Quotes from George Clinton

The whole history of music has turned out to be something perfect. It's all come around. The music we did with Funkadelic and Parliament was the DNA for hip-hop.

Pay attention to them kids, don't let your feelings be hurt because they taking your place. They supposed to. But if you wanna stay around with them, you ain't got to copy 'em. Just get the ones that's real young, too young to even be copying yet, because you know they gonna be the next thing.

Once you reach a certain age with radio stations, you've got to be an oldie but a goodie. If you wanna do something new, you've got to find a new way to present it to people.

I'm always surprised that I'm still around funk and that people are still into it.

You can rebel against everything adults say. When I want to find out what the new music is, I find out what parents hate.

You stayed up on the record business by knowing who was doing what. You watched the Phil Spectors. That's what told you what to do, what was hot.

The key to looking good in a cape is the way you take it off. You should look like those sword-fighting people, the Three Musketeers. Taking it off, swinging it, that's what makes it cool.

I think a lot of people really have religious overtones of having come from somewhere. I mean, even the whole concept of religion is kind of alien.

My mother gave me the discipline to follow my dreams. You know: you can do what you want as long as you put your back into it. Just keep ploughing away.

When I hear music that parents hate, or older musicians hate, I know that's the new music. When I hear older people saying, 'I hate Rap or Techno' I rush to it.

I came in after the Smokey Robinsons, Temptations, Clovers, and Clyde McPhatter and the Drifters. I came along at that level, when there was harmonizing.

Testify' went from a clean Motown song to straight psychedelic. Loud and feedback and people was loving it, because Motown was ending now.

I always try to find the kids that's getting on your nerves - because your instinct let you know they pushing you out the way, you getting old. And you don't let that bother you, have fun! You ain't got to hang out with them, but you can work with them.

Well, I try to be as funky as I need to get.

If you got maggots in your brain, everything you think is gonna be rotten.

Hip-hop is getting to the point now where they are going to start sounding like Al Jarreau or Bobby McFerrin or some of the other poets. Some of the better rappers can rap real fast without even melodies. It'll get to that same point.

A few people thought I was Bill Clinton, because of the name. I've never complained. Just the fact that you recognise me is enough. Even if you think I'm Chaka Khan.

I was at the Apollo Theater all the time, skipping school, and I worked in a barbershop. That's how I started with doo-wop. Now I've come full circle. I did all kinds of music. I used to work on Broadway and Tin Pan Alley.

I'm not worried about no charts or how long it's been out. Our records never go away.

I feel lucky and blessed that I got away with the things that I did do. But there's got to be an easier way to do that. I guess people have to go through whatever their time requires them to go through and if they can see it as inspiration, you know, fine. But I'm not taking no blame for it.

If some people don't like funk music then it's just the wrong time for them. They will get it. It's addictive.

I save all the energy until I get on the stage and then I have a burst of energy and look like I've been jamming all day long. But other than that, I'm a granddad, great granddad.

I pick up on styles, way before they get popular, pretty much before young kids do. I see 'em coming.

Style is whatever you want to do, if you can do it with confidence.