Funk legend Bootsy Collins and his wife Patti join Dear Culture during Black Music Month to talk about the launch of their anti-violence initiative, “Funk Not Fight” which is giving amateur musicians a chance to have their music heard by the masses. Bootsy also shares stories from his iconic career including working with James Brown and discusses his impressive music catalog that is still sampled regularly by today’s biggest artists.
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Panama Jackson [00:00:00] You are now listening to theGrio Black Podcast Network. Black Culture Amplified.
Bootsy Collins [00:00:04] Everybody was in clubs. Everybody was practicing. I mean, so it wasn’t like we were just out here. Lollygag A lot of it was adding, hitting it, tightening up their game because they knew if you didn’t have it down. Bootsy and them or Rog and them all them know how players was going wear you out on the set. If you wasn’t bad you know you would you know you wouldn’t gettin’ hired. You wasn’t get those girlies tonight. What cha call it and them getting them, you know. And you know we got to put a stop to that. We got to get some ourself, we like mouth, you know. Yeah.
Patti Collins [00:00:43] Panama.
Panama Jackson [00:00:46] What’s going on, everybody? And welcome to Dear Culture the podcast for by about the culture here at theGrio Black Podcast Network. I’m your host Panama Jackson and today ladies and gentlemen, the legend in the house none other than one of the the greatest musicians out of the state of Ohio which is saying something. That’s the reason I said that. But a legendary bassist, one who belongs on the Mount Rushmore of bassists. A person, if you like me for who if you’re a hip-hop fan, literally set the foundation for the music that you know and love, especially if you love anything coming out of the West Coast. I am joined by none other than Bootsy Collins and Patti Collins. How are you all doing?
Bootsy Collins [00:01:34] Wind me up uh! Doing great, man, just lucky to be alive and and here to speak with you and and, you know, let the funk continue to grow.
Patti Collins [00:01:45] Yeah. It’s a great day, we’re with Panama.
Bootsy Collins [00:01:47] Yeah.
Panama Jackson [00:01:49] Well, it is appreciated. I got to be honest with you. This is one of those things that I didn’t know how excited I could be for something. It’s like, wait a minute, I’m going to have an opportunity to speak with Bootsy Collins. Like, my parents are going to flip out because again, in my household. So I was born in 79. In my household, we were listening to Parliament. We were listening to Bootsy Rubber Band. I mean, of course, James Brown is in everybody’s household, you know, like growing up as a Black household in the car of him. So this is really this is really special for me. And I appreciate you being here. You know, just the opportunity in and of itself is wonderful. So thank you so much. Thank you both so much for being here. You appreciate it. I just want to say that the opportunity to tell somebody that directly to their face, you know what I mean?
Bootsy Collins [00:02:38] We’re honored to be here and share whatever funk we got.
Patti Collins [00:02:41] Whatever the funk we got.
Bootsy Collins [00:02:43] We love to share the funk.
Patti Collins [00:02:45] Every day.
Panama Jackson [00:02:47] Well, I appreciate that. I’m glad you said that because I got I had a couple of questions like we’re here to talk about an organization that you have in a collaborative album that you that you put together called Funk Not Fight. Tell me a bit about the initiative, what it represents, what it’s about.
Bootsy Collins [00:03:12] As you know, I’ve been in this for quite some time, pretty much all my life. And, you know, funk has always been looked upon as dance and having fun and good time getting you getting funked up all of that. But, you know, I guess as I’ve grown older, you know, and. Things kind of change, but they still remain the same. And it’s like, you know, the young the young people are getting more violent, you know, and it’s like, I need to do something because I know that music heals. You know, music can calm the situation down. It happened there with James Brown and and Boston back in the riot days. And so we all know that music can calm the situation down. And so I got what Patti in she heard me say something about Funk Not Fight. I was just throwing out ideas and she was like, yeah, we should do something with that, you know, and going along with what I was thinking anyway, I was like, Yeah, you know, we know we can’t save the world. I mean, and it even about that, it’s about right doing what you could do to help the situation, you know, because a lot of rap is going on, but ain’t nobody really doing nothing. And we want to be the ones that on the side that’s doing something and this Funk Not Fight is our give back of us trying to do something to help in that situation where we just got so crazy on each other and we’re just killing and violating each other and you know, in funk, you don’t do that, you know, and funk, you know, we funk together. And so we want to try to help bring back that power of the one, you know, because it’s about all of us. And ain’t about just me and her and Joe and Blow. It’s about all of us. And we want to kind of bring that center back. And we are the core. We all are, and none is no better than the other. And this Funk Not Fight is kinda that that message. It is that spirit.
