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Brothas Be, Yo Like George, Ain't That Funkin' Kinda Hard On You?: A Memoir
The long-awaited memoir from one of the greatest bandleaders, hit makers, and most influential pop artists of our time—known for over forty R&B hit singles—George Clinton of Parliament-Funkadelic.
George Clinton began his musical career in New Jersey, where his obsession with doo-wop and R&B led to a barbershop quartet—literally, as Clinton and his friends also styled hair in the local shop—the way kids often got their musical start in the ’50s. But how many kids like that ended up playing to tens of thousands of rabid fans alongside a diaper-clad guitarist? How many of them commissioned a spaceship and landed it onstage during concerts? How many put their stamp on four decades of pop music, from the mind-expanding sixties to the hip-hop-dominated nineties and beyond?
One of them. That’s how many.
How George Clinton got from barbershop quartet to funk music megastar is a story for the ages. As a high school student he traveled to New York City, where he absorbed all the trends in pop music, from traditional rhythm and blues to Motown, the Beatles, the Stones, and psychedelic rock, not to mention the formative funk of James Brown and Sly Stone. By the dawn of the seventies, he had emerged as the leader of a wildly creative musical movement composed mainly of two bands—Parliament and Funkadelic. And by the bicentennial, Clinton and his P-Funk empire were dominating the soul charts as well as the pop charts. He was an artistic visionary, visual icon, merry prankster, absurdist philosopher, and savvy businessmen, all rolled into one. He was like no one else in pop music, before or since.
Written with wit, humor, and candor, this memoir provides tremendous insight into America’s music industry as forever changed by Clinton’s massive talent. This is a story of a beloved global icon who dedicated himself to spreading the gospel of funk music.
George Clinton began his musical career in New Jersey, where his obsession with doo-wop and R&B led to a barbershop quartet—literally, as Clinton and his friends also styled hair in the local shop—the way kids often got their musical start in the ’50s. But how many kids like that ended up playing to tens of thousands of rabid fans alongside a diaper-clad guitarist? How many of them commissioned a spaceship and landed it onstage during concerts? How many put their stamp on four decades of pop music, from the mind-expanding sixties to the hip-hop-dominated nineties and beyond?
One of them. That’s how many.
How George Clinton got from barbershop quartet to funk music megastar is a story for the ages. As a high school student he traveled to New York City, where he absorbed all the trends in pop music, from traditional rhythm and blues to Motown, the Beatles, the Stones, and psychedelic rock, not to mention the formative funk of James Brown and Sly Stone. By the dawn of the seventies, he had emerged as the leader of a wildly creative musical movement composed mainly of two bands—Parliament and Funkadelic. And by the bicentennial, Clinton and his P-Funk empire were dominating the soul charts as well as the pop charts. He was an artistic visionary, visual icon, merry prankster, absurdist philosopher, and savvy businessmen, all rolled into one. He was like no one else in pop music, before or since.
Written with wit, humor, and candor, this memoir provides tremendous insight into America’s music industry as forever changed by Clinton’s massive talent. This is a story of a beloved global icon who dedicated himself to spreading the gospel of funk music.
417 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2014
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934 people want to read
About the author
George Clinton
4 books18 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
George Clinton (born July 22, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and music producer. He was the principal architect of P-Funk, the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and launched a solo career in 1981. He has been cited as one of the foremost innovators of funk music, along with James Brown and Sly Stone. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, alongside 15 other members of Parliament-Funkadelic.
George Clinton (born July 22, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and music producer. He was the principal architect of P-Funk, the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and launched a solo career in 1981. He has been cited as one of the foremost innovators of funk music, along with James Brown and Sly Stone. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, alongside 15 other members of Parliament-Funkadelic.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
July 18, 2015
A completely fascinating read, and highly recommended for any P-Funk enthusiast; nevertheless, I have a few reservations about it. If you're a reader of musician bios in the as-told-to genre, you know how these things work: if the collaborator is good, they capture the musician's voice and give you the feel of hanging out with them for a few hours while they tell their life story. Clinton's collaborator Ben Greenman is more than adequate to this task and the book is very well-written, including a good index (essential for books of this kind) a pretty decent discography, and a sampleography. But the flip side of this type of musician bio is that you only get one side of the story and one perspective on events. For a topic as vast as P-Funk, I felt myself wishing to hear other voices and perspectives. As expected, Bootsy gets a fair amount of coverage, as does Bernie Worrell, but George never really tells us why they left the group. There are more pages devoted to Sly Stone than to almost anyone else in Clinton's orbit and fascinating though George's take on Sly's story is, I wish I'd come away knowing more about say, Garry Shider, Michael Hampton or Cordell Mosson (to name but a few of the personalities who are dealt with only perfunctorily). Eddie Hazel and Billy Bass get some attention, but I didn't really get much of a sense of them beyond some intriguing anecdotes. Fuzzy Haskins, who seemed almost like a co-leader in the early days and who recorded two pretty cool "in all but name" P-Funk records on his own, though mentioned, seems to have been largely silenced and Ray Davis, who stayed with the group even after the other original Parliaments jumped ship and whose ultra-low vocal stylings were a defining feature of the band's sound across its different eras, is hardly mentioned at all.
