WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.740 Welcome to the Deep Dive, where we take your 00:00:01.740 --> 00:00:04.500 source materials and really just plunge right 00:00:04.500 --> 00:00:05.980 into the knowledge they hold. Yeah, let's get 00:00:05.980 --> 00:00:08.439 into it. Today, we are strapping on our star 00:00:08.439 --> 00:00:11.220 -shaped glasses, tuning our antennas to the mothership, 00:00:11.240 --> 00:00:13.980 you know, because we are embarking on a, well, 00:00:14.080 --> 00:00:17.379 a truly cosmic exploration of William Earl Bootsy 00:00:17.379 --> 00:00:20.559 Collins. Oh, yeah. This is a deep dive into a 00:00:20.559 --> 00:00:23.140 real... Innovator. I mean, his fingerprints are 00:00:23.140 --> 00:00:25.440 just everywhere. You look at the tight discipline 00:00:25.440 --> 00:00:29.079 funk of the 70s all the way to like the architecture 00:00:29.079 --> 00:00:31.820 of modern hip hop. Totally. Boosie Collins is 00:00:31.820 --> 00:00:33.679 well, he's more than just a musician. He's like 00:00:33.679 --> 00:00:35.859 the foundational architect of the low end, turning 00:00:35.859 --> 00:00:38.880 soul into pure spectacle. Exactly. And that's 00:00:38.880 --> 00:00:41.179 our mission today, right? To unpack the sources 00:00:41.179 --> 00:00:44.079 that chronicle this this magnificent transformation. 00:00:44.439 --> 00:00:47.439 How does this incredibly talented teenage rhythm 00:00:47.439 --> 00:00:50.579 master from Cincinnati find his groove under? 00:00:50.729 --> 00:00:53.049 probably the toughest taskmaster in music history, 00:00:53.170 --> 00:00:57.770 then morph into this psychedelic cosmic phenomenon 00:00:57.770 --> 00:01:00.630 and finally end up as this revered mentor and 00:01:00.630 --> 00:01:03.149 activist. It's quite a story. It really is. And 00:01:03.149 --> 00:01:06.180 when you talk about. the greats the pantheon 00:01:06.180 --> 00:01:08.799 of bass players collins isn't just there he's 00:01:08.799 --> 00:01:12.019 like caramount we gotta start with just the sheer 00:01:12.019 --> 00:01:15.920 recognition he gets okay like in 2020 rolling 00:01:15.920 --> 00:01:17.700 stone didn't just put him high on the list they 00:01:17.700 --> 00:01:19.939 ranked him number four number four in their 50 00:01:19.939 --> 00:01:22.280 greatest bassists of all time wow number four 00:01:22.280 --> 00:01:25.719 globally period and that's you know separate 00:01:25.719 --> 00:01:28.920 from all the group honors right like being inducted 00:01:28.920 --> 00:01:30.480 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. 00:01:31.219 --> 00:01:33.680 That was as part of Parliament Funkadelic, right? 00:01:33.760 --> 00:01:36.019 Right. Which is a huge group. Oh, massive. 16 00:01:36.019 --> 00:01:38.780 members inducted, I think. And his genres alone 00:01:38.780 --> 00:01:43.340 tell a story called funk. Psychedelic soul, R 00:01:43.340 --> 00:01:46.099 &B, hip hop. It's a lifetime of just bending 00:01:46.099 --> 00:01:48.480 and blending genres. Yeah, absolutely. But yeah, 00:01:48.540 --> 00:01:50.400 to understand the cosmic star, you really do 00:01:50.400 --> 00:01:52.019 have to go back, back to that rigorous school 00:01:52.019 --> 00:01:53.799 of rhythm you came through. Okay, let's unpack 00:01:53.799 --> 00:01:55.900 this. Where did the legend actually begin? It 00:01:55.900 --> 00:01:58.659 starts in Cincinnati, Ohio, born there in 1951. 00:01:58.939 --> 00:02:01.780 And he's got one of the best origin stories for 00:02:01.780 --> 00:02:04.400 a stage name, you know, the nickname Bootsy. 00:02:04.439 --> 00:02:06.319 It wasn't some calculated marketing thing. He 00:02:06.319 --> 00:02:08.340 confirmed his mom gave it to him, just looked 00:02:08.340 --> 00:02:10.699 at him and said, basically, you look like a Bootsy. 00:02:11.280 --> 00:02:13.560 just like that just like that and that kind of 00:02:13.560 --> 00:02:15.900 spontaneity it's actually a beautiful preview 00:02:15.900 --> 00:02:19.650 of the funk freedom he'd later embody. That makes 00:02:19.650 --> 00:02:21.949 sense. And that family connection, that was really 00:02:21.949 --> 00:02:24.750 key early on, wasn't it? Playing with his older 00:02:24.750 --> 00:02:27.129 brother, the guitarist Phelps Catfish Collins. 00:02:27.409 --> 00:02:30.009 Yeah, Catfish. Eight years older, born in 43. 00:02:30.229 --> 00:02:32.530 So it wasn't just some random band. It was literally 00:02:32.530 --> 00:02:35.210 a family rhythm section right from the start. 00:02:35.610 --> 00:02:39.530 By 1968, that core group had formed the Pacemakers. 00:02:39.550 --> 00:02:43.310 That's Bootsy, Catfish, and drummer Frankie Cashwadi. 00:02:43.490 --> 00:02:45.629 They were tight. They were hungry. Definitely 00:02:45.629 --> 00:02:48.569 responsible. Right. But their path took this 00:02:48.569 --> 00:02:51.009 like hard left turn into the deep end of the 00:02:51.009 --> 00:02:54.710 music world in March 1970. And that kicks off 00:02:54.710 --> 00:02:58.210 our first major section, the School of Soul Power, 00:02:58.409 --> 00:03:00.990 the James Brown apprenticeship. OK. The James 00:03:00.990 --> 00:03:03.409 Brown era. This is where that legendary precision 00:03:03.409 --> 00:03:05.490 gets hammered in. Yeah. We hear the story all 00:03:05.490 --> 00:03:07.750 the time. James Brown's previous band basically 00:03:07.750 --> 00:03:10.710 just walked out over a pay dispute. Exactly. 