Out with the old, in with the new.
George seems to look back only occasionally, always pressing forward with his art. That art is mostly about music and painting, but he never stops exploring.
His exhibit at Jupiter Contemporary Gallery has been extended, so be sure to stop by if you are anywhere near Miami.
George brings his iconic imagery of The Mothership and Atomic Dog to his paintings, and of course he meticulously approves all the designs of the official merch bearing his name. He recently authorized some designs found in the vaults. Several have been added to his official webstore.
The New Year always evokes babies, how about a onesie for your newest family member? These fabulous threads have two count ‘em TWO designs.
You can have the funkiest bathroom in town by adding a couple P-Funk bath towels.
In fact, whatever your political persuasion, we can all agree on the goal of One Nation Under a Groove.
Sadly, we lost a former member of the P-Funk collective when Joseph "Amp" Fiddler died last month after a lengthy battle with cancer. His memorial service is set for Feb. 3 in his Detroit hometown.
Fiddler was a singer, songwriter and keyboardist having worked with Parliament-Funkadelic (for over a decade), J Dilla, Maxwell, Seal, Brand New Heavies, Was (Not Was), Raphael Saadiq, among many others. In 1986 Amp took over the P-Funk keyboard chair from Bernie Worrell. Amp was in the house and a part of "We Can Funk," the 1990 collaboration between Prince and George, from Prince's Graffiti Bridge album. His wife has started a GoFundMe campaign to cover Amp’s funeral expenses.
Venn diagrams are always big fun. How about this one? Among a bunch of names, you can put George into a Venn diagram with Michael Jordan, Jesse Jackson and Shaquille O’Neal. How? They are all members of the same Omega Psi Phi fraternity. More here.
Speaking of connections, I managed to confirm a bit of glorious musical trivia in late December. I was in conversation with Jerry Harrison, founding member of Talking Heads. Folks had been speculating that their exuberant hit “Burning Down the House” was a result of seeing a Parliament Funkadelic show in NYC. “Yup,” said Jerry. “That’s how I remember it.”
Same as it ever was - George’s influence pops up everywhere.
Wrapping up this installment, we have been getting a few inquiries about the limited edition prints. Indeed there are still some available, each hand numbered and hand signed by George and photographer Neal Preston.
Every home needs a hand drawn Atomic Dog, which is what you have with these gorgeous 24” x 20” museum quality prints. Get down on it.