey man, you better you know, y'all better catch you
up because the people going for it, you know, the
people was in it, you know, they was in it
already and the DJs and you know, the radio, it
was like, no, we can't play that ship. You know,

(01:03:41):
they got airplanes and the records and you know, alarms
going off. You know, we can't play that on the radio.
You know. So you know, we had seen that that
story before. And I also think it's on us because
we just can't take for granted that someone's good. If
I say ash like you'll know what I'm talking about.

(01:04:02):
I mean, you know there's sports events you see each
one to teach one. Yeah, if you deserve and didn't
at least teach twenty people about your playlist or whatever
it is on then I still blame the parents because
it was in my house where I learned about you know, yeah,

(01:04:25):
but I didn't know what. But you know what, it's
a lot. It's a lot of kids that they get
it like that, and then you have a lot that don't,
you know, So it's like, you know, so it's like
you get the best of both worlds every now. And yeah,
you also have to look at the way people's music
collections are these days, like it's not necessarily a physical

(01:04:46):
object in your house, Like there's not a stack of
vinyl sitting in the corner of most people's houses thousand
records during this telephone right now. Yeah, it's current and
when you have access to that much you kind of
lose context for it all. So so of course, let
me ask you, how do you feel now, you know,
because you you have moved checked it out. Just let
me ask just let me have you have moved from

(01:05:08):
crates right and then just to have the availability, what
does that make you feel like? I mean, you know, um,
you know, I missed. I missed the I missed the
immersive experience of record shopping, mainly because that was the
bonding thing with my dad and I. My dad and

(01:05:30):
I would go to the mom and pop store and
just and he was a ben shopper the way I
am now. So you know, after school had a record
store and just buy every forty five, every record. So
I missed you know, the the instance and the store
and you know, him playing this record in that record.
I missed that experience. Um, we'll just think, just think

(01:05:52):
about this. But on the other hand, I'm fully embracing
technology now and there's so much music out there on
the internet. I'm just overwhelming and I'm probably not even
going to get it. But you know, I you know,

(01:06:14):
I'm I'm kind of a board for the ride, you know. Yeah, well,
I guess the same thing, the same kind of thing
you're dealing with there. It's kind of what we're dealing
with as well, you know, because the crate, you know,
the create is what we do, you know, that's the
creative music. And what they're doing now is they're making it. Well,

(01:06:35):
you don't have to carry to create, you know. So
if you don't carry to create what you then they
give you a replacement, you know, which the replacement you know. Yeah,
I mean, and that's where the phone. That's kind of crazy,
I know, but that's where it's going, you know, that's
where it's going. That's where it is. Yeah, all right,

(01:06:55):
are there any regret questions? What was your thoughts on
a ball first second? Yeah? I thought it was pretty
pretty good. I mean I liked it. You know, Um,
I knew, I knew the rother b with you was.
I knew that was all all um up in there.

(01:07:17):
You know, it wasn't sample, but they know they recreated
the way they heard it, you know. Um, yeah, I
thought it was a great record. Bill. Bill might hint
that you're being diplomatic right now, but you know, let
me let me tell you, um, you know if you yeah,

(01:07:37):
I'm gonna be honest, thank you. Okay, I know why
now I'm a fan of that song. My partner George,
he's actually, Um, what I understand is he's going after it,
you know, and um, you know that's that's what George do.

(01:07:58):
Because I was gonna ask was there a sample check
or they didn't sample they didn't sample it or interpret it.
It's just it's kind of what that was. I rather
be with you know. I thought that there was some
clearance going on. You mean it was done and not
even oh wait, I just no, no, not, I wasn't

(01:08:25):
doing it at you. I'm like, but even were not
called you? That were I was texting. I was like, yo,
I heard that. I was like, yo, he might be
in blurredins here. Here's the thing though, because we don't
have physical copies of it, nobody knows. I've never read
the credits of that album, of that album. I've just
heard the song naturally assumed. Oh yeah, they cleared that ship. Yeah. Oh,

(01:08:47):
everyone knows. This derivative of I'd Rather be with you.
That was the debate because they said, remember, y'all said
a lot of millennials will not know where this comes from,
not credited as like co writers on that song or nothing.
That's okay, all right, anyway we're supposed to go. We're

(01:09:13):
supposed to go back to talk about this. What did
James think about your guitar? You never get that I
wrote it down? Oh my goodness. Okay. Uh that first
night we played, I had that green silver tongue um
guitar which I turned into a base and I played it.
I thought, you know, the color of it was just

(01:09:37):
let me see if y'all got a green. Yeah, okay,
take this blue and neon green it okay, So that's
the color of this base. Okay. And James looked at
that mama and he was like, son, son, ya he

(01:10:00):
this is what he would do, not not not, ain't
gonna work, ain't gonna work. Done that thing you got there.
I can't ever be on my stage again, on my
stage else you won't. Did you stand out too much?