Patti Collins [00:05:40] That most of that and you know we were driving back to add on to what Bootsy saying we were driving back from I think it was Birmingham, July 4th. And it turns out we heard another shooting was going on at a parade in Chicago. And Bootsy really, you know, said, I got to do something. And he said, Funk Not Fight. And that’s where that was born. He came home, he wrote a song, and he’s like, okay, Patti, let’s do something. And then that’s when the campaign started to take birth.
Bootsy Collins [00:06:14] Yeah.
Patti Collins [00:06:15] So, yeah, it’s a movement. It’s a movement Panama. The Rock n Roll Hall of Fame is going to release the song for the very first time. And the video that goes with it. But more important, we’re going to have a roundtable and we’re going to work with the governor’s office is coming. The governor of Ohio, Governor DeWine. We’re going to have some statesmen. We’re going to have community leaders, and we’re going to have neighbors that are living in this and the neighborhoods. And they’re going to come speak and talk about what is going on in their neighborhood, what is the violence, what are they feeling, what are they seeing? And we’re going to talk together with that Funk Not Fight theme. So Funk Not Fight represents the mission of the music helping to heal our land.
Bootsy Collins [00:07:03] But it’s actually the blueprint was setting up for not just Cleveland, but all of the communities. And when we leave the message, don’t leave. You know, the community gets active in you know, in what we’re trying to do, you know, and show people that we need to help each other in this because, you know, it is more than down to. US, You know, we got to do something. We can’t continue to blame Muggs for our shortcomings. You know, we got. We got to do something.
Patti Collins [00:07:40] So what’s happening? After we do the roundtable, we’re going to go to a place called the Village. And this what Boogie’s talking about. We’re laying that blueprint and Cleveland. But we’re going to a suburb that houses the village. And then inside the village is going to live a funk, not fight safe space hub. This means that if someone is just having a bad day, they feel like they want to hurt themselves, hurts someone else. There’s going to be a space there that has been branded with the funk, that fight logos and colorful things, and they will be able to speak with a counselor, a psychologist, just to help figure out what is going on with them. And inside the village is also a studio where they can record. There is an art area where they can draw and just have spoken word all these different things. So imagine someone that’s just disheartened at the moment and they need a place to go where they can go to Funk Not Fight safe hub there at the village. And this will be the blueprint we will take around the country to set up Funk Not Fight hubs. And that’s how communities will change the culture of violence and learn to love one another. Hope together once again.
Panama Jackson [00:08:57] How did you all decide on Cleveland? I know, I know. Bootsy, you’re from Cincinnati. Like, how did you decide on Cleveland as your first, like, hub safety hub for for the funk, not fight movement?
Bootsy Collins [00:09:08] Well, there’s some pretty deep things going on in Cleveland and Cleveland. I always get, you know, the the butt of the joke. I mean, you know, they all everybody. But we are from Cleveland. And, you know, so it’s like. Right. You know, you know, everybody always kind of look down on Cleveland. And for me, you know, we are a funk has always been the underdog. So, you know, you can’t get too much more underdog than Cleveland, you know, unless is Toledo, you know. But but but, you know, it’s like that we’ve been recognized and put in those categories where, you know, on the bottom of the totem pole. So that’s what funky is. That’s what Cleveland is. That’s what Toledo is, you know, is all those things that we came up in, you know, that we came up because we the underdogs and, you know, we’re proud. Why are we proud? And nobody tell us to be proud. We’re not glad to be in the situations that we are, but we are a proud people and we want to be treated, you know, with respect. And so, you know, when you say Cleveland, you know, we should be pumped about it. You know, when you see Toledo, you know, when you say lower Alabama, I live in L.A. and what is it, lower Alabama, that’s, you know, you should be pumped about. And so where, you know, people used to say, why are you you know, why you left enough Cincinnati and you stand pretty much in L.A.. I was like Cincinnati as well. I’m from you know, that’s all that’s where I grew up, you know. And so we need to start standing for a for who we are, what we are and where we’re from. Yeah, I know. And so that’s what this Funk Not Fight thing. It ain’t just about, you know, one thing about violence. This is about all of us doing our best to do better. Wow. That’s a good thing.
Patti Collins [00:11:10] Yeah, I like that.
Bootsy Collins [00:11:11] I bet that is good. Although I’m writing it all right.