The topic that seems to get the most attention concerns the various legal woes caused by the sleazy and underhanded tactics of former managers and business partners Armen Boladian (from Westbound Records) and Nene Montes. Interesting and important though this material is, I found my eyes glazing over a bit during some of it. I will mention that Clinton's ideas about an appropriate payment structure for the use of samples seem far more sensible than actual industry practice, but this set of topics could have almost been a whole separate book and as it stands, this material threatens to weigh down this one.
That said, there really is much to love here. Clinton's discussion of the musicians and performers who inspired him and P-Funk is wonderful (he is apparently a total Beatles fanboy for example, and he truly shines when talking about his admiration for Sly Stone), as is hearing him talking about those younger musicians and performers (especially Prince) who were in turn inspired by P-Funk, some of whom also became collaborators. My frustration at the amount of attention Sly Stone gets at the expense of others is more than offset by the fascinating portrait of the man that Clinton paints. As with the story of his legal woes and discussions about sampling, I almost feel like he could have written a whole other book just about Sly! Clinton also seems to be pleasantly lacking in genuine rancor, even with regard to some of his nemeses.
So to summarize, this is not the definitive book on P-Funk that I might have wanted, but it is nevertheless entertaining and readable.
The topic that seems to get the most attention concerns the various legal woes caused by the sleazy and underhanded tactics of former managers and business partners Armen Boladian (from Westbound Records) and Nene Montes. Interesting and important though this material is, I found my eyes glazing over a bit during some of it. I will mention that Clinton's ideas about an appropriate payment structure for the use of samples seem far more sensible than actual industry practice, but this set of topics could have almost been a whole separate book and as it stands, this material threatens to weigh down this one.
That said, there really is much to love here. Clinton's discussion of the musicians and performers who inspired him and P-Funk is wonderful (he is apparently a total Beatles fanboy for example, and he truly shines when talking about his admiration for Sly Stone), as is hearing him talking about those younger musicians and performers (especially Prince) who were in turn inspired by P-Funk, some of whom also became collaborators. My frustration at the amount of attention Sly Stone gets at the expense of others is more than offset by the fascinating portrait of the man that Clinton paints. As with the story of his legal woes and discussions about sampling, I almost feel like he could have written a whole other book just about Sly! Clinton also seems to be pleasantly lacking in genuine rancor, even with regard to some of his nemeses.
So to summarize, this is not the definitive book on P-Funk that I might have wanted, but it is nevertheless entertaining and readable.
April 9, 2016
During the 1970's, I, along with a number of my peers, were insane Parliament/Funkadelic Fans. At that time ,the only individual name out of the P-Funk brand that was known was Boosty Collins. No one in the general public knew who was “in charge” with the group, or anything. But, as time evolved into the 1980's and beyond, particularly with the release of “Atomic Dog” the World came to see that George Clinton had been one of the major players behind the scenes, so much so that he has become an icon. I have been a Parliament fan since the release of “Mothership Connection” back in the '70's. That music brings me more joy than just about any in my life. So, when I learned that George Clinton had a book, I knew I had to read it. This book blows me away! It seems every time George Clinton opens his mouth to say ANYTHING, he either says something classic or profound. Every single time. George Clinton is not just a musical genius. He is a man profoundly wise about life. The gift to us as his fans is that all of his great qualities and characteristics come out in his music. This book is one of the greatest books that I've ever read---and I've read a lot. George Clinton has been in the music business since the 1950's, so by purchasing this book, a person is getting 60 years' experience of musical genius. It's well-worth the price.
June 16, 2023
A great look into the life and mind of Dr Funkenstein. All seemingly narrated by the man himself.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much is described in this book. It mentions almost every major event, project and achievement of George’s life. You get to read about all the high points and low points.
(And there are quite some low points)
George is known for his fun and clever lyrics and slogans. This cleverness and energy seems to have influenced the writing-style. At the same time it is surprisingly accessible and easy to read.
Another good part of this work are the few funny and ridiculous stories that George tells in between the major events. One particular story about Sly Stone and a certain crack dealer made me laugh out loud.
