A Brief Introduction to P-Funk Mythology
George Clinton is responsible for creating two of the most iconic funk groups ever and for over 50 years both Parliament and Funkadelic have graced the earth with their groove.
Parliament’s albums of the 70s had become concept albums based around afro-futurism and science fiction, and from this came the creation of P-Funk mythology, a group of recurring characters, themes and ideas. This “funkology” was outlined in album liner notes and song lyrics, in addition to album artwork, costumes, advertisements, and stage banter.
In this piece, I will discuss a character of this mythology: Sir Nose D’voidofunk.
Sir Nose is an iconic feature of P-Funk Mythology mainly because of his costume. He wears a fur coat, fur trousers, a wide brim hat and most notable a long fake nose with his name written across it. He also wears a belt and sash which have ‘nose’ encrusted on them.
Sir Nose is at every live P-Funk concert and at first glance, especially during performances, Sir Nose acts like a backing dancer as he moves and performs acrobatic tricks on stage, communicating rhythm through dance. However, despite his incongruity amongst other band members, there’s more than meets the eye. From the costume, to the performance practice, the character of Sir Nose is there to communicate cultural context of P-Funk Mythology and the importance of keeping funk alive.
This specific character was inspired by the song The Pinocchio Theory by Bootsy’s Rubber Bands, whose musical leader, was Bootsy Collins, a member of P-Funk. The Pinocchio Theory contains the lyrics, “if you fake the funk, your nose will grow.” This explains the use of a fake nose. Sir Nose’s surname, D’voidofunk, expresses how he is completely devoid of funk and comes down to earth to try and kill funk. In the P-Funk song titled after this character, the lyrics are, “a funk a day keeps the nose away.”
The bands’ music is a method of chasing away those who try and fight the funk and stand in the way of music and luckily, with over 26 albums between both Parliament and Funkadelic, funk will always prevail.