Patti Collins [00:11:16] And. And, you know, another reason for being able to go to Cleveland. We’re partners with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. With Bootsy being inducted. They wanted to help put the word out with announcing it on that platform. And that’s a super great platform. And then we have a friend who’s a doctor at the Cleveland Clinic there. He’s going to actually be a spokesperson for us. He’s going to talk about how music is helping to heal patients that he sees every day. So when all of this came and the fact that Cleveland can be known as that underdog, Bootsy was like, you know what, let’s go. Let’s do Cleveland, and then let’s blueprint it, stamp it, and let’s take it across the country.
Panama Jackson [00:12:04] And there’s an album associated with this as well, right? Correct me if I’m wrong, this was something that people could submit music in songs to. So, you know, like regular, everyday musicians and people who are trying to make a name for themselves could submit to be a part of this project. And I’m assuming you ultimately decided who was going to make the album and all this stuff. Like, so what was that process like and how did you decide who was going to be a part of the the funk, not fight album part of this?
Bootsy Collins [00:12:31] Well, we actually still are going through it, so it’s like a yeah, you know, our ongoing progression of and you know, it don’t never have to end it, don’t never have to be just one album. I mean, you know, for me, we need to keep this thing going and growing because that gives people hope. The ones that like are on the corner, you know, singing or in their room singing and nothing is happening. Get a chance to maybe, you know, turn in something and sometimes things happen in the end, you know, because a lot of people, you know, a lot of people have been turning stuff in and a lot of people wound up being on the album. And we’ve got so many people that everybody can’t be on one album. So it’s like, you know, it has to be an ongoing thing.
Patti Collins [00:13:29] And Syncr music out of the UK is our partner. So what happens is someone can turn a song into Syncr and then Syncr sends it to Bootsy, and then Bootsy makes the decision. He listens to it with some of the team members, our Skybox partners, and we make a decision if that particular song will make the Bootsy Collins compilation Funk in that Fight album.
Bootsy Collins [00:13:55] And it’s all different age levels. Yeah, of course. You know, of course we’re we’re looking to the young to carry the message on. But everybody turns in music. I mean, you know, whatever the talent is, they turn it in and it just makes it actually. Makes me feel like I’m more of a part than just playing bass in a band. I mean, I’ve been doing that for years and it’s been great to me. But, you know, it’s like now I see what James Brown saw when he saw me coming off the stage in 1968. Well, we were out there involved in the riots and everything, and he got us all over the street. You know, and I always wondered, you know, why won’t us young, crazy, cocky Muggs, you know, around him, I didn’t understand it. You know, And we went in there laughing and joking and, you know, talking about his clothes and his shoes and, you know, all of that. And, you know, but, you know, we didn’t we didn’t have says enough to know that what this guy was doing for us at that particular time. And it took us off to the streets, you know, and it probably saved our life. I know it probably saved my head, that’s for sure.
Patti Collins [00:15:10] Yeah. And we’re already getting messages back from folks that are turning in the music and they are actually getting on the compilation album and they’re saying to us how this is changing their lives. So let’s imagine Johnny in Atlanta turns a song in, he makes the album. He’s going to take that to his mom, his dad, his auntie, his grandma, his homies. And this is lifting up his self-esteem. This is how we feel. We can change the culture with calming the violence, with the power of music. So we just believe if we stay with us, that’s going to be an ongoing album. As Bootsy saying, for a long, long time because of the temperature of what’s going on. So thumbs up, Funk Not Fight.
Bootsy Collins [00:16:01] Funk Not Fight.
Panama Jackson [00:16:01] It sounds amazing and needed. You know, I can I can appreciate that. Even just thinking, you know, I’m as somebody with kids, you know what you’re talking about, like what James Brown saw in y’all and how you said these kids, I can have a positive impact on their life. And he did change your life, right? You completely changed the trajectory of wherever you were going to be going and the ability to do that for you at the same like the. I can I can appreciate that. I think that’s that’s very commendable. That’s admirable for you all to be to be jumping into the fight. Right. The funk not the fight, the Funk Not Fight, but jumping into the fight to try to help the best way you can. Because I’m with you. I agree. Music does save souls and it heals it. It makes you feel better. Yeah. It can calm you down in a heartbeat. You know it can. It can bring you back to center when you need it most. We’re going to take a real quick break here. And when we come back, we’re going to talk more with Bootsy and Patti about Funk Not Fight. But also I have some music questions. I have some some questions that have always been in my heart. So stay tuned here to Dear culture.
