Rock and Roll; Interview with Bootsy Collins and Bernie Worrell [Part 1 of 3]

Oh hi there. Our name is bootable. BW. The name is would it be Debbie. Rowe. You. To. Know. One. Chuck Berry. This is freespace. But I think we're ready now. You're rude to me. I think rock and roll rock and roll rock n roll is like Chuck Berry ish.

Jimi Hendrix. Bootsy Collins Richie Little Richard because they were like it was kind of. I guess as we were coming up you know like they were like that was like a superhero and the ones we kind of relate it to you know because I'm just kind of getting into it. So you know so they would want to kind of listen to I would have to go to my friends houses to listen because we had no radios nothing like that no TV nothing like that. And but we heard about them and people would talk and then you know. So yeah I'd agree. With. You. I would have to say James Jamison is the one that really got me interested in playing bass because the cat was so perfect. Every note here you know every note James and James Holmes and he played with Motown and he did all the you know the Motown Records and back in the 50s 60s and. You know

he was just de-caf you know between him and the guy who was playing with James Brown. Bernard get together but don't do that again. It did inspire me to even get into it. And this was a little bit before last on. Jimi Hendrix it's a little bit before. You know. I mean they were probably hadn't and but I didn't know that about it. You know the ones I knew about were like I say Motown was out there with blast and you know all over the records. Marvin Gaye. Who is Stevie Wonder. What's that one. Bernard that was the one Stevie. I was made to know these days. What was that like. That's a classic. I mean you know it's perfect. You know and everybody always played the title How to play that. You know it was just something that we were used to run. Right right. I mean it was so perfect in the sound you know because bass players was you know at the time looking for sound you

know and everybody wanted to have a deep bass and Fender Fender basses came out and you know I had this piece of junk cars about $29 and you know I try to make it sound like a Fender but you know you could never get it to happen and you know so and it was pretty cool. But it was rough for like getting. A look at it through. Great. Yes. Yeah. He's my father's father you know. Yeah. He. Brought. Brought us up. His field. So. His is. It's a feel. Just like rock n roll if you reach for folks to feel spirituals so. What is wrong with you when you get that far what is. Okay to me is

a way of life. You know it's the way we came up you know when I say you have to go up to the welfare office with my mother and you know carry the bags and then the other kids laughed at me. I mean to me that was fun. You know Falke was when we used to have to stay in one room all of us. You know stay together. No and and it's about 100 degrees outside and no complaint and everybody was just glad to be there. You know in fact to me is when you don't have your own TV set. You know and it was unheard of when one was coming out you know having your own room your own TV set. Oh boy get out of here. You know you got beat you know you get whipped. That was awful you know. So to me that's pretty much you know it has to grow up in. I mean is the street is coming off the street you know and learn how to deal with it. You know and then it gets up to here and then you get to the point you just say funk it. And then it comes out and you move into the field. Yeah. You know all that stuff. Just transcends to us too. Yeah. Yeah because it's just like I'm just like to like certain things like something to go on in a love

relationship or something happen. And it'll inspire you to do something on your instrument or write a song. And that's how I think a lot of us get into writing and you know certain things would happen like take like Eddie Heysel For instance you know things would happen you know and come up with a song you know and that would happen to me a lot. And Bernie certain things would happen at the house. You know his mom needed to is his wife and dad and daddy and then you know he might it might upset him or I might do this because he can't be there and he can't do that. And you write a song. I mean it all comes down to music. It's on stage. We can look and say Yes something happened to Bernie's house that day. Yeah he's going off. You know tell by the move. Yeah. You could tell by the mood and the feel and it affected everybody. I mean it affected everybody. You could tell yeah man he got up in a day you know and it's like you could tell when you hit the stage just like you so into it. You know it's like oh it's like magic you know this is it's a revival. You know and it's all because all this stuff was happening. You know and people be trying to figure it

