Full Description
An oral history with the women of Parliament-Funkadelic, from forming the band to landing the mothership.
Parliament-Funkadelic is perhaps the greatest funk band ever assembled. Yet at the time of the group's induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, none of the women who helped create the sound and performed in P-Funk were invited to the ceremony and their contributions have been largely overlooked.
Mothership Connected tells the story of Mallia Franklin, Lynn Mabry, Dawn Silva, Debbie Wright, and Shirley Hayden, all of whom were instrumental in making Parliament-Funkadelic, as well as the spin-off groups Parlet and the Brides of Funkenstein, into the legends they are today. Assembled by Seth Neblett, son of the "Queen of Funk" Mallia Franklin, and filled with the voices of funk icons like George Clinton, Sly Stone, Bootsy Collins, and the women themselves, this oral history makes clear why these "architects" at the "core" of P-Funk were both essential-and erased. From Franklin introducing Bootsy Collins to Clinton, to the Brides' top-10 hit "Disco to Go," to the drugs that helped destroy the group, this book reveals the hidden lives and uncomfortable truths of life in P-Funk. More than sex, drugs, and rock and roll, Mothership Connected is about Black women navigating a tumultuous era and industry to become musical pioneers. Now, after decades in the shadows, these genre-defining women are finally telling their story.
Contents
Foreword. Flipping the Prism on the Mythology of Parliament-Funkadelic, by Ayana Contreras
Prologue. Abducted by the Mothership
Chapter 1. America Eats Its Young
Chapter 2. Free Your Mind, and Your Ass Will Follow
Chapter 3. Hollywood Squares
Chapter 4. Crossword Puzzle
Chapter 5. Family Affair
Chapter 6. Mothership Connection
Chapter 7. Fantasy Is Reality
Chapter 8. Hardcore Jollies
Chapter 9. Clones of Dr. Funkenstein
Chapter 10. Flash Light
Chapter 11. Pleasure Principle
Chapter 12. Placebo Syndrome
Chapter 13. Are You Dreaming?
Chapter 14. Misunderstanding
Chapter 15. When You're Gone
Chapter 16. Disco to Go
Chapter 17. Amorous
Chapter 18. One Nation Under a Groove
Chapter 19. Funk or Walk
Chapter 20. Deep
Chapter 21. Invasion of the Booty Snatchers
Chapter 22. Never Buy Texas from a Cowboy
Chapter 23. Smoke Signals
Chapter 24. Play Me or Trade Me
Chapter 25. The Big Bang Theory
Chapter 26. Theme from the Black Hole
Chapter 27. Just Foreplay
Chapter 28. Atomic Dog
Chapter 29. Bulletproof
Chapter 30. Sample Some of Disc, Sample Some of DAT
Epilogue. Long Way Around
Acknowledgments
Photo Credits
Index