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Panama Jackson [00:18:06] We’re talking about the Funk Not Fight movement that what they got going on. It’s going to be hubbed in Cleveland to start what is going to be a blueprint for the opportunity to do things across the world. And I have a question for you mentioned Toledo. Now, I’m somebody who used to live in Michigan, so I know Toledo is the butt of all kind of jokes. Right. I get that. But there’s something about that I-75 corridor from Cincinnati on up. So I had to ask, why in the world do you think there are so many amazing, great musicians coming out of Ohio and especially this 75 corridor, that’s just always baffled me. Like, if you look in more more times than not, when I see some great band. I am never surprised to find they come from Ohio in some way, shape or form. You got your the Isleys, the Roger Zapp, the list goes. And these are people that I know you’ve worked with in different ways, but the list is endless. What is it about Ohio?
Bootsy Collins [00:19:04] I think. When I was coming up. And all of us there’s there was in this pot, you know, we all had some positive competition going on as far as who’s going to get the gig. You know, we weren’t getting paid that, you know, couple bucks, enough to get gas. I mean, so it wasn’t about really the money. It was about us having fun. And, you know, being out there going against each other is like, this is the same rules applied is like in football games, basketball, you know, it’s kind of like it turned into like a game, but we didn’t look at it as a game. But now I can look back at it and say, dang, we was out to have fun, you know, having a good time. And it wasn’t about the money, you know, It was more about you not be having fun, having a few drinks, you know, hanging out with the girlies, you know, that whole thing and just being a great band, being a great musician, that that’s what it was all about, You know, it was about just putting people together and seeing who’s the best, you know? And in in Ohio, up that 75 that you was talking about. Everybody was in clubs. Everybody was practicing. I mean, so it wasn’t like we were just out here lollygagging. Muggs was out here hitting it, tightening up their game because they knew if you didn’t have it down Bootsy and them or Rog and them or all those Ohio players was going, wear you at on the set. So you got to get your, you know, get your thing together. And that’s what I think was driving that whole Ohio area. Because if you wouldn’t if you wouldn’t bad, you know, you would you know, you wouldn’t get hired you wasn’t getting those girlies tonight. Whatcha call it and them getting them, you know, and you know, we got to put a stop to them. We got to get some myself, you know, we like mouth, you know, but yeah.
Patti Collins [00:21:17] Panama.
Bootsy Collins [00:21:18] And then besides the number two, that was number one. Number two besides that, I think it had something to do with the P in Ohio.
Patti Collins [00:21:28] That’s what I’m talking about.
Bootsy Collins [00:21:29] Yeah. It was the P in the river.
Patti Collins [00:21:31] P in the river .
Bootsy Collins [00:21:31] P in the river did it.
Panama Jackson [00:21:34] I was going to say it must be something in the water. Got to be something in the water in Ohio. I mean.
Bootsy Collins [00:21:39] Is that P Funk in that river? Oh, yeah.
Patti Collins [00:21:42] Yeah.
Bootsy Collins [00:21:43] Oh, yeah.
Panama Jackson [00:21:44] Let me ask this too. So, you know, I’m, I’m, I grew up in the, you know, my like the late eighties and nineties. Right. Those that’s my ear. And I’m a huge hip-hop fan like, you know, I know hip-hop raised me. But as somebody who literally created what was part of the creation of like the soundbed that a lot of hip-hop was built upon. Right. You know, I mean I can’t I don’t know how many people have used More Bounce to the Ounce. I’d Rather Be With You, it’s like a million people have used that.
Bootsy Collins [00:22:18] Oh, yes, I do.
Panama Jackson [00:22:20] What are you, a hip-hop fan? I mean, you’ve worked with so many hip-hop artists. Are you a hip-hop fan?
Bootsy Collins [00:22:24] Yeah, Yeah. Because especially the ones that were legends. That came up and made it what it is. You know, all what it was. I love those cats, you know, I was, you know, into that because they took what we was doing and took it to another level, a whole new audience. And I for one appreciated that a lot of people from back in the day was highly upset, you know, because they took their music. I mean, there was no laws, you know, about sampling. There was no this. But I thought it was like. That’s pretty cool. When Eazy-E came here talking about, you know, he wanted me to be on video and he wanted to do the song. I thought that was like,.
Bootsy Collins [00:23:14] And that’s the way Eazy does it, baby.
Eazy E [00:23:17] My name is Eazy. Yeah, this is true. Keeping your attention is what I’m going to do.