All the stories are directly from George’s experience of these events. This causes one of the inevitable downsides of this book, as P-funk was a collective and build on collaboration. This made me curious of what other people central to P-funk, such as Bootsy and Bernie, thought of these events. Luckily, George never comes across as boastful and is very clear about who wrote the songs or worked on them.
In the end, as a fan, this book succeeds because it tells everything I wanted to know going in, while teaching me a lot about the important musical history of the P-funk bands and George Clinton himself.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much is described in this book. It mentions almost every major event, project and achievement of George’s life. You get to read about all the high points and low points.
(And there are quite some low points)
George is known for his fun and clever lyrics and slogans. This cleverness and energy seems to have influenced the writing-style. At the same time it is surprisingly accessible and easy to read.
Another good part of this work are the few funny and ridiculous stories that George tells in between the major events. One particular story about Sly Stone and a certain crack dealer made me laugh out loud.
All the stories are directly from George’s experience of these events. This causes one of the inevitable downsides of this book, as P-funk was a collective and build on collaboration. This made me curious of what other people central to P-funk, such as Bootsy and Bernie, thought of these events. Luckily, George never comes across as boastful and is very clear about who wrote the songs or worked on them.
In the end, as a fan, this book succeeds because it tells everything I wanted to know going in, while teaching me a lot about the important musical history of the P-funk bands and George Clinton himself.
July 14, 2023
I am a huge fan of parliament funkadelic, I think they managed to synthesize disparate strands of popular music in a way no one else has been able to imitate. But coming away from this book I found I didn’t like George Clinton that much.
The first half is great fun, getting the inside track on his early life and career, singing doo-wop, starting funkadelic and parliament. There are tons of inside stories about how songs came to be and all the players in the band, the building of the mothership, the album art.
And then the second half of the book felt … incomplete. There were a ton of artists that left the band bitterly but George elides most of that. Instead he puts a lot of the blame for the dissolution of the group on his managers and the labels. I don’t doubt there’s a lot of truth to that, he’s been in court for years trying to get his masters back, but something about it read hollow to me. Still it’s fantastic insight into an incredible group of musicians, and I tore through it.
The first half is great fun, getting the inside track on his early life and career, singing doo-wop, starting funkadelic and parliament. There are tons of inside stories about how songs came to be and all the players in the band, the building of the mothership, the album art.
And then the second half of the book felt … incomplete. There were a ton of artists that left the band bitterly but George elides most of that. Instead he puts a lot of the blame for the dissolution of the group on his managers and the labels. I don’t doubt there’s a lot of truth to that, he’s been in court for years trying to get his masters back, but something about it read hollow to me. Still it’s fantastic insight into an incredible group of musicians, and I tore through it.
December 26, 2015
Highly highly recommend this book, which really shows how brilliant George Clinton's mind is and how influential he has been. A history of American music from doo-wop to the present, including the way that black musical pioneers were robbed of the lucrative rewards of their creativity. Clinton is really fascinating - he's done every job you can imagine in the music industry, and his ethos and the savvy way he built his scene are so classically American - he's a self-invented, well-staged character, unafraid to be ridiculous or too big, he's incredibly generous about sharing credit and making it about the community, and he pulls together funk and soul and rock and cartoons and sci-fi and musical theater and weird religious cults to create his own vast thing, which in turn has been mined by everyone that followed (there's a pages-long "sampleography" of hip-hop songs built around P-Funk riffs at the end of the book). Even if you only sort of know about Parliament/Funkadelic/etc, it's a great read.
May 17, 2015
The world would be a better place if more people listened to George Clinton's music. It would also be a better place if more people read this book; not only is it one of the better musical biographies I've read in a while, it is also a fantastic cautionary tale about the dangers of the music industry, from drugs to unsavory business practices. Highly recmmended.
October 27, 2014
Terrific read! George Clinton bears it all, chronicling in vivid detail his amazing life story, the birth of the PFunk movement and the development of the music that has become one of the most notable and influential among the popular genres of contemporary times.
June 12, 2016
Great read, start to finish. It was neat to get the back story of some of the greatest funk music and who put it together. I was also surprised at how much is still going on with the court battle with the deceitful enterprise and the musicians who the monies were/are being stolen from.
October 14, 2018
This is a 6/5. A definite MUST READ. The ending about how the Mothership was duped by shady lawyers was pretty depressing... that's how the story goes though. Very goodread, goodread.
April 3, 2025
HOUSEKEEPING 2025:
I refuse to say a single negative word about the man than brought Eddie Hazel into my life; ALL the Funkadelic recs; Osmium and a fair portion of Parliament; and a goddamn spaceship with him when he took it to the stage. George Clinton is MY American ideal, and a man that did so, so much more than most realize on those records. This is wonderous cosmic slop that answers the Sphinx's riddle, 'What IS a Funkadelic?' It’s everything—after the acid.