00:03:10.750 --> 00:03:14.400 Staged a walkout. The pacemakers, they were just 00:03:14.400 --> 00:03:17.919 there, ready -made, tight, rehearsed. They stepped 00:03:17.919 --> 00:03:20.520 right into that huge void and immediately became 00:03:20.520 --> 00:03:23.360 Brown's new backing band, the famous original 00:03:23.360 --> 00:03:27.039 JBs. The JBs, wow. And rigorous. I mean, that 00:03:27.039 --> 00:03:29.819 word barely covers it. Bootsy's time with Brown 00:03:29.819 --> 00:03:31.939 was a crucible. It's kind of crazy because the 00:03:31.939 --> 00:03:34.669 lineup only lasted 11 months. Less than a year. 00:03:34.710 --> 00:03:37.270 Only 11 months. Yeah. But in that short time, 00:03:37.389 --> 00:03:39.430 they created some of Brown's most genre defining, 00:03:39.669 --> 00:03:42.389 just intense funk recordings. These tracks weren't 00:03:42.389 --> 00:03:44.449 just hits. They were like instructions for the 00:03:44.449 --> 00:03:46.550 next 50 years of music. We're talking about the 00:03:46.550 --> 00:03:48.729 engine behind stuff that's now just fundamental. 00:03:49.400 --> 00:03:51.759 Get Up, I Feel Like Being a Sex Machine, Superbad, 00:03:51.979 --> 00:03:54.560 Soul Power, Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothin', 00:03:54.560 --> 00:03:56.639 and those instrumentals like The Grunt, which, 00:03:56.699 --> 00:03:59.419 my God, hip -hop producers sampled that for decades. 00:04:00.020 --> 00:04:03.259 For decades. And what's really fascinating about 00:04:03.259 --> 00:04:06.139 those specific recordings is how Bootsy's approach 00:04:06.139 --> 00:04:09.139 was different from the bassists Brown had before 00:04:09.139 --> 00:04:12.810 him. How so? Up until then, Brown's rhythm section 00:04:12.810 --> 00:04:15.629 was often really, really percussive. The bass 00:04:15.629 --> 00:04:18.069 and drums were almost like another rhythm guitar 00:04:18.069 --> 00:04:21.029 and conga set, you know, super focused on just 00:04:21.029 --> 00:04:23.810 keeping time, locking it down. Bootsy brought 00:04:23.810 --> 00:04:26.990 this revolutionary level of like syncopation 00:04:26.990 --> 00:04:30.269 and fluidity. He was technically brilliant using 00:04:30.269 --> 00:04:33.189 ghost notes, slurred rhythms, but still locking 00:04:33.189 --> 00:04:36.350 into that impossibly tight groove. So he's innovating 00:04:36.350 --> 00:04:38.670 within this super strict structure. Exactly. 00:04:38.769 --> 00:04:40.819 He transformed the groove. but he had to do it 00:04:40.819 --> 00:04:43.100 under intense pressure. And to really get that 00:04:43.100 --> 00:04:44.980 pressure, we have to talk about the core concept 00:04:44.980 --> 00:04:47.500 of funk, the thing that defined his whole apprenticeship, 00:04:47.899 --> 00:04:51.879 the elusive one. Ah, yes. The one. Absolutely. 00:04:51.920 --> 00:04:54.480 The term the one is so central to Booth's whole 00:04:54.480 --> 00:04:56.720 story, we probably need to pin down what it means. 00:04:56.860 --> 00:05:00.339 Good idea. In music, especially funk and R &B, 00:05:00.540 --> 00:05:03.060 the one is the first downbeat of the measure. 00:05:03.259 --> 00:05:05.459 Right. Most music builds tension towards the 00:05:05.459 --> 00:05:08.790 end of a phrase, maybe. but funk funk is unique 00:05:08.790 --> 00:05:11.750 the whole groove the whole feel is built around 00:05:11.750 --> 00:05:14.709 that first beat it's the anchor okay if you hit 00:05:14.709 --> 00:05:18.110 the one right everything just locks in it feels 00:05:18.110 --> 00:05:21.529 relentless urgent and james brown was the ultimate 00:05:21.529 --> 00:05:23.750 drill sergeant making sure that urgency that 00:05:23.750 --> 00:05:26.810 precision was there every single night The sources 00:05:26.810 --> 00:05:29.430 mentioned Bootsy saw Brown as a father figure 00:05:29.430 --> 00:05:32.050 coming from a fatherless background. Yeah. And 00:05:32.050 --> 00:05:34.189 that adds this whole other layer of weight to 00:05:34.189 --> 00:05:36.370 Brown's teaching methods. It wasn't just a boss. 00:05:36.569 --> 00:05:39.290 It was deeper. Definitely. It makes the whole 00:05:39.290 --> 00:05:41.290 thing more psychological than just professional. 00:05:41.670 --> 00:05:43.689 Bootsy often talked about the post -show routine. 00:05:44.029 --> 00:05:46.069 Brown would call them back every single night, 00:05:46.170 --> 00:05:48.689 give them a lecture, always criticizing the sound, 00:05:48.790 --> 00:05:51.220 never satisfied. Always. Pretty much always. 00:05:51.339 --> 00:05:53.759 The standard line was, nah, not on it, son. I 00:05:53.759 --> 00:05:55.079 didn't hear the one. You didn't give me the one. 00:05:55.139 --> 00:05:57.759 It was designed to just break down their egos, 00:05:57.759 --> 00:06:01.060 force them to rehearse constantly. Wow. Relentless. 00:06:01.240 --> 00:06:03.540 But the really crucial story, the one that kind 00:06:03.540 --> 00:06:06.779 of unlocks Brown's game, is when the opposite 00:06:06.779 --> 00:06:08.720 happened. Right. I remember reading about this. 00:06:08.819 --> 00:06:11.980 Yeah. Bootsy and Catfish talked about this one 00:06:11.980 --> 00:06:14.680 gig where they knew instinctively they were playing 00:06:14.680 --> 00:06:17.910 badly. just exhausted, a bit sloppy, fundamentally 00:06:17.910 --> 00:06:21.670 off. They were bracing for the worst tongue lashing 00:06:21.670 --> 00:06:25.670 ever. And instead, instead, Brown calls them 00:06:25.670 --> 00:06:28.689 back, smiles and says, uh -huh. Now that's what 00:06:28.689 --> 00:06:30.529 I'm talking about. Y 'all was on it tonight. 00:06:30.629 --> 00:06:32.819 Y 'all hit the one. That must have messed with 00:06:32.819 --> 00:06:35.439 their heads completely, especially for musicians 00:06:35.439 --> 00:06:37.959 who trust their own instincts. Totally. That 00:06:37.959 --> 00:06:40.620 was the light bulb moment. Bootsy realized Brown 00:06:40.620 --> 00:06:43.060 wasn't always critiquing the actual music. He 00:06:43.060 --> 00:06:46.279 was using reverse psychology. By constantly holding 00:06:46.279 --> 00:06:49.220 back praise, even when they nailed it, he forced 00:06:49.220 --> 00:06:51.540 them to internalize the criticism, practice like 00:06:51.540 --> 00:06:54.639 madmen, aim for this perfection that was always 00:06:54.639 --> 00:06:58.339 just out of reach. Okay, I get it. But then praising 00:06:58.339 --> 00:07:00.769 them when they knew they sucked. That maintained 00:07:00.769 --> 00:07:03.649 his control, made sure Bootsy never got complacent 00:07:03.649 --> 00:07:05.709 or thought he'd figured it all out. That is a 00:07:05.709 --> 00:07:08.509 staggering way to learn. A foundation built on 00:07:08.509 --> 00:07:11.449 musical perfection through like intense psychological 00:07:11.449 --> 00:07:14.329 discipline. Yeah. It makes total sense of his 00:07:14.329 --> 00:07:16.910 next move though. exploding from that military 00:07:16.910 --> 00:07:20.009 rigor into, well, cosmic freedom. Exactly. That 00:07:20.009 --> 00:07:22.149 transition defines everything that comes after. 