Ep. 268 - BOOTSY COLLINS ("Flash Light")

Number one Funkateer Bootsy Collins takes us to Funk University! From his days in James Brown's group, to his work with Parliament/Funkadelic and Booty's Rubber Band, to his recent single that raises awareness about domestic violence, "the world's only rhinestone rock-star doll" tears the roof off the sucker and breaks it all down for us. Songcraft wants the funk! PART ONE: Paul and Scott discuss particularly recognizable bassists and chat about their expectations of what they thought Bootsy would be like before he landed the mother ship on Songcraft. PART TWO: Our in-depth conversation with the legendary Bootsy Collins ABOUT BOOTSY COLLINS: Named among the top 5 bassists of all time by Rolling Stone magazine, Bootsy Collins is one of funk and R&B’s most iconic musicians, singers, frontmen, producers, and characters. He started out playing sessions for King Records in his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, then kickstarted his career with James Brown’s backup band, The J.B.'s. He was credited as a songwriter on classic J.B.’s songs such as “The Grunt” and “These Are the J.B.’s.” In 1972, he joined George Clinton’s Parliament-Funkadelic, and is a co-writer of classics such as “Up for the Down Stroke,” “Chocolate City,” “P-Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up),” “Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker),” “Mothership Connection,” “Dr. Funkenstein,” and “Flash Light.” In 1976, Bootsy’s Rubber Band captivated audiences with his flashy star-shaped glasses and bass, and hits such as “I’d Rather Be With You” and the chart-topping “Bootzilla.” Since then, Bootsy has launched Bootzilla Productions and Funk University to help mentor younger creatives to reach their full potential. His inescapable influence on pop culture can be heard in the music of Snoop Dogg, Outkast, Dr. Dre, Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rick James, Prince, Daft Punk, Primus, Thundercat, and in Childish Gambino’s Grammy-winning platinum hit “Redbone,” which paid homage to “I’d Rather Be With You.” Bootsy is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame. His latest album is called Album of the Year Funkateer . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You can listen to Ep. 268 - BOOTSY COLLINS ("Flash Light") online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Ep. 268 - BOOTSY COLLINS ("Flash Light") is an episode from Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters by Paul Duncan and Scott B. Bomar.

This episode is 00:55:59 long.

This episode was published on Nov 17, 2025.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.