I refuse to say a single negative word about the man than brought Eddie Hazel into my life; ALL the Funkadelic recs; Osmium and a fair portion of Parliament; and a goddamn spaceship with him when he took it to the stage. George Clinton is MY American ideal, and a man that did so, so much more than most realize on those records. This is wonderous cosmic slop that answers the Sphinx's riddle, 'What IS a Funkadelic?' It’s everything—after the acid.
November 19, 2014
Geoger explains his master plan in this eminently readable memoir. Of course there are loads of drug stories and stories of great music being made. It is also a cautionary tale to always watch those with whom you trust your money or intellectual property.
The is book is at it's most fascinting when explaining George's creative process- a combination of having a game plan while allowing for creativity, spontaneity and the ability to take the collective "temperature" of the hear and now and melt it to your own inimitable sytle.
The is book is at it's most fascinting when explaining George's creative process- a combination of having a game plan while allowing for creativity, spontaneity and the ability to take the collective "temperature" of the hear and now and melt it to your own inimitable sytle.
June 13, 2015
George is a genius! the discography in the back of this book is mind-blowing. When the P-Funk unit was in its late-70's prime they were cranking out like 5(!) albums a year. This narrative voice here was surprisingly lucid for a dude who has smoked crack for 30 years. I guess we have the co-author AND GC's newfound sobriety to thank for that. Weirdest part of the book is the long legal document included in full at the end. If you like funk or music or books or George Clinton, "Brothers Be" is a MUST READ. End of story.
April 29, 2016
Full of wonderful stories from the funkiest man alive. This is essential reading for any P Funk fan, or any music lover, or really anybody. The book is lighthearted and fun, but also manages to make some strong philosophical statements about life, funk, and the music industry. This memoir of a lifetime of funk is sometimes hilarous, sometimes sad, and always entertaining. The style is enjoyable and conversational, it feels very personal and invites the reader into the stankiest corners of the world of P Funk. George is clean and coming back with energy, setting his legacy in stone.
January 15, 2023
He's got the funk. And because of that - we all have the funk, thanks George!
July 25, 2018
Essential P-Funk reading and largely delightful. George Clinton is at least three kinds of genius, and one or two types of crazy. But he's vastly likeable, and his uniquely amiable personality is captured well here. He covers his entire musical career as much as it's feasible to do so. It's decades long and unfathomably productive. He professes to have performed or produced at least 40 albums in the '70s alone (!).
The last third becomes more sad. He's painfully honest about the drug issues and legal entanglements that drastically curbed his output. Through naïveté and drug-hindered decision-making, multiple record companies and band managers take advantage of him and he spends ages in court fighting to regain control over his back catalog.
The last third becomes more sad. He's painfully honest about the drug issues and legal entanglements that drastically curbed his output. Through naïveté and drug-hindered decision-making, multiple record companies and band managers take advantage of him and he spends ages in court fighting to regain control over his back catalog.
December 6, 2014
First off, if there is an award for "Best Book Title of the Year," this should get it. Love, love, love the title. The book starts off kinda strong with a nice, warm narrative about Clinton's birth (in an outhouse) and how when he moved to New Jersey, he thought his daddy owned everything because of all the streets and such named Clinton. Cute. There are a few other colorful stories about life in the barbershop and things of that nature. But then, the book repeatedly dips into "Numbers" (Bible reference) territory. It's a bunch of information about how such-and-such person made such-and-such song in 1950/60-whatever or was the A&R or head honcho at blah blah blah Records. I understand wanting to document names and positions and such and give them a firm place and space in time, but there has to be a better way to do that. It got straight boring at times (hence the three stars) and that should not happen in a George Clinton memoir.
The last quarter of the book really picked up though. I learned A LOT about Parliament and Funkadelic and it gave me a whole new level of respect for their creativity. I was born and raised in Detroit, so of course I grew up on funk and soul. So many P-Funk jams serve as the soundtrack to my childhood. I always associated their work with that whole "party and bulltsh*t" kind of attitude. But this memoir added so much more to that story and I learned a lot about the layers there. The titles of the albums, the themes and the album artwork were so well thought out and purposeful. I did not know that as a kid. I know that now. I have tremendous respect for Mr. Clinton. He's incredible.
Fun Fact: George Clinton co-wrote the theme song for the 1980s movie "Howard the Duck."