(01:10:23):
I don't think it was that. It's just he didn't
under he wasn't he didn't know the story. He didn't
know that I was blessed, just that. So did he
buy you a base? He bought me a baby? Still
have that ba? Actually I don't what was the story
about it turning into a sneak or the Yeah, I
heard that story too. That was what happened. Well it

(01:10:48):
actually I thought it was pretty good, but but obviously
other people that was looking thought it was bad. So, um,
what happened was, uh, Javis sign, look at your eyes
they're all read. I know you're doing them drugs. I

(01:11:10):
don't do it on your set. I do not, you know,
and anybody would be crazy outside of Catfish two, I
mean to do drugs on James said, with all the
movements hits, I mean everything he did was a was

(01:11:30):
a man. Yeah, And it was like, I can't be
high on this sand, you know even I know that,
you know, So you don't have to drill me on
doing drugs because yeah, I'm gonna do them, but I
ain't gonna do them on your set. So that's what
I told him. And every time he comment, look at

(01:11:51):
your eyes on and I'll be looking crazy. But it
would because of the sweat, you know, it's a sweat
and dripped him my eyes. Maybe I stayed up all night.
You know, with this, that and the other one and
you know, and all of that played into seven nights
a week. So every night he called me in that

(01:12:12):
I'm gonna look crazy. You know, it ain't gonna be
one good night. So he called me in, um uh
this one night, and that was after I had the
snake experience. You know, I'm on stage, you know, because
I said, if he's gonna accuse me, I'm gonna let
it be real. I'm gonna take I'm gonna take some Now,

(01:12:33):
let's to night. And so I might as well. I mean,
he gonna accuse me anyway, So I took it. I could.
Now you're talking about recalling that night. I have no idea.
Nobody complained about nothing I played. You know, I don't

(01:12:56):
even know how I got through that night. But I
wind it up in James room and you know, he
said to me, come in, son, sit down, sit down,
sit down over there, and he put me right next
to him, I mean right next to him. You know.
It was like, you know, I need a little room

(01:13:16):
because I need you know, it's like I'm tripping, you know.
And I couldn't tell him that, but it's like, don't
you know, and see what he's so deep is he
knew that I was tripping and he just gonna mess
my trip up. He's gonna mess it up. So he

(01:13:37):
called me get real close to him because he don't
never have me getting that close, you know. So I
got so close to him that when he was talking,
I had to look at him, you know. And when
I looked at him, his face started like you know
how volcanoes look, the volcano with the stuff sewing out

(01:13:59):
of him. I started seeing his pores just you know,
all over his face. And the next thing, you know,
I fell out on the floor, check it out, fell
out dying. Last he was so through with me, he said,

(01:14:23):
no go get you ask he told he told the
bodyguards throw me out. And that was the last time
that he called me back in his room to talk
to give me a lection. Yeah, you know, because every
night he would call me in the room to tell

(01:14:44):
me how bad I was, how messed up, you know,
how I wasn't on the one son, you ain't got it.
You still ain't got it. And see we we be
don't kill the people. The people be like damn them.
Oh man, the mother. So you get all that wrap.
Then James called you in the back. Yeah, A son,

(01:15:07):
you ain't got it. You wasn't on the one tonight,
you know. So every day we went in there, that's
the that's the story I got. And you think that
was where just kind of keeping your home with not
getting the big head, But check it out. It was
a little deeper than that. The more he said that,
the more it made me want to practice. You know,
I never knew it at the time, but once I

(01:15:29):
got out of the thing and look back, I was
practicing hard and a mug because I thought we wasn't happening,
you know. And I don't think he was doing it
for that purpose, I thought he I think he was
doing it just to wear me out, because that's what
he do, you know, he wear a mug out. But
if you take it in a positive way, you can

(01:15:52):
help your situation, you know. And that's why, you know,
a lot of negative stuff to come down. Some was
good for you, some of it will you know, if
you take it in a in a positive way, some
of it will make you get on it, you know.
So that particular one made me get on it. And

(01:16:13):
what nothing nobody could say that was deepen than James
Brown about you ain't on it, you know, because I
hear that voice all the time. I still hear it now, man,
you know, and it makes me want to do that
much better, you know. But I know the reasoning now.
But then I didn't know why he was doing I

(01:16:33):
thought he was just doing it just to wear me out,
you know, um, you know, to make me throw my
instrument down, you know, and say I can't handle it,
you know. But it made me grab my instrument more,
you know, and take a hold of that, you know.
And you know, and like I said, I don't think
he I don't think he was doing that on purpose.