Bootsy Collins [00:23:21] You know, because we have been, you know, road driven for, what, five, six years straight. And it’s like, man, you know, you know, I’m getting little tired, man. And these mugs kind of came in, took the ball and ran with it, in the same direction, but with a new face, you know, and a new agenda, a whole new vibe. And I was like, Oh, that’s cool. So they weren’t funking with us, you know, they took what we had and made it their own. And so to me, that was, you know, that was an honor, you know, that was honor. So I had to get involved when I saw that.
Panama Jackson [00:24:01] I’m glad to hear you say that. Well, I’m interested to hear you say that more so than glad, because, you know, there’s exactly for what you said, there’s a lot of people that don’t really appreciate that their music has been taken and used and repurposed and turned into something new. But, you know, for me personally, I can’t tell you how many songs and albums I discovered because of hip-hop, right. Like, you know, the Dr. Dre in particular, you know, he’s somebody who literally is what our whole Parliament catalog was like to just like, let me just remake all this stuff and the first thing you do is like, once you realize this is not an original, you like, where did this come from? And then you go when you learn all these people’s like, Who is this? And I got to go listen to this and I got to go listen to that. So I’ve always been fascinated when I you know, when I have the opportunity to speak to people who had their music used, you know, in such a fashion. And, you know, as somebody like yourself who literally the music has laid the groundwork for the culture. Right. You know, it’s not just somebody borrow something here like. You couldn’t go days without hearing. There is no album that comes out that I don’t that for the most part, especially in the nineties they didn’t have some Parliament, some Bootsy bassline, some drums. You was playing somewhere, you know. You know, or James Brown, for that matter, of course, you know, like that kind of stuff. So it’s I’ve always interested to hear what it’s like to be on the other end of that, like as a person whose music is being used because for me, I appreciate that. Like I love what I learned from hearing other people use the music and what it introduce me to. But I guess I can understand the other side of that too. So I was always interested to hear that.
Bootsy Collins [00:25:46] Yeah. The other side of it is very interesting too. But you know, that’s kind of like normal. That’s, that’s, you know, that’s what we would normally do. You know, it’s just like this A.I thing coming in. It’s so new, you know, people don’t get it, don’t understand, you know, and sometimes it takes time. You know, to, you know, not just passed the law, but make it real for everybody. I mean, you know, it’s just not a one sided thing. You know, It is like this music belongs to everybody. But let’s be fair. Let’s be fair, you know, And that’s what Funk Not Fight is about as well. We’re lovers, we’re not just fighters.
Patti Collins [00:26:40] Not a hater.
Bootsy Collins [00:26:45] All of that, you know, comes into being and you want to pass stuff off. You know you got to be careful what you pray for, you know, because you know you know we praying for, you know, long existence and this, that. But when it comes, you don’t understand what it looks like, you know, And then you start bagging up, you know, and it’s like, no. You know, a lot of times I never recognized it. But if it’s real, yes, it’ll show us face, you know? And if it’s not, it’ll show it’s face.
Panama Jackson [00:27:20] What probably also helps. Like, you’re one of those artists, you can tell you’ve embraced it because the cultures embrace you fully. Right? Like, like, you know, before we started recording, I talked about, you know, Snoop, like Snoop kind of being the reincarnation of that, that Bootsy energy in, in hip-hop, right? Like a personality that can literally work in the any world. Like there’s no place that Snoop can’t go where he’s not be loved by everybody. And I feel you have that same energy because you on records from Bruno Mars like you literally you’re still all over the place. Right? So, you know, and and I love that, especially because I think that and helps you get this mission for Funk Not Fight off the ground. Right. Like you’re not somebody that’s just like that, that show back up with an idea. You’re somebody that all of the art is. You’re still super embraced by the culture in a way that you’re actively still involved in, in music creation. I saw you on some new single from 2023 from somebody on Spotify or whatever, like Bootsy still making brand new songs out here, Like, you know, artists are still like, so I, you know, I, I wonder if that also doesn’t help with getting these missions off because you can call everybody. They’re like, Oh, for Bootsy. Absolutely I do. I’ll be there. You give me 10 minutes and I’ll be right there to help out. Like, how has that been response in terms of ensuring that you can get your movement and mission off the ground?
Bootsy Collins [00:28:49] Well, you know, I always look at it like, you know. I have to do for people first, and once I do, I let it go, you know, and I don’t expect nothing. You know, it’s just when you give up the funk, you got to get the phone, you know? And my mission is to give up the follow up. Our mission is not to come out here and get the funk. You know, I have to give what I got. And what I got is the funk, you know, And that’s what I give. And the people give it back to me. And that’s that’s a forever thing, you know? That’s not nothing. I want to cut all. I’m not going to cut it off by not give it up to funk. You know, that’s my mission. And the fans and even the people that don’t even know me, they give it back. And that just works, not only for me, that’s a thing that works, period. Yeah. You know, you know, all these different religions have brought that message, but a lot of things don’t reach the people because they don’t understand it. I’m just a simple long haired sucker, you know, from off the street, you know, and, you know, ain’t nothing deep. You know, none of that stuff deep. You know, you just do your best what you get and keep the funk drive all the way live, baby. Yeah.