This book is also a testament to the resilience of the human body. Mr. Clinton spent decades abusing hard drugs and he's only a few years clean, but he's so sharp and clear now. I had the pleasure of seeing him in person (Got my book signed. Heeeeey!) here in Harlem at the Schomburg where he was interviewed by Questlove and his co-author. I hadn't read the book yet at that point, so I was hearing him tell his life stories for the first time. That might have spoiled me. He's a great storyteller. Almost all of the tales he told on stage are in the book and he did such a good job with that. He was animated and passionate and really into it. That animation and passion did not translate well to the book. I don't know if that was a disconnect between him and his co-author or what, but I think it would have been nice to use more of his language and enthusiasm to tell his story.
All of that said, it's still a good book and well worth the read even if you have to drudge through some molasses to get to the good stuff.
The last quarter of the book really picked up though. I learned A LOT about Parliament and Funkadelic and it gave me a whole new level of respect for their creativity. I was born and raised in Detroit, so of course I grew up on funk and soul. So many P-Funk jams serve as the soundtrack to my childhood. I always associated their work with that whole "party and bulltsh*t" kind of attitude. But this memoir added so much more to that story and I learned a lot about the layers there. The titles of the albums, the themes and the album artwork were so well thought out and purposeful. I did not know that as a kid. I know that now. I have tremendous respect for Mr. Clinton. He's incredible.
Fun Fact: George Clinton co-wrote the theme song for the 1980s movie "Howard the Duck."
This book is also a testament to the resilience of the human body. Mr. Clinton spent decades abusing hard drugs and he's only a few years clean, but he's so sharp and clear now. I had the pleasure of seeing him in person (Got my book signed. Heeeeey!) here in Harlem at the Schomburg where he was interviewed by Questlove and his co-author. I hadn't read the book yet at that point, so I was hearing him tell his life stories for the first time. That might have spoiled me. He's a great storyteller. Almost all of the tales he told on stage are in the book and he did such a good job with that. He was animated and passionate and really into it. That animation and passion did not translate well to the book. I don't know if that was a disconnect between him and his co-author or what, but I think it would have been nice to use more of his language and enthusiasm to tell his story.
All of that said, it's still a good book and well worth the read even if you have to drudge through some molasses to get to the good stuff.
May 3, 2025
George Clinton knows more about music and is more connected with music than possibly any other human being. Hearing stories from 1959 through today about his work in the industry is mind blowing in scope alone.
Also, this book shines a light on a lot of issues with intellectual property and copyright that are as relevant as ever.
Also, this book shines a light on a lot of issues with intellectual property and copyright that are as relevant as ever.
May 15, 2016
Better than it had any right to be. Maybe.
Clinton's biography had been advertised for a while, under different titles. The published version eventually came from a track off Funkadelic's comeback album. (Supposedly, there's a Parliament comeback in the works, too.) And it's intent is clearly to settle some legal scores and get Clinton payment for and access to music he created forty years ago. All of that would seem suggest that the book wouldn't be very good. But the first 250 pages or so are fascinating.
The bulk of that part of the book covers Clinton's childhood, entrance into the musical industry, learning the ropes, and becoming the force behind Parliament, Funkadelic, and a number of off-shoot bands. The story touches on some of his personal issues--his romantic entanglements, personality conflicts, drugs--but focuses mostly on the music. Clinton doesn't really play an instrument, ad he has no formal training in music. He's a lyricist and producer, and the book sounds like something from a producer.
Clinton here is constantly thinking in terms of music and musical acts--everything is compared to some other musician. It's the substance of his thought. One gets an excellent insight into what Clinton was thinking as he created his profoundly influential bands. Grown up admiring Motown and hoping to break through their--he failed because his band had too much humanity, a foible which would become a selling point for P-Funk--Clinton was influenced by British blues, especially Eric Clapton and the Beatles, and American folk, especially Bob Dylan, wanting to expand the Motown sound and allow it to find a groove.
He was also influenced by LSD, which seems to have been his everyday accompaniment through the late 1960s and much of the 1970s. He wanted to make funk music, as created by James Brown and Sly Stone--Clinton seems to have something of a grudge against Brown, not explored here--more psychedelic. Hence, Funkadelic. It's the second band everyone thinks of in relation to Clinton, but seems to have been the one he really loved. Parliament was an off-shoot, exploring some of the same musical ideas, but returning the songs to a (more) conventional R&B structure.
For the bulk of the book, it seems as though Clinton and his ghostwriter Ben Greenman went through a vast trove of records and memorabilia,jogging Clinton's memory and getting him to tell stories. Greenman does an excellent job of keeping the story organized and focused. (All too many musical autobiographies are so loosely structured as to be stream-of-consciousness.) The story of the 1980s are not so interesting--Clinton by then was a slave to crack. The 1990s regain some of the same vitality of the story from the '90s, as Clinton merges with the hip-hop community. Clearly, though, crack remained an albatross well into the 2000s.
