This may be the most awesome thing of this election season.
The Houston Politics blog will go to the ends of the mirth to bring you political news from the edge.
This explains why we were in the wings of the stage tonight at the downtown House of Blues to witness the jarring reality of George Clinton endorsing Councilman Peter Brown for mayor of Houston.
George Clinton? Brother of Bill, maybe? Not at all. George Clinton is a longtime international star of a genre of music called funk. He tours year after year after year with two of his bands, Parliament and Funkadelic. His live shows look like an intergalactic Mardi Gras parade; his electrified Afro party music is set to a gutbucket drum-and-bass beat that rattles your duodenum. James Brown was the Godfather of Soul; Clinton (that’s him in the photo with Brown above and below) is known as the Godfather of Funk. Or Uncle Funky.
Kathryn Griffin Townsend, who has gone on tour as a member of Clinton’s ever-changing entourage, is a Brown campaign staffer who introduced Clinton and Brown to each other years ago. With her as the go-between, Brown ended up front and center on stage in front of a sweaty, raucous crowd, high-fiving with Clinton as band members held “Peter Brown For Mayor” signs aloft while they pumped up the funk.
One of Parliament/Funkadelic’s announcers then intoned: “There is no message in this show. I repeat: There is no message in this show. Are you ready for more insanity?”
“Yeessssss,” the crowd answered.
Well, so am I, so here’s a video to brighten your day:
Anyone know who Bootsy Collins is supporting in the race?
George Clinton rocks! I saw him at the international festival a few years ago.
I was there last night. Brown looked…a bit out of place onstage, but the crowd enjoyed it.