00:07:22.269 --> 00:07:24.550 After the sheer intensity of the James Brown 00:07:24.550 --> 00:07:27.529 boot camp, Bootsy and Catfish briefly formed 00:07:27.529 --> 00:07:30.519 a band called the House Guests. Okay. But the 00:07:30.519 --> 00:07:33.259 real cosmic shift, the big one, happened when 00:07:33.259 --> 00:07:35.399 they got introduced to George Clinton. This was 00:07:35.399 --> 00:07:38.459 in Detroit, Michigan, around 1972. And singer 00:07:38.459 --> 00:07:40.420 Malia Franklin made that connection. That's right. 00:07:40.459 --> 00:07:43.699 She orchestrated it. And suddenly Bootsy, Catfish, 00:07:43.839 --> 00:07:46.120 and Waddy, that super tight JB's rhythm section, 00:07:46.360 --> 00:07:49.160 they joined Funkadelic. And that was the exact 00:07:49.160 --> 00:07:51.620 moment the P -Funk Collective got its like... 00:07:51.930 --> 00:07:54.970 indestructible deep groove backbone you can really 00:07:54.970 --> 00:07:56.930 hear the shift in the sound oh absolutely and 00:07:56.930 --> 00:07:58.610 you have to think about the cultural shift they 00:07:58.610 --> 00:08:00.889 went through personally james brown was disciplined 00:08:00.889 --> 00:08:04.269 tailored suits grounded in soul power george 00:08:04.269 --> 00:08:08.089 clinton was unhinged flamboyant launching into 00:08:08.089 --> 00:08:10.050 orbit with the mothership total opposites almost 00:08:10.519 --> 00:08:12.939 Pretty much. And Bootsy became totally integral 00:08:12.939 --> 00:08:15.639 to this new P -Funk universe. He was contributing 00:08:15.639 --> 00:08:18.600 bass, songwriting on most of the Parliament and 00:08:18.600 --> 00:08:21.199 Funkadelic albums right through the early 80s. 00:08:21.240 --> 00:08:24.120 And they were putting out so much music. It almost 00:08:24.120 --> 00:08:27.399 needed its own dedicated vehicle, right? Which 00:08:27.399 --> 00:08:30.660 led to Bootsy's rubber band in 76. Exactly. It 00:08:30.660 --> 00:08:33.179 was a distinct, separate touring and recording 00:08:33.179 --> 00:08:34.960 unit, but still very much part of the whole P 00:08:34.960 --> 00:08:37.039 -Funk thing. Who was in the core rubber band 00:08:37.039 --> 00:08:39.779 lineup? It featured that core trio Bootsy, Cat... 00:08:39.850 --> 00:08:42.909 Fish and Waddy, plus other key P -Funk players, 00:08:43.070 --> 00:08:46.090 and crucially, that phenomenal brass section, 00:08:46.289 --> 00:08:48.509 The Horny Horns. The Horny Horns, great name. 00:08:48.690 --> 00:08:51.529 Isn't it? The rubber band was maybe a bit more 00:08:51.529 --> 00:08:54.129 concentrated, arguably more commercially focused 00:08:54.129 --> 00:08:56.929 than some of the wilder P -Funk stuff. It mixed 00:08:56.929 --> 00:08:59.190 the collective psychedelia with Boosie's own 00:08:59.190 --> 00:09:02.379 unique... kind of cartoonish humor. And the success 00:09:02.379 --> 00:09:04.059 was pretty immediate, wasn't it? The sources 00:09:04.059 --> 00:09:06.759 call those first three albums quintessential 00:09:06.759 --> 00:09:08.960 P -funk recordings. Yeah, they really nailed 00:09:08.960 --> 00:09:10.720 it. And we have to talk about the peak of that 00:09:10.720 --> 00:09:14.399 run. The 1978 album, Bootsy, Player of the Year, 00:09:14.480 --> 00:09:17.139 it didn't just hit the R &B chart, it went to 00:09:17.139 --> 00:09:20.480 number one. And it gave us his signature number 00:09:20.480 --> 00:09:24.179 one R &B single, Bootsilla. That track really 00:09:24.179 --> 00:09:27.299 cemented the whole persona. The myth became inseparable 00:09:27.299 --> 00:09:29.519 from the music itself. Right. This is where the 00:09:29.519 --> 00:09:32.659 strict rhythm master fully transforms into the 00:09:32.659 --> 00:09:35.480 intergalactic superstar. George Clinton loved 00:09:35.480 --> 00:09:38.480 all that mythology. Dr. Funkenstein, the mothership. 00:09:38.539 --> 00:09:41.500 Oh, yeah. And Bootsy just dived right in, adopting 00:09:41.500 --> 00:09:43.779 all these alter egos. He totally did. It was 00:09:43.779 --> 00:09:46.500 brilliant marketing, too. He was Casper the Funky 00:09:46.500 --> 00:09:48.659 Ghost, and his main alter ego was Bootsilla. 00:09:49.129 --> 00:09:51.730 The world's only rhinestone rock star monster 00:09:51.730 --> 00:09:54.730 of a doll, as he put it. I love that description. 00:09:54.850 --> 00:09:56.850 The whole character was built around this idea 00:09:56.850 --> 00:09:59.450 of an alien rock star, part superhero, part clown, 00:09:59.649 --> 00:10:03.029 just a central figure in the whole P -Funk cosmology. 00:10:03.250 --> 00:10:05.330 And the gear. The gear became just as famous 00:10:05.330 --> 00:10:07.830 as the character. He adopted his trademark space 00:10:07.830 --> 00:10:10.370 base around this time. Starting with that first 00:10:10.370 --> 00:10:13.049 one, which looked futuristic, but wasn't quite 00:10:13.049 --> 00:10:15.600 the star shape yet. That's right. That first 00:10:15.600 --> 00:10:18.860 space base was a custom build made up in Michigan. 