Today on Broken Record, we’re joined by the one and only Bootsy Collins.

Bootsy burst onto the scene in the early ’70s as James Brown’s young, electrifying bass player. But it was with Parliament-Funkadelic that he truly found his voice—or rather, his voices—balancing raw, uncut funk with a psychedelic, intergalactic persona that would go on to inspire artists from Prince to Thundercat.

In this conversation with Justin Richmond, Bootsy reflects on what it’s been like to navigate life as both William Collins—the introspective, spiritually grounded man from Cincinnati—and Bootsy, the rhinestone-rimmed avatar of groove. He also opens up about his legendary songwriting partnership with George Clinton and keyboard genius Bernie Worrell, and how the three of them helped create some of the most joyful and mind-bending music in American history.

Even now, more than 50 years into his career, Bootsy remains on the cutting edge—embracing new technology, collaborating with a new generation of artists, and continuing to spread The One with his latest release, Album of the Year #1 Funkateer.

You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite Bootsy Collins songs HERE.

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Broken Record with Rick Rubin, Malcolm Gladwell, Bruce Headlam and Justin Richmond

Shownotes Transcript

Bootsy Collins