BOOTSY COLLINS

The legendary bassist on lessons from James Brown, the perils of faking the funk, and how Kamala Harris helped reunite him with George Clinton

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“Funk is making something out of nothin"."

What's the best part of success?

Experimenting. When you are out there with your instrument - being your instrument - and music comes to you freely. It's like gifts, and then you give them away. But getting two or three dollars helps, too.

What about the worst?

Once Frankenstein has built that monster, you can't control it. You want to spend time with your family, but everything moves so fast when you start to succeed, and this monster comes in and eats everybody up. That, and the business. James Brown told me that it's 75 percent business, 25 percent music. I wasn't trying to hear that, because I'm in love with the music.

James used to ask people to call him “Mr. Brown.” Did you ever ask people to call you Mr. Collins?

Oh, heck no. When people say, “Mr. Collins,” I'm like, “No. Bootsy.” I want to always maintain that “kid” frame of mind. I don't ever want to grow up like that. I respect everybody, and if you don't respect me, that's cool, but to be going around making somebody call you “mister,” that's pretty deep.

You titled your new record Album of the Year #1 Funkateer. How do you know when you've made the album of the year?