00:10:19.500 --> 00:10:23.200 Mahogany body, maple neck, that cool mirror pick 00:10:23.200 --> 00:10:24.799 guard. You can see it right on the cover of the 00:10:24.799 --> 00:10:28.100 76 album stretching out in Bootsy's rubber band. 00:10:28.620 --> 00:10:31.100 And what's really interesting is just his commitment 00:10:31.100 --> 00:10:33.960 to that instrument, like the story behind it. 00:10:34.000 --> 00:10:35.860 It got stolen at one point. Yeah, that original 00:10:35.860 --> 00:10:38.100 bass was actually stolen. It's been devastating. 00:10:38.320 --> 00:10:40.899 But thankfully, the story goes, it was eventually 00:10:40.899 --> 00:10:43.279 found, like recovered at a pawn shop back in 00:10:43.279 --> 00:10:46.039 Cincinnati and returned to him. Crazy. Good thing 00:10:46.039 --> 00:10:48.720 he got it back. For sure. And that original model 00:10:48.720 --> 00:10:51.059 really paved the way for the instrument that 00:10:51.059 --> 00:10:53.019 everyone pictures when they hear Bootsy Collins, 00:10:53.279 --> 00:10:57.360 that iconic custom built star shaped bass guitar. 00:10:57.929 --> 00:11:00.649 Space base. The space base. That specific star 00:11:00.649 --> 00:11:02.750 base was made for him later, though, in 1998 00:11:02.750 --> 00:11:05.850 by a guy named Manuel Manny Salvador. It's just 00:11:05.850 --> 00:11:08.169 a pure statement piece. You look at that star 00:11:08.169 --> 00:11:12.009 shape and you have to wonder, was it just about 00:11:12.009 --> 00:11:14.740 looking cool? Or did that unique shape, the sheer 00:11:14.740 --> 00:11:17.840 size of it, actually change the sound or how 00:11:17.840 --> 00:11:20.340 it played? Well, primarily it's visual. It's 00:11:20.340 --> 00:11:22.480 pure spectacle. Fits the whole cosmic theme. 00:11:22.840 --> 00:11:24.940 Designed to be flashy, instantly recognizable 00:11:24.940 --> 00:11:27.279 on stage. You see that bass, you know who it 00:11:27.279 --> 00:11:30.659 is. Tonally, those custom builds were definitely 00:11:30.659 --> 00:11:33.080 engineered to get that thick, deep, resonant 00:11:33.080 --> 00:11:36.279 funk sound he's known for. But the star shape 00:11:36.279 --> 00:11:39.120 itself? That's a commitment to the performance. 00:11:39.539 --> 00:11:42.059 It proves that in P -Funk, the look, the visual 00:11:42.059 --> 00:11:45.399 presentation was just as vital as the low E string. 00:11:45.679 --> 00:11:47.299 Yeah, the whole package. So the P -Funk years 00:11:47.299 --> 00:11:49.980 really cemented him as this innovator, this total 00:11:49.980 --> 00:11:53.159 showman. But the next phase of his career, I 00:11:53.159 --> 00:11:56.200 think, shows his true musical genius, his ability 00:11:56.200 --> 00:11:59.519 to collaborate and just refuse to be boxed in 00:11:59.519 --> 00:12:02.299 by genre. This takes us into the 80s and 90s 00:12:02.299 --> 00:12:04.500 where he becomes like the ultimate collaborator. 00:12:04.750 --> 00:12:07.070 Yeah. After that first wave of rubber band albums, 00:12:07.190 --> 00:12:09.250 the early 80s, see him branching out, exploring 00:12:09.250 --> 00:12:11.610 production, doing more solo stuff. He released 00:12:11.610 --> 00:12:15.309 his solo album, Ultra Wave, in 1980. And crucially, 00:12:15.370 --> 00:12:17.809 he co -produced the debut album for Zap. Remember 00:12:17.809 --> 00:12:20.909 Zap, the P -Funk spinoff band with Roger Troutman? 00:12:21.070 --> 00:12:23.830 Oh, absolutely. The TalkBox Kings. That Zap connection 00:12:23.830 --> 00:12:27.350 is huge, isn't it? Because Zap basically pioneered 00:12:27.350 --> 00:12:30.289 that heavy TalkBox effect in funk, that distinctive 00:12:30.289 --> 00:12:33.269 robotic voice sound that really defined the West 00:12:33.269 --> 00:12:36.779 Coast sound for a while. Exactly. So by co -producing 00:12:36.779 --> 00:12:39.879 their debut, Bootsy was directly involved in 00:12:39.879 --> 00:12:43.240 launching a whole new subgenre of funk. It connects 00:12:43.240 --> 00:12:45.799 his James Brown roots right through P -funk to 00:12:45.799 --> 00:12:48.220 the rise of electrofunk. He was always pushing 00:12:48.220 --> 00:12:50.480 things forward. Constantly evolving. And the 00:12:50.480 --> 00:12:52.860 mid -80s brought some really unexpected stuff, 00:12:53.000 --> 00:12:55.159 didn't they? Like getting political through sound. 00:12:55.259 --> 00:12:58.519 That 1984 collaboration with Jerry Harrison from 00:12:58.519 --> 00:13:00.940 The Talking Heads. Ah, yeah. Under the name Bonzo 00:13:00.940 --> 00:13:02.940 Goes to Washington. Just the name itself is a... 00:13:03.149 --> 00:13:05.169 Pretty clear political jab at Reagan. Oh, for 00:13:05.169 --> 00:13:07.110 sure. And the music reflected it. They did that 00:13:07.110 --> 00:13:09.450 track Five Minutes, which was this dance record 00:13:09.450 --> 00:13:11.870 built around samples of Ronald Reagan's infamous 00:13:11.870 --> 00:13:14.990 We Begin Bombing in Five Minutes microphone gaffe. 00:13:15.110 --> 00:13:18.799 Wow. That's pointed. Very pointed, but wrapped 00:13:18.799 --> 00:13:22.659 up in this calculated electro -funk groove. It 00:13:22.659 --> 00:13:25.019 really showed Bootsy could use the power of funk 00:13:25.019 --> 00:13:27.480 rhythm not just for psychedelic fun, but for 00:13:27.480 --> 00:13:30.659 sharp political commentary and exploring these 00:13:30.659 --> 00:13:33.559 new dance textures. That move towards electronic 00:13:33.559 --> 00:13:36.200 sounds, more calculated stuff, seems linked to 00:13:36.200 --> 00:13:38.419 his work with Bill Laswell, right? That partnership 00:13:38.419 --> 00:13:40.950 started around 88. Yeah, the Bill Laswell partnership 00:13:40.950 --> 00:13:43.429 was huge. Laswell is known for really experimental 00:13:43.429 --> 00:13:47.529 industrial genre mashing productions. And that 00:13:47.529 --> 00:13:49.669 partnership was fundamental to what the sources 00:13:49.669 --> 00:13:52.230 call Bootsy's new sound, a sound that really 00:13:52.230 --> 00:13:55.110 did foreshadow a lot of 90s music. Laswell encouraged 00:13:55.110 --> 00:13:57.730 him to blend his organic funk bass lines with, 00:13:57.769 --> 00:13:59.610 you know, emerging electronic textures, industrial 00:13:59.610 --> 00:14:02.570 sounds, even early hip hop techniques like scratching. 