From The Crib to the Coliseum: An Interview with Bootsy Collins

Abstract

TSE: For the sake of history, let’s start at the beginning …. your home? Your mama’s house? Your baby big brother: Phelps? Give us some history on that.

Bootsy: Well, my mom, she grew us up. No dad. No dad in the house, but I always felt responsible for the things that went on in the household. And Mama always had a belt, too! And she would wear us out. I never got a male perspective of that, so I was always out in the streets. Looking up to the males in the streets that did certain things I dug, like entertaining, the players on the streets—the hustling. But then I got interested in music because I wanted to be like my brother, Catfish. He was playing guitar. I really got interested in music and I think that’s what started it.