out why it is and why is this good stuff that happens it all comes through all of us you know and we just fortunately we had a way of getting that out the expression you know. Yeah. Oh. What a. Joy. Pretty much yeah I was I would say it with more of his idea you know because he was he's. An entrepreneur. Bringing. Different people together and forces together. And then. Usually it tells everyone to. Make a connection to make a connection. And I think it was more of his idea. We were just there and he knew what to do. You know he was more of our director. He was perfect put into play. Yeah

yeah. I mean you know he had an overall look whereas we just fall and we wouldn't want to we were musicians. You know music maybe we were musicians from space illegal aliens or whatever you want to call it. But you know we were there and joyous kind of show you Ray you know he kind of knew what to do with you know what with all these different energies and these different vibes and ideas you know because we didn't know we were always just doing what we did you know and he just you know it was he was more like I guess a mixture. A mixture of like cooking Stew and the going of the Funkenstein. Yeah. Yeah. That's a group. Frankensteins Hawkins too. I like it because Frankensteins special dish that you only get in illegal aliens. History which is really good we got to write it. Yes the recipe is coming out. And yeah Bernie you get he gets 15 percent I get 5 percent.

No no. Oh that's true. Oh thank you thank you. You were. See we have fun too. That's just another feel especially before you. Yes because you know we've got to get dinner. Yeah. This is our first gig tonight. It's your first day of the tour. Yeah. That's why Bernie looking so relaxed. The. Change Lives now. I can hear you. I would say a lot of time. Like the audience. Would just start a riff raff going on there and somebody and say we'll pick it up in and just start singing it back. You know and the next thing you know everybody's saying it you know. Matter of fact that's where the name Bootsy came from. We won't booty. That's what I came. They started saying that before we

even thought of recording it. You know and you give give it back just give it back to you know everything don't come like that but a lot of it you know a lot of it came like that you know. And then a lot of times you think of and you just track. On the audience you know and then if they pick right up on it you know that's the one that's the one you know. But if they don't pick right up on it then you know you try something else you know. So it's all there. And you just pick and choose and try different things to see you. Know. Yeah. Yeah. We. Were. Going. To try to put it in words is we beat Lily. It's. So. Magical spiritual. Supernatural forces.

Natural forces. All in this one. Gift that God sends. MESSENGER. Warrior. So you know just like. This. It was enough to help. You. Right. Yeah yeah it is. It's like. You know it's just a good feeling to have. People which you like say like Barney does. That was back in the day when we you know we started doing this stuff. It's good to be able to have somebody which you like nowadays because you know a lot of the groups in the past they come back and it come back totally new and it got totally new people. And there's another that you know saying it's not just saying you know and fortunate we got enough of the old people with us that you know you get that you get that spiritual thing that togetherness that unity that we have you know and this is a good

feeling. And not only that we can do it on stage we can do it on record too. And. That's what most people miss you know like it's a blessing. I think what it was more of. OK I'm talking about Bernie Ward. And I think what Bernie brought to the table was really his schooling and you know his his VAP you know of you know he would take anything he could take anything any line he could make something out of nothing you know with these keyboard these not. But the people he used the old he would he would take something out of nothing and you know like what I brought to the table was the one that James Brown grew Bernie would take that in and

all these different colors to it you know. And I think between that and George would come to the table with these vocal ideas that he heard. And I think with all that makes you did. Those were the three ingredients there was like. It was the way to Tompkins to the functions do you. That's what I was trying to say. Yeah but I think that's what you know because he you know he had his classical training and you know so if you listen to sound like chocolate city mothership connection you know and you can kind of hear those things. You know it's like but you get a basic groove. You get a groove but he would add. These different elements to it. It took you somewhere else you know groove that make you move. And see those two. Thank you very much. And it was a chemistry that had happened and it was like you just people you know you just can't find people to do that you know you can fab people to fake and do it and do it. But isn't that what it's like. You know.

When I got home I got into it or you know every thing else when I got away from home I'm sure have something to do with it. She called me. First. First of all I used to sleep down the barbershop you might hear her nails. In the barbershop. You know. I was kind of. A. Rage kind of strict you know classical I heard. So that was the start of it. The rest is history long history. I had had some. Illegal alien ingredients in the stew. Yeah. Yeah and so did you. Didn't I had no I'd heard.