00:14:02.590 --> 00:14:05.049 So albums like What's Bootsy Doing? Yeah. From 00:14:05.049 --> 00:14:08.429 88. And Perfect Machine, also 88. They're really 00:14:08.429 --> 00:14:11.169 fusion experts. Totally. Perfect machine especially. 00:14:11.690 --> 00:14:14.409 It had techno -funk elements, turntables for 00:14:14.409 --> 00:14:16.909 that scratch appeal, and even brought in smooth 00:14:16.909 --> 00:14:19.470 vocals from Leroy Sugarfoot, Bonner of the Ohio 00:14:19.470 --> 00:14:22.009 Players. It felt like a conscious effort to keep 00:14:22.009 --> 00:14:24.529 funk relevant when synthesized pop and early 00:14:24.529 --> 00:14:26.870 house music were taking over. And he wasn't just 00:14:26.870 --> 00:14:29.409 sticking to funk electronica either. He was popping 00:14:29.409 --> 00:14:32.450 up everywhere in rock and pop, played bass on 00:14:32.450 --> 00:14:35.169 Keith Richards' solo album Talk is Cheap in 88. 00:14:35.490 --> 00:14:37.669 Yep, which shows his rhythm could just slide 00:14:37.669 --> 00:14:40.399 right into a blues rock thing, no problem. He 00:14:40.399 --> 00:14:42.620 also produced and played on tracks for Malcolm 00:14:42.620 --> 00:14:46.379 McLaren's album Waltz Darling in 1989. Eclectic 00:14:46.379 --> 00:14:48.860 choices. Definitely. But I think for millions 00:14:48.860 --> 00:14:51.600 of people like mainstream pop listeners, their 00:14:51.600 --> 00:14:54.159 big introduction to Bootsy, the cosmic funk master, 00:14:54.480 --> 00:14:56.919 was probably D -Lite's Groove is in the Heart 00:14:56.919 --> 00:14:59.500 in 1990. Oh, yeah. Massive hit. And that collaboration 00:14:59.500 --> 00:15:01.860 has a classic bit of funk trivia attached to 00:15:01.860 --> 00:15:04.639 it. Collins did contribute those crucial extra 00:15:04.639 --> 00:15:07.679 vocals, you know, the ad libs. And really importantly, 00:15:07.860 --> 00:15:10.269 he's all over the music video playing. His flamboyant 00:15:10.269 --> 00:15:12.309 bass looking amazing. Right, he's visually central 00:15:12.309 --> 00:15:15.190 to it. Yeah, exactly. But here's the kicker. 00:15:15.210 --> 00:15:17.629 The detail that really shows his status have 00:15:17.629 --> 00:15:21.389 shifted. The actual bass line, that iconic driving 00:15:21.389 --> 00:15:24.049 groove in the recording, it's a sample. No way. 00:15:24.149 --> 00:15:27.690 A sample of what? Herbie Hancock's 1975 track, 00:15:27.929 --> 00:15:31.789 Bring Down the Birds. Get out of here. So Bootsy's 00:15:31.789 --> 00:15:34.629 presence in the video is more about... his image 00:15:34.629 --> 00:15:37.649 his vibe pretty much it suggests that by 1990 00:15:37.649 --> 00:15:42.200 bootsy collins the persona The visual embodiment 00:15:42.200 --> 00:15:45.220 of funk, the rhinestones, the swagger, the whole 00:15:45.220 --> 00:15:48.039 low -end authority thing was so powerful that 00:15:48.039 --> 00:15:50.120 he was hired for his presence, maybe even more 00:15:50.120 --> 00:15:52.220 than his actual playing on that specific track. 00:15:52.360 --> 00:15:55.039 Wow. He brought the funk spirit, the visual legacy, 00:15:55.200 --> 00:15:57.580 while the track itself relied on a classic funk 00:15:57.580 --> 00:16:00.039 sample for the groove. And that brand power was 00:16:00.039 --> 00:16:01.740 so strong that Boothie's rubber band actually 00:16:01.740 --> 00:16:04.320 became the backing band for D -Lite's world tour 00:16:04.320 --> 00:16:06.159 after that. That's incredible. So his influence 00:16:06.159 --> 00:16:09.250 was just radiating out. Beyond pop, though, the 00:16:09.250 --> 00:16:11.789 90s saw him dive into some heavier genre fusions, 00:16:11.789 --> 00:16:14.350 too, right? Like Hardware in 92? Yeah, Hardware. 00:16:14.409 --> 00:16:16.250 That was a funk metal fusion group he formed 00:16:16.250 --> 00:16:18.289 with guitarist Stevie Salas and the legendary 00:16:18.289 --> 00:16:20.269 drummer Buddy Miles. They put out one album, 00:16:20.409 --> 00:16:23.490 Third Eye Open. Funk metal. Makes sense. Kind 00:16:23.490 --> 00:16:25.990 of. And he kept exploring that heavier side with 00:16:25.990 --> 00:16:28.730 the supergroup Praxis. Played bass on their first 00:16:28.730 --> 00:16:31.909 album, Transmutation. That lineup was wild fellow 00:16:31.909 --> 00:16:35.230 P -funk legend Bernie Worrell on keys and the 00:16:35.230 --> 00:16:38.220 completely out there guitarist. Buckethead. Buckethead. 00:16:38.279 --> 00:16:40.820 Wow. Talk about bridging generations and styles. 00:16:41.080 --> 00:16:43.019 Right. It brought together the roots of funk 00:16:43.019 --> 00:16:46.240 with really aggressive experimental rock. He 00:16:46.240 --> 00:16:48.840 was also key in another supergroup, Axiom Funk, 00:16:49.000 --> 00:16:51.940 around 95, another Bill Laswell project. They 00:16:51.940 --> 00:16:54.919 did a huge remake of Jimi Hendrix's If Six Was 00:16:54.919 --> 00:16:56.919 Nine. He just keeps popping up in these amazing 00:16:56.919 --> 00:16:59.580 collaborations. And then maybe the most brilliantly 00:16:59.580 --> 00:17:03.059 weird experiment of the whole decade, the Groovegrass 00:17:03.059 --> 00:17:06.119 Boys. Groovegrass Boys. What is that? Get this. 00:17:06.660 --> 00:17:09.640 Bootsy teamed up with actual bluegrass legends 00:17:09.640 --> 00:17:12.400 Del McCorry and Doc Watson to create a fusion 00:17:12.400 --> 00:17:15.240 of bluegrass and funk. Bluegrass and funk? Seriously, 00:17:15.460 --> 00:17:17.839 why? Like, what was the idea there? I think it 00:17:17.839 --> 00:17:19.920 goes back to his core philosophy. Funk isn't 00:17:19.920 --> 00:17:22.460 just a genre, it's a feel. It's a rhythmic approach. 