Panama Jackson [00:30:22] I have a question I’ve always, always wanted to ask you both probably got to answer to this one. How many of those star frame glasses do you have? Do you know how many you own?
Bootsy Collins [00:30:38] No, not really. And I never you know, I never I never counted.
Panama Jackson [00:30:44] Do you get the made? Do you pick them up wherever you go? Like, how do you how do you collect create a collection of the like this? This is what I think of Bootsy. I think of the glasses. Like, first thing I think of is like the album cover, you know, with the glare and like, the first thing I think. But I’m like, I mean, do you see them out And you collect them Like, how, how does, how does one maintain the collection?
Bootsy Collins [00:31:08] Let me tell you about the first star glasses and why.
Panama Jackson [00:31:12] Okay.
Bootsy Collins [00:31:13] You know, I should have a star glass identity. What happened was I was trying to figure out, you know, my look on my first record stretching out. I was trying to figure out, okay, I got to have a look, because then, you know, I knew I had the funk. I knew I had the music, you know, and all that. I got all of the personality, I got the voice, I got all that, you know. But I need a bass, a star bass and I need star glasses. I need I gotta have this. Before we get this album cover, you know, front cover. I gotta have these glasses. So I, you know, I go looking. I go on this hunt out in L.A. looking, you know, for a place to make these star glasses. And it’s actually these star glasses I got on. 1975. And see, I ran into this this place on Sunset, and it was called Up T Boutique. And I was talking to it again about making, you know, star glasses. And he was telling me, you know, they specialize in all kind of, you know, of course I’m broke. You know, I’m out here. You know, I brother years on the street full of rap.
Panama Jackson [00:32:30] Right.
Bootsy Collins [00:32:32] And you know, talking sheek. You know, and it’s like the guy I already know I got no money. I mean, you know, you know, and I ain’t nobody I ain’t got no record out. I play with Parliament-Funkadelic. But you know, these muggs don’t know nothing about that, you know. So it’s like, you know, I need these glasses. It’s like, yea, yea. Well go, go talk to the young guy over there, you know. So he sent me on to this young guy to talk to. So I was talking to him and he said, Yeah, you know, I think I can hook you up now. What, What are you, you know, what do you actually want? I say, I want people to look into my eyes and see themselves. I want the glasses to be mirrored. And he said, Oh, that’s pretty. That’s pretty wild idea. I said, Yeah, I don’t want them to see me. I want them to see themselves. And he said, I can do this. I can do this. And sure enough, two weeks later. Had the glasses ready. And they they do what I wanted them to do. You know, they just about the star shape, it’s about seeing yourself, you know, in in others and seeing yourself, period. When you look at me, you know, because you got the same thing. You just got to look at yourself, you know. And so I wanted everything and the star bass, the same thing I put mirror you know I had mirror built in to that, so when, when I’m playing, when the lights hit it, it’ll beam out on people and people, you know, they see themselves, they see the light.
[00:34:11] You know, And so that stuff, you know, I really thought about, you know, because it wasn’t really about me going out here, you know, making formula music because I wasn’t a formula guy. You know, I came from a wildfire, you know, I came from the street and it’s like a blend of all of that, you know, blues, you know, jazz. And these are the cats I grew up around and it’s like, you know, it wasn’t just the music. I wanted to have, the look, the image, the personality, all of that, you know, because that’s what I grew up with. And it was just so, so powerful when we did the cover. And exactly what I was thinkin came true, I was like, Wow. So that is sparked a whole new level. You know, when you do something and it actually happens, you know, it’s one thing to talk about something. But when you actually do it, like we talking about Funk Not Fight and we getting ready to actually do it, you know, that to me is, is the weak side. That’s the weak side that we’ve been on for a long time. You know, we got to stand behind what we’re talking about. This time, it’s definitely time for some action. You know, so that’s where that came from is like looking at me and I’m looking at you, but you looking at yourself. And that’s what we need to grow from. Yeah. You know, And it’s all right. No matter how you look, you know, you need to grow from it. So that’s what a star glasses game.
Patti Collins [00:35:54] Yes, sir.