Bootsy. I had met him yet. Yeah. Who's he. I mean that was it. Yeah it was. Tell the truth tell the truth about my brother. My soul mate. That's why we are still together. And what are our problems now. It is truly the matches. I mean it is this there you know and all it is now is you know we're going to be together and we look forward to one day you know George you know and all three of us and then the rest of the my everything is is back together. You know it's just that's what we're here for you know. And I think we're about the only ones left. They can actually do this the way the Rolling Stones are doing. You know you know with with a black ribbon. So you know I think we can do it that way. Mack I know we can it's just a matter of time.

As a matter promoters who put the money behind us and I got the bills and we love it. Even though it's true. Because one of them is in the air. Yeah yeah yeah. Too bad you couldn't get that out all. Oh. Yeah. Yeah. I heard that too. You know. I even heard that one was out on the road but I don't know what started it. I really don't care. That. I. First. Heard. It. Personally myself personally myself

OK Earth Wind and Fire. I personally myself I thought they were great. You know what I started here and they were saying about what we would do you know. And but you know that's. I mean that was that was on them you know do you. We didn't we didn't have to deal with that kind of stuff because we were just there you know. Yeah. Yeah. Did you read their message the way they do YOU were and nobody else can do it like that. Yes. Well they was doing cleaner and we was doing dirty dirt can you sweep under the roof. You know I'm like this that's the real deal and not the deal no. Oh OK. OK. But that's pretty much. Hopefully that kind of you know I mean they had a image where they could get play on the

radio and on the TV. We had to take it to the people we had to go straight for the underground straight from the street to the people and the people who were the ones to say yea these boys yea you know we are good cause that's what we were. You know we couldn't deal with it no other way. And the people would have wanted to say these people are the greatest you know. So. That's got to be. Jimi. Sly Stone. As I said before. I you say OK you're going to say. OK. OK. OK OK. Sly Stone. I don't know you started a whole nother.

Like a whole nother. Yeah yeah yeah. I dear's is writing the rhythm of another variation of Funkenstein. Yeah yeah. It was like what James did. On the street level. Slash took it and made it where it was I guess yeah everybody could get into it. Same thing if I can take it from there to what the press did with what we were still. You know we made it the color barrier was what no color beer you know. So he made it Abel where everybody can say hey not a Jimi didn't do that either. Jimi did it too but Slash was more funk orientated. You know I guess you know so I would say that was the difference there. And I don't know. Yeah. Well actually I was on the road with James Brown and that's

where I really start hearing about it. You know. Jimi Hendrix was on the show with James Brown that's where I actually start hearing about Jimi Hendrix you know and it was it was funny because his girlfriend his main girlfriend was on the road with that name little face. And she was traveling with us. And you know I kind of looked like him and that the next thing you know she wore me out. And you know it was cool. I was freaked out and everything was groovy. And I'm like wow I want to meet him you know. And you know what those kind of things and it was we kept going through that but we never actually got a chance to do because Jay was hitting it every night you know and I was with Dave. We never actually got a chance to stop doing that to go to New York and actually sit down and go meet you know. So I never really got to the meeting or see him live you know. So the closest I got was his girlfriend. You know. Was incredible. I mean it was incredible. And as I think back now it's like man I would like to take the bass and do something

like that. You know. What his name is. Yeah. Yeah. OK. OK. OK. I got. And then when I heard Jimi Hendrix doing the you know like playing the guitar the way he did and you know own records cause I never got to see him live. You know I always wanted to but we were so busy with James Brown doing a tour with him. I never got a chance to go see him. And when I saw him what he was doing with guitar I stopped wanting to do what Jimi Hendrix was doing with the bass. And I just didn't want to play bass like everybody play bass. I wanted to be able to have different sound and do things that I was hearing in my head you know and Jimmy was doing it with the guitar. And I want to do it on bass you know. So one day I wanted to actually play with him. But you know that never happened. But you are. Yeah. Yes. But you know I was always a dream but you know never

it never happened. Most of the dreams happened. For