00:17:22.799 --> 00:17:26.339 He was basically proving that the one, that syncopated 00:17:26.339 --> 00:17:28.759 lock... could groove with anything bluegrass 00:17:28.759 --> 00:17:31.279 is super rhythmic right driven by those acoustic 00:17:31.279 --> 00:17:34.460 strings so by laying down his signature deep 00:17:34.460 --> 00:17:37.000 pocket bass lines and funk drumming underneath 00:17:37.000 --> 00:17:39.779 it they created something totally new proving 00:17:39.779 --> 00:17:42.539 the language of funk could translate like universally 00:17:42.539 --> 00:17:46.119 that's wild just refusing to be categorized okay 00:17:46.119 --> 00:17:48.000 let's move into the new millennium his influence 00:17:48.000 --> 00:17:49.819 gets recognized in different ways leading us 00:17:49.819 --> 00:17:54.140 to uh section four modern relevance mentorship 00:17:54.970 --> 00:17:57.450 And the big shift. Yeah, and his voice itself, 00:17:57.529 --> 00:18:00.869 that playful, charismatic tenor, became a pop 00:18:00.869 --> 00:18:03.349 culture thing in the early 2000s, largely thanks 00:18:03.349 --> 00:18:06.190 to Fatboy Slim, the track Weapon of Choice from 00:18:06.190 --> 00:18:08.849 2000. Oh yeah, huge track. His lead vocals are 00:18:08.849 --> 00:18:11.230 unmistakable, especially that spoken word bit 00:18:11.230 --> 00:18:13.170 he delivers, the quote from Doom. Walk without 00:18:13.170 --> 00:18:15.609 rhythm and you won't attract the worm. Iconic. 00:18:15.900 --> 00:18:17.740 And that track was massive commercially, won 00:18:17.740 --> 00:18:20.660 a Grammy for Best Music Video. It really cemented 00:18:20.660 --> 00:18:22.900 Bootsy's place in modern electronic music culture. 00:18:23.099 --> 00:18:25.200 And he kept stretching into unexpected areas, 00:18:25.460 --> 00:18:27.740 collaborating with Christian rap artist Toby 00:18:27.740 --> 00:18:31.619 Mac on Diverse City in 2004. That track helped 00:18:31.619 --> 00:18:33.700 the album win a Dove Award for a Rap Hip Hop 00:18:33.700 --> 00:18:36.420 Album of the Year in 2005. His groove really 00:18:36.420 --> 00:18:38.880 had no boundaries, religious, stylistic, whatever. 00:18:39.180 --> 00:18:42.299 But even with all this global cosmic stardom, 00:18:42.680 --> 00:18:44.779 he stayed really connected to his roots, didn't 00:18:44.779 --> 00:18:47.190 he? Especially Cincinnati. He seemed to really 00:18:47.190 --> 00:18:49.549 champion his hometown. Oh, incredibly strong 00:18:49.549 --> 00:18:52.809 ties. He used his fame to be like a local hero, 00:18:52.910 --> 00:18:56.130 a civic figure almost. In 2005, he co -wrote 00:18:56.130 --> 00:18:58.269 and performed the Cincinnati Bengals song, Fear 00:18:58.269 --> 00:19:00.470 Die Tiger. Uh -huh. I remember that. It featured 00:19:00.470 --> 00:19:03.029 some Bengals players trying to rap. Yeah, hilariously. 00:19:03.210 --> 00:19:05.789 And then a year later, he sang Marshall Law, 00:19:05.930 --> 00:19:08.390 the theme song for the Cincinnati Marshalls indoor 00:19:08.390 --> 00:19:11.029 football team. He wasn't just some distant star. 00:19:11.150 --> 00:19:13.599 He was like... the city's musical ambassador. 00:19:13.759 --> 00:19:15.920 He even opened a club there for a while, Bootsy's. 00:19:16.079 --> 00:19:19.039 Yeah, in 2008, a restaurant and club called Bootsy's. 00:19:19.119 --> 00:19:21.059 It only ran for a couple of years, 2008 to 2010, 00:19:21.240 --> 00:19:23.079 but it was more than just a venue. They had live 00:19:23.079 --> 00:19:25.619 acts and even a little museum dedicated to his 00:19:25.619 --> 00:19:28.559 career. Cool. But maybe the biggest evolution 00:19:28.559 --> 00:19:30.960 in this later part of his career started around 00:19:30.960 --> 00:19:34.400 2010 when the funk master became Professor Bootsy. 00:19:34.619 --> 00:19:37.980 Funk University or Funk U. Yeah, an online only 00:19:37.980 --> 00:19:41.109 bass. guitar school. And this wasn't just him 00:19:41.109 --> 00:19:42.609 slapping his name on something, right? It was 00:19:42.609 --> 00:19:45.230 a serious project. No, not at all. He launched 00:19:45.230 --> 00:19:48.069 it with Corey Danziger and was genuinely the 00:19:48.069 --> 00:19:50.809 curator and lead professor. It offered a pretty 00:19:50.809 --> 00:19:53.990 intense structured curriculum aimed at intermediate 00:19:53.990 --> 00:19:56.410 to advanced bass players. What kind of stuff 00:19:56.410 --> 00:19:58.190 did they teach? Well, the philosophy connected 00:19:58.190 --> 00:20:01.269 right back to his own journey. It covered rigorous 00:20:01.269 --> 00:20:04.809 bass theory, the actual history of funk. giving 00:20:04.809 --> 00:20:07.549 context, you know, and details from Bootsy's 00:20:07.549 --> 00:20:10.349 own musical life. Nice. And he brought in top 00:20:10.349 --> 00:20:12.670 tier guest professors, too. People like Victor 00:20:12.670 --> 00:20:15.910 Wooten, Les Claypool, real masters who understood 00:20:15.910 --> 00:20:19.329 the funk groove inside and out. So he was consciously 00:20:19.329 --> 00:20:21.470 passing on those lessons he learned from James 00:20:21.470 --> 00:20:24.529 Brown. The discipline, the search for the one. 00:20:24.890 --> 00:20:26.869 but packaging it for modern musicians online. 00:20:27.069 --> 00:20:29.349 Shame it ended in 2021. Yeah, it was a great 00:20:29.349 --> 00:20:31.789 resource. But the really big turning point in 00:20:31.789 --> 00:20:34.650 this era came in January 2019. That was the moment 00:20:34.650 --> 00:20:36.910 that really signaled his shift from being primarily 00:20:36.910 --> 00:20:40.009 a player to being a dedicated mentor. Right. 