TheP FunkMothership, also known asThe Mothership orThe Holy Mothership, is a space vehicle model belonging toDr. Funkenstein, analter ego offunk musicianGeorge Clinton. An integral part of theP-Funk mythology, the Mothership existed conceptually as a fictional vehicle of funk deliverance and as a physical prop central toParliament-Funkadelic concerts during the 1970s and 1990s.
During their heyday in the mid to late 1970s, following the success of their platinum-sellingalbum, 1975'sMothership Connection, George Clinton and his bandParliament Funkadelic - theFunk Mob - engaged in a series of high profile, no-expenses-spared stadium tours around the United States, culminating in the famousP Funk Earth Tour.[1]
At these gigs, and starting in October 1976,[2] the much referenced Mothership was seen to land on stage amongst theband and before a baying and expectantcrowd. It was designed byJules Fisher.[3] The Mothership was summoned down by the vocal tones of P Funk singer/guitaristsGlenn Goins and laterGarry Shider, and was represented in the form of a full-scale model complete with light and sound effects as well aspyrotechnics.[4][1] At this point in the showGeorge Clinton would emerge from the Mothership in the form ofDr. Funkenstein, the "cool ghoul with the bump transplant," in order to better "administer funk" to the audience.[5]
For many years, the landing of the Mothership was only alluded to at live concerts, due to the prohibitive cost of maintaining the elaborate stage-show. After the band had to deal with mounting debt, the Mothership was discarded and sold for cash in 1982 or 1983.[6][7] Sources say theWashington, D.C. management company sold it to a scrap metal yard inPrince George's County inMaryland.[7]
In 1996, following the release ofT.A.P.O.A.F.O.M. (The Awesome Power of a Fully Operational Mothership), George Clinton launched the "Mothership Reconnection Tour" withBootsy Collins,Bernie Worrell, and the latest incarnation ofP Funk, the "P Funk All Stars". The Mothership Reconnection Tour, which began inNew York'sCentral Park, required a reconstruction of the Mothership, and the concerts included the landing of the Mothership, albeit on a smaller scale. Clinton claims the mid-1990s re-build of the 1,200 pound aluminum spacecraft is an indistinguishable replica.[7]
For a few years after the Mothership Reconnection Tour, the Mothership would land periodically at the P Funk All Stars concerts, particularly those at larger venues. One of the last appearances of the Mothership was atWoodstock 1999.[8] The Mothership made a few other appearances during this time, such as Eugene Oregon, before being retired.
The replica Mothership found a new home in 2011 when theSmithsonian Institution acquired it by moving it from Clinton's recording studio inTallahassee,Florida, after the original could not be located.[9] The concert prop started as a symbol of "what could be" and is now located in the Smithsonian'sNational Museum of African American History and Culture.[10][2][11]
In 2021, theOakland Museum of California[12] constructed a replica of the spacecraft as part of its exhibition,Mothership: Voyage Into Afrofuturism.[13] In its announcement of the exhibit, running from August 7, 2021 to February 27, 2022,[14] the museum said, "Experience a replica of the Mothership itself— musician George Clinton of Parliament Funkadelic’s Afrofuturistic vessel—to relax in an otherworldly video installation, a curated playlist by DJ Spooky, and more."[13]