(01:16:54):
But then again he might have because James was deep
any other Now, I think I'm good for that, You're
good for her. Um yeah, I think we covered it.
Random question that anybody, any styler, has ever tried to
get up in your business and be like, I think
I could do some things, you mean, stylish, but at

(01:17:15):
some point somebody was like, oh yeah, yeah. I mean,
you know, it was lots of lots of people that
that did that, but well it was only a select
few that would come in. And you know, I always
drew what I wanted, you know, because if I hadn't
been a musician. I was gonna definitely yeah, because that's

(01:17:36):
all I did in school was drawn. Well, I do
want to know, uh, how many starglasses do you have?
And have you ever do you ever go out and
disguise yourself by not dressing like you just so? You
gotta you know, you gotta go to Whole Foods and
get your bread. I had I had to figure that out.
I mean, once you make that monster, you know, the

(01:17:59):
monster turns on. I didn't find that out until it
turned on me. You know that Bootzella we were talking about.
When that mom turned on me, I was like, I
didn't know what to do. I didn't know who I was,
you know, um, and when when he turns on you,
you just you know. So I had to find myself again,

(01:18:19):
you know, find out the William. You know. I had
to find William again, yeah, my mom William. I had
to find that boy that took out the garbage, now
go on out did take that garbage out? I had
to find him again because I was so into boots
and Bootzala that I lost that boy, you know, until

(01:18:40):
I came home one day and Mama slapped these same
glasses off my face and said, get out there and
take out that damn garbage. And I had all my
friends with me. I don't do that no more. No,
I didn't know. I didn't say she had. That's exactly

(01:19:01):
what I did. I was fully dressed. She's like, you
better get you ask and then take out that damn cobbage.
She went straight to the garbage. She was talking to
William and that's where I found start to find William McGain.
It's when she did that. Yeah, that's true story U.

(01:19:23):
The star glasses did they? Did they pinture that your
nose are digging your cheeks? Star? Does that hurt it all? No?
It might, it might look like it. But actually that's
a great question, Steve, you know. And then the other
part of the question is I got asked this a
few times too, Um what is the star glasses all about?

(01:19:45):
And the star period? Because your hat too? Yeah yeah,
and why um, why did you uh uh make your
glasses mirror? You know? And my answer was I did
it in mirror, so who's ever looking at me? You know?
At the time, it was you know, it was a

(01:20:07):
lot of kids that would come to the show, and
you know, because I dealt with a lot of geepies,
the fans that the Funkadelic was too you know, older kids, right,
But I saw getting the younger kids six and seven eights,
so I started calling geepies. And so I got these
glad to start glasses so when the kid looked in

(01:20:28):
my eyes, instead of them seeing me, they see themselves.
And that's yeah, that's beautiful now. But that that's that's
what this was all about. And with the base, if
you notice the first space basis got the mirror on
the you know, as a bodyguard. And what what I

(01:20:50):
did with that was I wanted the lights when they
when they hit me from the stage, I wanted those
lights to hit the base and bounced off the base.
So all of that, now, all of that was thought out,
you know. Now, I'd admit most of the stuff we
never even you know, but the glasses and the image,

(01:21:11):
I was alway. I was already on that in school
when I when I said I was drawing a lot
in school stick Man with the star glasses, with the
star base. That was the beginning of it. I didn't
know that I was gonna wind up actually being that guy,
but that's what came to me, you know. So you know.
And then when George gave me the opportunity to to

(01:21:33):
uh front the boot the Booty Rubber Band, It's like, oh,
I already know what I'm gonna do. I gotta find
somebody to make these stock glasses, and I gotta find
somebody to make the star bas and I was on
a mission. Well yeah, Willien Earl Booty Collins, we thank
you very much for I never knew I remembered all

(01:21:59):
of that stuff. Man, Jesus, that was more in our
bargain for. I don't think you remember these stories. Um yeah,
those ones there, but a lot of stuff. I don't
have a clue. We won't ask you about those stories. Yeah,
just want to record because they're all over your hands.

(01:22:20):
You are scorpio. Yeah, okay, alright, oh yeah, you know
he will be twenty three next month. Anyway, I wanna
be half of Boss Bill Unpaid Bill, find cig a
little sugar Steve Like it's like, yeah, I'm sorry, um
persistent this quest Love and my brother Boucy and Collins.

(01:22:40):
Oh yeah, there you go. All right, Yeah, let's why
I see you in the next go round. Question Love, Quess,
Love Supreme. It's a production of Heart Radio This classic

(01:23:01):
episode was produced by the team at pandoram. For more
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