Panama Jackson [00:35:56] I was going to say you’ve been on Funk Not Fight since the beginning. It’s 100% Funk Not Fight. Right. If I look at those glasses and I look back and see myself with a star. Yeah, that’s it right there. It’s been that since day one, huh?
Bootsy Collins [00:36:09] Yeah Well Sly Stone said it first, everybody is a star.
Panama Jackson [00:36:14] Everybody is a star.
Bootsy Collins [00:36:16] Everybody is a star. And what I did was made sure you see that, you know, by the star glasses. You look in my eyes, you see yourself. That’s what it’s all about.
Panama Jackson [00:36:30] All right. We’re going to take one more break here. And we come back. We’re going to have our final segments here with Bootsy and Patti Collins. We’ll get some Black versions of Black imitations here on Dear Culture.
[00:36:41] You are now listening to the trio’s Black podcast network Black Culture Amplified.
Panama Jackson [00:36:47] All right. We’re back here on Dear Culture. I have Bootsy and Patti Collins here. This is a bucket list item for me. I’m excited and they’re all my show. Like, I don’t even know what to do. I might have to quit after this. I think I’m going to retire and submit a song to Bootsy for a Funk Not Fight, just to see if I get, see, see what I got inside myself.
Bootsy Collins [00:37:06] Oh, yeah.
Patti Collins [00:37:08] We’d love to have you.
Panama Jackson [00:37:09] My favorite segments here on my show are my Blackfessions and Blackmendations. Blackfessions is where I have my guests have a little fun and and share with something that people might be surprised to learn about them because they’re Black. Now, I have no earthly idea what way you all could possibly come up with, so I am so curious. What you each have is a Blackfession and so, Patti, let’s start with you. Do you have a Blackfession for me?
Patti Collins [00:37:36] Of course. Yeah, I grew up in New Richmond, which is like a mayberry town.
Bootsy Collins [00:37:42] I mean, for real Mayberry.
Patti Collins [00:37:44] So my family, we were like, pretty much the only Blacks in the little town.
Bootsy Collins [00:37:52] And still are.
Patti Collins [00:37:54] I, I, you know, so my voice has always been one of those voices where people are confused. They’ll hear me on the phone, like when I answer the phone still today, I’ll answer the phone and they think that I’m a bill collector, but I’m not, you know. Having my voice and having my color has always been a confusing thing for people. But I’ve always known that I am a Black woman, girl and I’m strong with my voice. So Bobby Bird and and Mama Bird, which is who I was with. James Brown, of course. They would call our phone and they just loved Bootsy, right? They felt like they were like his aunt and uncle. And when they hear my voice, they were just like, taken back. And they were just hoping that I wasn’t, you know, not Black. Because of my voice.
Bootsy Collins [00:38:58] Yeah, that and Bootsie wouldn’t.
Patti Collins [00:39:01] Oh, they just knew Bootsy would never not marry a Black woman, right. When they met me, when they met me, they were like, Oh, my God, thank God she’s Black. And I was like, Wow, you know? So to this day, it’s still going on. So that’s my confession.
Panama Jackson [00:39:25] I love that. Also is New Richmond Is that in Ohio? New Richmond, Ohio?
Patti Collins [00:39:30] Yeah. It’s along the river. Yeah. Yeah.
[00:39:33] Okay. All right. I love that. I love your voice, by the way. I just want you. I love Your voice is wonderful.
Patti Collins [00:39:43] Okay, your turn, William.
Bootsy Collins [00:39:44] It’s all white, baby.
Patti Collins [00:39:46] But it’s your turn.
Bootsy Collins [00:39:53] So my. Mine, I guess, would have to be when I. When I used to go to the welfare. You know, me and my mother and my sister, my older brother, Catfish. He was like. He wasn’t trying to let the older people see him go on to welfare, you know, because you know how us Black people, you know, we don’t like people to know that we own welfare, you know? So I didn’t care, you know, I didn’t care what the people thought, you know, because I was out there with the kids every day, you know, And I knew all of us was on welfare anyway. So it’s like, you know, I didn’t care and Mama knew I didn’t care. So, you know, it was like, well, we went to welfare. She gave me the bags. Brenda, my sister, didn’t want to carry because, you know, I didn’t want kids to laugh at them. You know, I took the bags and, you know and I’ll be like, yeah, you know, you know, I the man, you know, I got to go out. Oh, you know, I had these groceries and I knew Mama was going to cook, you know, I mean, and we go eat, you know, we got some white beans every day, you know, and then we got some brown beans on the weekend, you know, like Saturday. I mean, you know, you have the brown beans. Actually, we had to go buy the brown beans. They didn’t give you any brown beans.