00:20:40.049 --> 00:20:41.869 He announced his retirement from playing live. 00:20:42.109 --> 00:20:45.470 Yeah. And it wasn't just like... fading away 00:20:45.470 --> 00:20:49.069 it was a necessary health decision he specifically 00:20:49.069 --> 00:20:51.990 mentioned too much pressure on my inner ear and 00:20:51.990 --> 00:20:54.230 right hand as the reason he had to step back 00:20:54.230 --> 00:20:56.769 from the physical demands of playing bass live 00:20:56.769 --> 00:20:59.369 on stage night after night that makes sense touring 00:20:59.369 --> 00:21:02.660 is grueling totally but the key thing was The 00:21:02.660 --> 00:21:05.420 funk wasn't retiring. He made it super clear 00:21:05.420 --> 00:21:07.980 his focus would shift entirely to studio work 00:21:07.980 --> 00:21:10.460 and coaching. He said he'd become a coach for 00:21:10.460 --> 00:21:13.140 up -and -coming musicians. And he assured everyone 00:21:13.140 --> 00:21:15.599 that Cher Ping Ping Ping will continue to funk 00:21:15.599 --> 00:21:18.339 from the studio, but not live playing bass on 00:21:18.339 --> 00:21:21.710 stage. It felt like a very conscious choice to 00:21:21.710 --> 00:21:24.210 put his energy into propagation, into teaching 00:21:24.210 --> 00:21:26.829 rather than just performance. And that focus 00:21:26.829 --> 00:21:29.329 on mentoring kind of perfectly set the stage 00:21:29.329 --> 00:21:31.970 for that big pop culture moment in 2021 with 00:21:31.970 --> 00:21:34.329 Silt Sonic, didn't it? Absolutely. The Bruno 00:21:34.329 --> 00:21:37.009 Mars and Anderson .Paak project. An evening with 00:21:37.009 --> 00:21:39.690 Silk Sonic. Bootsy wasn't just a guest. He was 00:21:39.690 --> 00:21:41.990 the special guest host and narrator for the whole 00:21:41.990 --> 00:21:44.069 album. Right, fretting it all together. Yeah, 00:21:44.150 --> 00:21:47.210 using his charisma, those spoken interludes, 00:21:47.210 --> 00:21:50.210 acting like the DJ guiding you through this classic 00:21:50.210 --> 00:21:53.710 R &B experience. It was perfect casting. And 00:21:53.710 --> 00:21:55.930 the sources confirm he wasn't just hired to talk. 00:21:56.210 --> 00:21:58.569 He actually came up with the name Silk Sonic 00:21:58.569 --> 00:22:02.309 for them. Yep. He coined the name. Which really 00:22:02.309 --> 00:22:04.630 solidifies his role as this kind of creative 00:22:04.630 --> 00:22:06.849 muse, this guiding spirit for the next generation 00:22:06.849 --> 00:22:09.589 doing funk and soul revival. His voice just kept 00:22:09.589 --> 00:22:11.670 reaching new places too, like voicing a radio 00:22:11.670 --> 00:22:14.069 DJ in Grand Theft Auto V in 2013. Yeah, that 00:22:14.069 --> 00:22:16.690 was huge. The game featured a bunch of his songs 00:22:16.690 --> 00:22:19.029 too. So he's introducing his grooves to this 00:22:19.029 --> 00:22:21.930 massive, modern, often younger gaming audience. 00:22:22.250 --> 00:22:24.809 He stayed relevant. Okay, so we've tracked the 00:22:24.809 --> 00:22:27.210 artist, the innovator, the mentor. Let's dig 00:22:27.210 --> 00:22:30.599 into section five, the Boosie Blueprint. The 00:22:30.599 --> 00:22:32.799 lasting legacy, those iconic instruments in more 00:22:32.799 --> 00:22:35.339 detail, and his philanthropic work. For sure. 00:22:35.480 --> 00:22:37.720 And we got to circle back to the gear. Bootsy 00:22:37.720 --> 00:22:40.259 is just visually inseparable from his basses, 00:22:40.259 --> 00:22:42.420 especially that custom star -shaped one built 00:22:42.420 --> 00:22:45.000 by Manny Salvador in 98. That thing is his cosmic 00:22:45.000 --> 00:22:47.220 stage persona. And other companies picked up 00:22:47.220 --> 00:22:49.359 on that iconic look, right? Traben Guitars did 00:22:49.359 --> 00:22:52.299 the Bootsilla signature model. Yep. Inspired 00:22:52.299 --> 00:22:55.140 by his look. And more recently, Warwick, the 00:22:55.140 --> 00:22:57.619 high -end bass company, they've done customized 00:22:57.619 --> 00:23:00.420 versions of their Infinity Basses for him. You 00:23:00.420 --> 00:23:02.980 see the Bootsy Collins Black Star Signature Bass, 00:23:03.200 --> 00:23:05.980 the Orange Star Signature Bass. They aren't just 00:23:05.980 --> 00:23:08.220 instruments. They're like functional sculptures 00:23:08.220 --> 00:23:10.799 designed to project that specific Bootsy image. 00:23:11.059 --> 00:23:13.059 And his cultural legacy. I mean, his name is 00:23:13.059 --> 00:23:16.039 basically shorthand for Deep Funk Bass. It's 00:23:16.039 --> 00:23:18.420 the benchmark. Totally. You see it in song lyrics. 00:23:18.779 --> 00:23:22.059 Tom Club's Genius of Love. from 81 explicitly 00:23:22.059 --> 00:23:25.000 says, Clinton's musicians such as Bootsy Collins 00:23:25.000 --> 00:23:28.380 raise expectation to a new intention. He's named 00:23:28.380 --> 00:23:30.500 as someone who literally raises the bar. Wow. 00:23:30.779 --> 00:23:33.599 And in hip hop, the Fugees used him as the ultimate 00:23:33.599 --> 00:23:36.140 measure of bass depth in Rumble in the Jungle. 00:23:36.299 --> 00:23:38.500 The line is, got more bass than Bootsy Collins. 00:23:38.619 --> 00:23:40.839 You can't get a higher compliment as a bass player. 00:23:40.960 --> 00:23:43.519 That's it. That really says it all. And visually, 00:23:43.640 --> 00:23:46.400 his style influenced so many. Flea from the Red 00:23:46.400 --> 00:23:49.059 Hot Chili Peppers always cites him. Yeah, Flea 00:23:49.059 --> 00:23:51.680 consistently points to Bootsy as a primary influence. 00:23:52.059 --> 00:23:54.180 And you see it in the Down in California video. 00:23:54.539 --> 00:23:57.279 Flea's dressed in that unmistakable Collins style, 00:23:57.480 --> 00:24:00.420 the rhinestones, the wild colors. The influence 00:24:00.420 --> 00:24:02.380 is right there. He's so iconic, he even gets 00:24:02.380 --> 00:24:05.500 parodied, right? Like on SNL. Exactly. Affectionate 00:24:05.500 --> 00:24:08.019 parody, though. The sources mentioned his vocal 00:24:08.019 --> 00:24:10.900 style got spoofed in a 2011 Saturday Night Live 00:24:10.900 --> 00:24:14.099 sketch called The Essentials. Jay Pharoah played 00:24:14.099 --> 00:24:15.950 a character named... named Dr. Blackenstein. 