But with Clinton, there's always a question. He's a trickster, Clinton is, as he admits. The book starts with lots of "if you can believe it"s, which is the sure sign one is in the presence of a con artist, even if an entertaining one, in the tradition of P.T. Barnum. Greenman does a good job of hinting at Clinton's voice, but it's never fully there. The scatology which is one of Clinton's trademarks is mostly sidelined. Whose choice was that? It makes the book more readable, though less funny than it could be.
One also begins to wonder about Clinton's memory, especially given the amount of drugs he's been on. How many of the stories he tells are remembered, how many recreated? And how many of the stories are told to make his whole life seem to make more sense than it actually did. Everything here unfolds so perfectly logically. Is this true, or is Clinton putting a thumb on the scale as he makes a case for his legal actions? What is left out? (I noticed there's no discussion of Sun Ra or Ishmael Reed. Clinton attributes his ideas to science fiction and Erich von Daniken.) The book seems god--but it raises so many questions.
Three men, more than any other, are responsible for the vast majority of the music played on radios today: James Brown, Sly Stone, and George Clinton, the impressario behind Parliament and Funkadelic. Yet they don't get 1/10th the recognition of a niche musician like Eric Clapton. (Which is not a shot at Clapton: he's great at what he does; it's just narrow.) Even with this autobiography, though, there is much more to be said about the three men, their networks, and funk music in general. The best book on funk remains Ricky Vincent's fan history.
I look forward to more investigation of this vital musical form.
Clinton's biography had been advertised for a while, under different titles. The published version eventually came from a track off Funkadelic's comeback album. (Supposedly, there's a Parliament comeback in the works, too.) And it's intent is clearly to settle some legal scores and get Clinton payment for and access to music he created forty years ago. All of that would seem suggest that the book wouldn't be very good. But the first 250 pages or so are fascinating.
The bulk of that part of the book covers Clinton's childhood, entrance into the musical industry, learning the ropes, and becoming the force behind Parliament, Funkadelic, and a number of off-shoot bands. The story touches on some of his personal issues--his romantic entanglements, personality conflicts, drugs--but focuses mostly on the music. Clinton doesn't really play an instrument, ad he has no formal training in music. He's a lyricist and producer, and the book sounds like something from a producer.
Clinton here is constantly thinking in terms of music and musical acts--everything is compared to some other musician. It's the substance of his thought. One gets an excellent insight into what Clinton was thinking as he created his profoundly influential bands. Grown up admiring Motown and hoping to break through their--he failed because his band had too much humanity, a foible which would become a selling point for P-Funk--Clinton was influenced by British blues, especially Eric Clapton and the Beatles, and American folk, especially Bob Dylan, wanting to expand the Motown sound and allow it to find a groove.
He was also influenced by LSD, which seems to have been his everyday accompaniment through the late 1960s and much of the 1970s. He wanted to make funk music, as created by James Brown and Sly Stone--Clinton seems to have something of a grudge against Brown, not explored here--more psychedelic. Hence, Funkadelic. It's the second band everyone thinks of in relation to Clinton, but seems to have been the one he really loved. Parliament was an off-shoot, exploring some of the same musical ideas, but returning the songs to a (more) conventional R&B structure.
For the bulk of the book, it seems as though Clinton and his ghostwriter Ben Greenman went through a vast trove of records and memorabilia,jogging Clinton's memory and getting him to tell stories. Greenman does an excellent job of keeping the story organized and focused. (All too many musical autobiographies are so loosely structured as to be stream-of-consciousness.) The story of the 1980s are not so interesting--Clinton by then was a slave to crack. The 1990s regain some of the same vitality of the story from the '90s, as Clinton merges with the hip-hop community. Clearly, though, crack remained an albatross well into the 2000s.
But with Clinton, there's always a question. He's a trickster, Clinton is, as he admits. The book starts with lots of "if you can believe it"s, which is the sure sign one is in the presence of a con artist, even if an entertaining one, in the tradition of P.T. Barnum. Greenman does a good job of hinting at Clinton's voice, but it's never fully there. The scatology which is one of Clinton's trademarks is mostly sidelined. Whose choice was that? It makes the book more readable, though less funny than it could be.
One also begins to wonder about Clinton's memory, especially given the amount of drugs he's been on. How many of the stories he tells are remembered, how many recreated? And how many of the stories are told to make his whole life seem to make more sense than it actually did. Everything here unfolds so perfectly logically. Is this true, or is Clinton putting a thumb on the scale as he makes a case for his legal actions? What is left out? (I noticed there's no discussion of Sun Ra or Ishmael Reed. Clinton attributes his ideas to science fiction and Erich von Daniken.) The book seems god--but it raises so many questions.
