San Francisco Frontiers - Funk legend turned painter George Clinton opens show in Paris

Through it all, the self-taught American artist, the force behind the celebrated groups Parliament and Funkadelic, has hewed to his signature vison: "Gotta have that funk."

Clinton exploded on the scene in the 1960s, making his debut in Motown before gathering a talented crew of artists to create P-Funk, a new, fusional musical style that would deeply influence the likes of Prince, Snoop Dog, Kendrick Lamar, D'Angelo and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

"We came out of the psychedelic era and everything was permissible," Clinton told AFP.

"I could free my mind, I could do whatever the music turned out to be."

Blending soul, funk, rock and disco, Clinton tapped the zeitgeist of an era of whirlwind change, crafting lines that captured the sexual liberation of the 1960s and 70s -- "Free your mind and your ass will follow" -- and delivering epic four-hour concerts in platform boots and alien-inspired suits.

Today, the one-time New Jersey barber, who won a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2019 Grammys, has moved on from multicoloured dreadlocks and mind-altering drugs.

He struggles some to get around, but is still an artistic force, keenly tuned in to the sounds of our times.

"As soon as I hear kids making new music that gets on my nerve, that's the music I want, because that's usually telling me, 'This is the new shit,'" he said.

Funk has always been his "secret weapon", he said.

"Funk protects you... from getting old... It's that same attitude that frees your mind.

"It's like 'Star Wars'. 'Use the force, Luke.' Use the funk, Luke."

- 'All about the vibe' -

Clinton got his start in the graphic arts signing autographs stylised as dog's heads.

During the Covid pandemic, he grew into a more serious artist, taking up acrylic and spray painting.

He made his art debut with a series of shows in the United States.

Now, he is on to Paris and the Mariane Ibrahim Gallery, a stone's throw from the French presidential palace, where his work will be on display through mid-December.

The show features Clinton's abstract paintings and a sculpture representing the "Mothership" -- for his influential 1975 concept album, "Mothership Connection".

Opening a show in world art capital Paris, "I feel like I'm somebody," he said.

His signature style pervades his work.

"I paint the way I do music," he said.

"I did a lot of paintings that came out really good, but I had no idea what they are when I first started and I don’t want to intellectualize it. It's just whatever it is, it's all about the vibe."

But all is not carefree in Clinton's world.

He has been locked in various legal battles for years over copyrights for his musical catalogue.

His eternal optimism is also being put to the test by the deeply polarised political climate in the United States, says Clinton, no fan of President Donald Trump.

"No matter how good it gets, there's always something that's come along trying to spoil the party," he said, calling Trump "like a cartoon -- not even a good cartoon".

In his album "Chocolate City", released 50 years ago, Clinton and Parliament imagined a White House under the sway of funk, with Aretha Franklin as first lady and Stevie Wonder as secretary of fine arts.

That dream looks distant today, but he still believes in a better tomorrow, Clinton said.

On one condition: "We have to keep up the funk."

A.Clark--SFF