Bootsy Collins [00:41:16] We had to scuffle up enough money to buy brown beans. But to get back to the welfare thing, I mean, all the kids would come out at a certain time and just rack up at me coming with a welfare bag. And I was laughing too. Thats my confession. I mean, you know, so it’s like we take things sometimes so hard, that’s really laughable. You know, we all get stories that somebody else might can laugh about. You know, at the time, you know, it was tough for me to go through that. But I made it and I saw the laughter in it. And when I laughed at it myself, it was cool. And then it stopped them from laughing at me. They started to respect that. And then they started to understand, well we on welfare, too, you know? And then they started to not care. Yeah. You know, like, you know, and, and then the later thing they came told me was, Who told you you were naked?
Patti Collins [00:42:29] We’ll stop right there.
Bootsy Collins [00:42:32] Who Who told you you were worthless?
Patti Collins [00:42:36] Yeah.
Bootsy Collins [00:42:36] Who told you you were no good? You know. And when you look and start understanding who told you what, then you know I’m good. I’m cool.
Panama Jackson [00:42:47] Right. Okay.
Bootsy Collins [00:42:49] And that’s what, again Funk Not Fight. It’s all about the knowing of where you really are. Because what they told you was not the truth.
Patti Collins [00:43:04] Thumbs up.
Bootsy Collins [00:43:05] You are somebody. You are somebody. Yeah.
Panama Jackson [00:43:08] You know, we end with a Blackmendation. But I feel like Funk Not Fight is the Blackmendation here. This is our recommendation, right? Like, I don’t know if you got one, but that’s as good as it gets, right? Like.
Patti Collins [00:43:19] That’s it for us, Panama. So thank you for recognizing.
Bootsy Collins [00:43:23] We appreciate it.
Patti Collins [00:43:25] And this is our symbol. This is Funk Not Fight. You got your baby finger, your index finger and your thumb. This is the symbol.
Panama Jackson [00:43:32] All right. Funk Not Fight. Just like that. There we go. Okay.
Bootsy Collins [00:43:38] You feel like you know it?
Patti Collins [00:43:39] Well, I can’t do that, but.
Panama Jackson [00:43:44] I don’t even think mine. My thumbs don’t do that. So I got to work on that. I got to work on getting the symbol right. But, uh.
Patti Collins [00:43:54] Thank you.
Panama Jackson [00:43:55] I appreciate ya’ll. Thank you all so much for being here on Dear culture. We appreciate everything that you all are doing. We’re looking out for that single. And yeah, you know, we’re just we just we’re here to support and appreciate everything that you done. So thank you so much for being here for the work that you all are doing. Thank you for being here on Dear Culture.
Bootsy Collins [00:44:15] All right. Thank you for having me.
Panama Jackson [00:44:17] And thank you to everybody for listening to Dear Culture, which is an original podcast of theGrio Black Podcast Network. It is produced by Sasha Armstrong, edited by Geof Trudeau. And Regina Griffin is our director of podcasts. Again, my name is Panama Jackson. Thank you for listening. Have a Black.
Maiysha Kai, Host of Writing Black [00:45:02] We started this podcast to talk about not just what Black writers write about, but how.
Ayana Gray [00:45:08] Well, personally it’s on my bucket list to have one of my books banned. I know that’s probably bad,.
Maiysha Kai, Host of Writing Black [00:45:14] Oh, spicy.
Charlayne Hunter-Gault [00:45:15] They were yelling N-word, Go home, and I was looking around for the N-word because I knew it couldn’t be me because I was the queen.
Keith Boykin [00:45:22] I am telling people to quit this mentality of identifying ourselves by our work. To start to live our lives and to redefine the whole concept of how we work and where we work and why we work in the first place.
Misty Copeland [00:45:38] My biggest strength throughout, throughout my career has been having incredible mentors and specifically Black women.
Omar Epps [00:45:44] I’ve been writing poetry since I was like eight. I’ve been reading Langston Hughes and James Baldwin and Maya Angelou and so forth and so on, since I was like a little kid.
Rhiannon Giddens [00:45:53] Like, the banjo was Blackity Black, right? For many, many, many years everybody knew.
Sam Jay [00:45:59] Because sometimes I’m just doing some Sam sh**, because I just want to do it.
J Ivy [00:46:06] I’m honored to be here. Thank you for doing the work that you do. Keep shining bright.