00:24:16.069 --> 00:24:18.910 Yeah, like Dr. Funkenstein. Exactly. A clear 00:24:18.910 --> 00:24:21.390 nod to the Parliament album, The Clones of Dr. 00:24:21.670 --> 00:24:24.150 Funkenstein, which Bootsy played on. It just 00:24:24.150 --> 00:24:26.930 shows how deep the P -Funk universe and Bootsy's 00:24:26.930 --> 00:24:30.190 part in it is lodged in pop culture memory. What's 00:24:30.190 --> 00:24:31.910 really inspiring, though, especially lately, 00:24:32.049 --> 00:24:34.319 is how he's channeled all that... musical and 00:24:34.319 --> 00:24:36.980 cultural clout into actual philanthropic work. 00:24:37.200 --> 00:24:39.279 Yeah, he's really focused on music education 00:24:39.279 --> 00:24:41.779 and community building. He's an honorary board 00:24:41.779 --> 00:24:44.220 member for Little Kids Rock. He visited one of 00:24:44.220 --> 00:24:46.960 their programs back in 2011, donated a bass, 00:24:47.119 --> 00:24:48.960 actually sat down and gave the kids a lesson. 00:24:49.220 --> 00:24:51.880 That's great. But the most recent big thing is 00:24:51.880 --> 00:24:54.339 the Funk Not Fight movement, right? This feels 00:24:54.339 --> 00:24:56.619 like a really significant evolution of his whole 00:24:56.619 --> 00:24:59.200 philosophy. It really does. He kicked it off 00:24:59.200 --> 00:25:02.220 with his wife, Peppamente Patty Collins, in May 00:25:02.220 --> 00:25:04.920 2023. They launched it at the Rock and Roll Hall 00:25:04.920 --> 00:25:08.339 of Fame in Cleveland. And the core mission is 00:25:08.339 --> 00:25:12.700 simple but powerful to calm the violence with 00:25:12.700 --> 00:25:15.420 the power of music and dance. It's about using 00:25:15.420 --> 00:25:19.039 the organizing power of funk, of groove, to tackle 00:25:19.039 --> 00:25:21.880 social issues head on. How does it work in practice? 00:25:22.400 --> 00:25:24.880 They're setting up chapters, running events focused 00:25:24.880 --> 00:25:27.000 on community engagement, conflict resolution, 00:25:27.299 --> 00:25:30.039 all using music and dance as the tool. They've 00:25:30.039 --> 00:25:32.279 got efforts going in places like Compton, Detroit, 00:25:32.599 --> 00:25:34.180 New York. York, and of course his home base in 00:25:34.180 --> 00:25:36.220 Cincinnati. That's amazing. Taking the power 00:25:36.220 --> 00:25:38.420 of the one into the community. Exactly. And this 00:25:38.420 --> 00:25:40.660 dedication to using funk for public service has 00:25:40.660 --> 00:25:43.839 gotten major recognition. In 2024, Bootsy and 00:25:43.839 --> 00:25:46.460 Patty Collins jointly received the U .S. Presidential 00:25:46.460 --> 00:25:48.900 Lifetime Achievement Awards and Honorary Gold 00:25:48.900 --> 00:25:51.880 Medal. Wow. Presidential awards. Yep. Specifically 00:25:51.880 --> 00:25:54.680 for their philanthropic work, highlighting the 00:25:54.680 --> 00:25:57.519 Funk Not Fight movement. It's a remarkable capstone 00:25:57.519 --> 00:26:00.400 to a career already full of honors. The National 00:26:00.400 --> 00:26:03.630 Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame in 2017. the Cincinnati 00:26:03.630 --> 00:26:06.809 Black Music Walk of Fame in 2023. Just incredible. 00:26:06.990 --> 00:26:08.970 So, OK, if we try to wrap this whole massive 00:26:08.970 --> 00:26:13.369 journey up, we basically see three major eras 00:26:13.369 --> 00:26:16.009 defining Gutsy Collins. Yeah, I think so. First, 00:26:16.089 --> 00:26:18.109 there's the foundation, that rigorous essential 00:26:18.109 --> 00:26:20.710 funk he mastered in that intense 11 -month crucible 00:26:20.710 --> 00:26:23.450 with James Brown, learning the absolute meaning 00:26:23.450 --> 00:26:27.839 of the one. Right. Then second. The cosmic exploration, 00:26:28.119 --> 00:26:30.539 the wild, brilliant theatrical explosion with 00:26:30.539 --> 00:26:32.839 P -Funk and Bootsy's rubber band, building the 00:26:32.839 --> 00:26:35.019 whole mythology, the alien rock star, the star 00:26:35.019 --> 00:26:38.079 -shaped sound. And finally, the third era, the 00:26:38.079 --> 00:26:41.259 master collaborator and mentor, navigating decades 00:26:41.259 --> 00:26:44.119 of music, funk metal, pop, electronic, while 00:26:44.119 --> 00:26:46.140 consciously shifting his focus from being on 00:26:46.140 --> 00:26:48.259 stage to guiding others in the studio and through 00:26:48.259 --> 00:26:50.759 activism. What really stands out looking at the 00:26:50.759 --> 00:26:52.900 whole arc is that conscious choice he made in 00:26:52.900 --> 00:26:55.700 2019. He didn't just fade out. He intentionally 00:26:55.700 --> 00:26:58.539 redirected his life's work. He moved his energy 00:26:58.539 --> 00:27:01.859 away from physically playing the bass live towards 00:27:01.859 --> 00:27:05.039 teaching through Funk University and leading 00:27:05.039 --> 00:27:08.099 the Funk Not Fight movement. Yeah. It raises 00:27:08.099 --> 00:27:10.220 a really powerful question about legacy, doesn't 00:27:10.220 --> 00:27:13.039 it? How so? Well, if the architect of funk himself, 00:27:13.259 --> 00:27:15.940 the guy who literally defined the low end for 00:27:15.940 --> 00:27:18.480 generations, decides his most important work 00:27:18.480 --> 00:27:21.599 now is teaching the principles of rhythm and 00:27:21.599 --> 00:27:24.380 using that rhythm for social good. Is that like 00:27:24.380 --> 00:27:28.079 the ultimate evolution of hitting the one? Interesting 00:27:28.079 --> 00:27:29.920 way to put it. Is passing on that fundamental 00:27:29.920 --> 00:27:32.420 rhythm, that funk, that positivity, is that a 00:27:32.420 --> 00:27:34.640 more profound legacy now than just performing 00:27:34.640 --> 00:27:36.400 it himself? It definitely is something to think 00:27:36.400 --> 00:27:38.220 about for all you funketeers listening. Yeah. 00:27:38.279 --> 00:27:40.799 The true power of the rhythm. Yeah. That was 00:27:40.799 --> 00:27:43.059 the deep dive into the one and only Bootsy Collin. 00:27:43.059 --> 00:27:44.559 Deep and funky. Get you next time.