One of Ohio's greatest players, Cincinnati native Bootsy Collins performed with such funk pioneers as James Brown and George Clinton before going solo in 1976. Bootsy quickly became a star in his own right, taking the "space bass" out of the background and transforming it into a lead instrument. His music has influenced rappers and rockers alike, and he remains one of funk's most fascinating figures. We picked Bootsy's brain recently with the following queries...
Rhino's Question: What was the first record you ever bought?
Bootsy Collins' Answer: Howlin' Wolf.
R: What song do you wish you had written?
B: "Somewhere Over The Rainbow."
R: What's the most outrageous rhyme you've ever heard in a song (or read in a poem)?
B: "I call my baby pussy" (Funkadelic)
R: Who are your musical heroes?
B: Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, James Jamerson, Lonnie Mack, Richard Pryor, Catfish Collins, Marshall Jones, Ernest T. Bass, The Three Stooges -- that's it for now...
R: Who should play you in the movie version of your life?
B: "FREEKBASS." He's my clone of the future.
R: What cartoon character did you most identify with when you were growing up (and maybe still do)?
B: Casper, The Friendly Ghost.
R: If you could sing the praises of one underappreciated artist, who would you choose?
B: The Funk Brothers (the Motown band)
R: Do you have any predictions as to how the latest technological innovations will transform music/the movies?
B: Yes! Pretty soon you won't have to be creative at all. The machines will have all the bomb stuff already for you and everybody will become an animation and movie producer by way of computer... "Darn, nobody's special any more."
R: What gets your nomination for the most absurd thing about the music/movie/TV business?
B: It all teaches you a fake-the-funk concept. The Pinocchio Theory is in full effect in every arena. When I did this song I never knew it was gonna be so for real. It was like a joke, but it ain't funny no more.
R: Do you use your work to escape yourself or explore yourself?
B: Explore myself. As long as you have breath, there is always a buried treasure.
R: What has been the most thrilling moment of your career so far?
B: When I fell back into the drummer's drum kit, first time I got loaded. Thank God those days are over.
R: What was the first thing you bought when you got your first check from playing music?
B: Well, I had to pay the bar bill back on the first few gigs and then I graduated and stopped getting liquor on credit. I was moving on up.
R: What do you remember most about your hometown?
B: The famous "Black Beer Lot." They actually made fresh black beer. It was the bomb! We hung out there everyday and our jobs were to park cars illegally for the Reds baseball games. Thank God I found a new career.
R: Did you play any sports in school?
B: Oh yeah! A whole lot of football, basketball and watching the cheerleaders jump high in the air. That was the best part.
R: Who did you want to be when you grew up?
B: I wanted to be just like my brother Catfish Collins.
R: If you were stuck on a desert island and could take one animal with you, what would it be and why?
B: It would be my Rottweiler dogs. These boys are real in everyway. They don't fake the funk.
R: If you could have any super power, what would it be?
B: To heal the sick and unite the people as one... (Namaste), which means, I celebrate the place in you where we are one.../
R: Where is the one place you've never been that you'd most like to visit?
B: The real world./
R: If you were overheard telling a friend "it's worth its weight in gold," what would you most likely be describing?
B: Wisdom.
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