A Conversation With Bootsy Collins

MODERATED BY ICE CUBE

The GRAMMY Museum is thrilled to welcome Bootsy Collins to the Museum’s intimate 200-seat Clive Davis Theater for an evening celebrating the release of his album, Album Of The Year #1 Funkateer, with a discussion of his creative process, career, and more.

“When I start on a project now, it’s about getting the energy from people around me,” says funk maestro Bootsy Collins. “Because the way I came up, with a band, I don’t ever want to lose that. It’s important to me to see who the universe brings for me, and I’ve been really blessed that every time I want to do a new record, I get these incredible musicians around me, right on time. And that’s what this album is about—hooking up with different musicians and artists, and mainly a lot of young people.” 

Talking about his new Album of the Year Number One Funkateer leads Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Collins to revisit the most pivotal moment in his legendary career, when James Brown hired the Pacemakers—the band led by teenage Bootsy and his brother Catfish—to replace his backing group in 1970. 

“I understand now why we were really important at that particular time for James Brown,” says Collins. “It wasn’t just the music. It was because we were lit up, and I understand that more now. With the young artists that are really on fire, I get lit up, and it reminds me that you don’t have to just stand around and not be feeling it, you can be absorbing all this fresh, new energy. I get off on that. I guess you can say that I moved from being a player and now I’m a coach. I want to be looked at as a help, a mentor, somebody they can look up to and trust. That’s my goal.” 

Times are hard, and Album of the Year Number One Funkateer is here to remind us that when the going gets tough, what we need is Bootsy, baby. “This whole groovement is for everybody to know that we funk together,” he says. “Funk ain’t just a smell, funk is our survival. Everything is so messed up, anything could happen at any given time. So the funk is trying to let everybody know that we need to come together as one, in all of our communities and all the countries. 

“It’s my duty to do my duty,” he adds, “so I keep throwing it out there. Manure is what makes the shit grow. That’s what the funk is. If you ain’t got no funk, you ain’t growing nowhere.”

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Member Check – In: 6:00pm

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Show Time: 7:00pm

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BAG POLICY: please note that only bags 9 inches x 6 inches and smaller will be allowed for this event. Vinyl, memorabilia, gifts, etc. will also not be allowed inside the building.   

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