Blaine Buxton: Positronic Vibrations From Alto Dorado

Lessons From Funk

Since I have been listening to Funk, it amazes me that I stumble over the same lessons it teaches. I can't tell you how many times I've read to accept the imperfections of human kind, to have fun at work, to smile in the face of adversity, and to be one with the universe. These are the things that funk teaches. In fact, it's the thing that drew me initially to funk. Listening to funk is like being cleansed of all negativity in this world. It allows me to laugh at the Sir Noses of the world (the antongonist in the Parliament albums that refuses to dance). There's also a deep spirtual connection to the world of funk that simply resonates within me. It acknowledges human kind as imperfect. Perhaps, funk embodies the things that I want to be and embrace in others. It also teaches you that dancing is a good and cathartic way of casting out your demons. I think George Clinton and Larry Graham will never know what they have meant to me. I hope to one day meet them and express it to them. Their messages changed my life when I was feeling particularly beat up, and gave me the strength to push further (along with my wife, who takes great glee to tell me when I am not being "funky"). So, when I'm feeling particularly negative, out comes the funk records. They make me smile and put me in my happy place in the universe. They always teach to put more good in the world and take out the bad. be a positive force in this world instead of a negative one. I always come back to a quote from a Funkadelic record, "Good thoughts bear good fruit. Bullshit thoughts rot your meat." Amen, George! FUNK ON! If you want to try out some funk, go buy these records right now: "Motor Booty Affair"-Parliament, "Take It To The Stage"-Funkadelic, "Release Yourself"-Graham Central Station, or "Dance To The Music"-Sly And The Family Stone.

posted by Blaine at 10:32 PM |