Three men, more than any other, are responsible for the vast majority of the music played on radios today: James Brown, Sly Stone, and George Clinton, the impressario behind Parliament and Funkadelic. Yet they don't get 1/10th the recognition of a niche musician like Eric Clapton. (Which is not a shot at Clapton: he's great at what he does; it's just narrow.) Even with this autobiography, though, there is much more to be said about the three men, their networks, and funk music in general. The best book on funk remains Ricky Vincent's fan history.
I look forward to more investigation of this vital musical form.
October 29, 2014
As amazing a tale as you would imagine--though a little more conventionally told than you'd hope. Also, I was craving more insights into the sessions. However, this is one of the smartest men ever to make music on our turf, with a line tied directly from his capacious mind to his fonky behind.
Promise me, though, that you will track this down and read it, too--then you will be truly on top of the tale:
http://www.amazon.com/George-Clinton-...
Promise me, though, that you will track this down and read it, too--then you will be truly on top of the tale:
http://www.amazon.com/George-Clinton-...
January 19, 2017
This is a good read, at least at first. It's a lot of fun to hear about the genesis of P-Funk and the prime days for their music. Unfortunately, once Clinton's fortunes decline, it becomes equally (and then more) about the ins and outs of his legal issues. Even his surprisingly easy way out of crack addiction is given sorry shrift in the later chapters.
May 21, 2019
I like this book, I do. But I’m not going to lie, I went into this book expecting something totally different. I thought this book was going to mainly be about his personal life. The title, “Brothas Be Like, Yo George, Ain’t That Funkin’ Kinda Hard On You” makes it seems like this book will be personal. I mean, there are moments where he goes into his personal life, his drug use, and a small glimpse into his relationships. ‘Brothas Be Like...’ is about the good, bad, and ugly in George’s Parliament-Funkadelic life.
This book is mainly about the things he was thinking about when it came to recording certain songs and albums. Each album has a story and a theme. It was interesting to learn how he recorded each album and why. Prior to reading this book, I never knew what any of P-Funk’s songs were about. A vast majority of their tracks were inspired by conspiracy theories and science fiction books.
My favorite part of this book is when he mentions his friendship with Sly Stone. I fell out in laughter when I read the story about how George, David Ruffin, and Sly Stone went to get drugs together.
My least favorite thing about this book is that there are moments that the book gets boring. Sometimes, I’d find myself wanting to do something else instead of finishing it. Although, the good parts in this book are so good, you’ll definitely want to keep reading it.
This book is mainly about the things he was thinking about when it came to recording certain songs and albums. Each album has a story and a theme. It was interesting to learn how he recorded each album and why. Prior to reading this book, I never knew what any of P-Funk’s songs were about. A vast majority of their tracks were inspired by conspiracy theories and science fiction books.
My favorite part of this book is when he mentions his friendship with Sly Stone. I fell out in laughter when I read the story about how George, David Ruffin, and Sly Stone went to get drugs together.
My least favorite thing about this book is that there are moments that the book gets boring. Sometimes, I’d find myself wanting to do something else instead of finishing it. Although, the good parts in this book are so good, you’ll definitely want to keep reading it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 26, 2018
For a hardcore fan this book delivers.
You get great stories behind the albums, the musicians, the producers, the backstage shenanigans, the tours, the mothership, and all the rest of it. George's cosmic wisdom comes across as authentic, earnest, and profound.
George Clinton is surely one of America's greatest musical innovators. He took Motown, James Brown, psychedelic rock, and his own thang to create a distinct, ageless, healing, powerful sound in his music.
I'm a huge George Clinton fan. Huge. I've seen P-Funk in concert at least 10 times, own about 100 albums (some rare, some bootleg), and own some rare video footage, too.
Despite my love of PFunk, I can't give the book more than 3 stars because it does get too technical with the legal status of their recordings at so many points. George was clear about his intentions. This book is a guide for the musician's families on how they may be able to claw back some of the royalties they are owed from charlatan producers and record labels. It is a great guide for them. But that part of the narrative is not that interesting or relevant for readers.
If you're a fan, read it. If you're not, skim it. Either way, the story of PFunk is incredible and important.
You get great stories behind the albums, the musicians, the producers, the backstage shenanigans, the tours, the mothership, and all the rest of it. George's cosmic wisdom comes across as authentic, earnest, and profound.
George Clinton is surely one of America's greatest musical innovators. He took Motown, James Brown, psychedelic rock, and his own thang to create a distinct, ageless, healing, powerful sound in his music.
I'm a huge George Clinton fan. Huge. I've seen P-Funk in concert at least 10 times, own about 100 albums (some rare, some bootleg), and own some rare video footage, too.
Despite my love of PFunk, I can't give the book more than 3 stars because it does get too technical with the legal status of their recordings at so many points. George was clear about his intentions. This book is a guide for the musician's families on how they may be able to claw back some of the royalties they are owed from charlatan producers and record labels. It is a great guide for them. But that part of the narrative is not that interesting or relevant for readers.
If you're a fan, read it. If you're not, skim it. Either way, the story of PFunk is incredible and important.
June 28, 2017
I loved this book. There is a lot of great wisdom written in these pages and I think most young people feeling any motivation to make art in any form would be well-advised to read these words of the Great George Clinton. The thing that I find interesting about Mr. Clinton's story is that his real impact on popular music was through his relationships with people. I thought it was interesting how Clinton had to balance promoting a wide variety of artists while also working as a musician himself. He is also very frank about his drug use and sexual promiscuity. That said, he didn't seem to mention this stuff with an air of braggodaccio or anything, everything is so matter-of-fact. Clinton is now in his late 70s and it's just incredible that this guy is doing what he does after all these years.
July 13, 2018
Like a lot of memoirs by musicians, this book had both good parts and insights as to the process behind the scenes of some recordings, yet also rambled and felt slightly incoherent at times. One of the more enlightening things you will learn about George Clinton from this book is about his feelings about politics in music and his role in the change in music. Also, maybe due to his use of drugs and especially crack, it seems like a lot of detail is missing in a lot of areas. He bounces from discussion to discussion about recording sessions and attempts to make music but it's one sided and runs together at some point for the last few chapters. He also doesn't detail many of his run ins with the law and his feelings around those things which leaves me feeling like there could have been a slightly deeper dive into his life which would have made the book better.
March 15, 2024
Pretty good! Really dug the insights into the early music industry and the various twists and turns of the P-Funk family. It was a little less "collection of colorful anecdotes" than I anticipated, and a little more P-Funk specific, which is fine ultimately.
There are def a few moments where it skipped over stuff that seemed like it should not have been skipped over. Little bits about how the family slowly dissolved, or George's descent into drug use, felt a little too matter-of-fact. "And this happen, and then..." instead of any depth to the retelling. And man, what a surprisingly dour ending!
There are def a few moments where it skipped over stuff that seemed like it should not have been skipped over. Little bits about how the family slowly dissolved, or George's descent into drug use, felt a little too matter-of-fact. "And this happen, and then..." instead of any depth to the retelling. And man, what a surprisingly dour ending!
December 24, 2022
A must-read for any diehard P-Funk connaisseur. However, I have trouble imagining this book resonating quite as much for entry-level Clinton fans. So much ground covered, I could see this being a little too dense for those who are not super into him yet.
“Like George” transcends a simple music autobiography. It is engrained in philosophy, family and the black experience in America.
Been waiting years to dive (knee deep) into this and it was everything I was hoping it would be and then some.
“Like George” transcends a simple music autobiography. It is engrained in philosophy, family and the black experience in America.
Been waiting years to dive (knee deep) into this and it was everything I was hoping it would be and then some.
June 29, 2020
This was extremely entertaining, although it doesn't really end very satisfyingly. Either way, worth reading. George Clinton is hilarious and has a great writing style. I was familiar with some P-Funk music before reading this, but delving further, it's all realllllly good. I think George is a creative genius, a true original, an extremely singular figure, the type that comes along very rarely. Also, if you want to read about LSD-induced hemorrhoids, this is the place to do that.
February 1, 2021
Peaks and valleys. I’m not a P-Funk or any GC related band fan. There was way too much discussion of recording, musicians who he recorded with, lyrics, album titles and art, etc. when he talked about more personal things and drug use, and, at the end, legal battles, it was more interesting. I abandoned Elvis Costello's autobiography because he quoted way to many lyrics and the meaning of songs I didn’t know. GC came close, but I read every page.
February 7, 2020
If I were a more informed fan, some parts of this would have been gold to me. Album by album and even song by song breakdowns of influences and inspirations were a bit much for me, though.
Still, much of it is compelling and engaging, even if he turns into a bit of a Lenny Bruce with his legal troubles at the end.
Still, much of it is compelling and engaging, even if he turns into a bit of a Lenny Bruce with his legal troubles at the end.
July 31, 2021
This book is for hardcore P Funk fans. Talks mostly about his music and very little about his personal life. Was introduced to music I would’ve never listened to before. But, would of like to read a little more about life on the road, band conflict, drug addiction, and general debauchery that musicians tend to get into.
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