My old friend,Bernie…
http://www.relix.com/news/detail/bernie_worrell_battling_stage_four_lung_cancer
I know there has to be some Parliament/Funkadelic,Talking Heads,Praxis,Bill Laswell,Ginger Baker,Buckethead etc etc fans here…Bernie was writing full symphonic concerto’s at 8 years old…I have met him many times over the years and we shared correspondence and have become somewhat of friends over the years…first time I met him we flew to NYC to see him play with Laswell and crew…he couldn’t believe we flew all the way from Florida…he hugged me and kissed me on the cheek andhad a tear in his eye…it was amazing…
Met him several other times when I briefly worked for Wordsound…smoked a joint with him on Jacksonville Beach and had dinner with him backstage after Praxis legendary concert at Bonnaroo 2004…hung with him many times since…I am crushed by this news…first Lemmy and now Bernie…fuckin cancer,man…
I know Tomasz will chime in…oh fuck man,this is awful news…
and by the way as great of a world class musician as Bernie is he is an even better person…I know that’s a time worn cliché but in this case it is absolutely true…god damn,today sucks…
Just got this news now, and will try to add something more meaningful and reflective once I get some time away from work.
But the short version, for starters, is that - like the other key players in the P-Funk saga - he redefined the boundaries of what could be done with his musical tools of choice. AS QB says here, I have no reason to doubt that he’s also a great human being who made his music out of a genuine love for life rather than for some insecure need for social status.
Again, more to come soon…
I am heartbroken and devastated by this news, and I tend to not get like this when musicians get ill or pass. But Bernie has had such an impact on me. Hugeeeeee P.Funk fan, in fact, was just listening to a bunch of classic material with my dad on Christmas.We were listening especially close to Bernie’s synths and keys, or how he would compose the songs. My dad grew up with that music, and that’s how I became a fan. (my dad was also a Talking Heads fan too) I followed Bernie’s stuff outside of the PFunk realm as well. He is a legitimate musical genius. Innovate as hell. NJ’s own, I knew people who knew him and a lot of the original PFunkers (including an ex-girlfriend of George Clinton, she was a trip! ) . I was so very bummed when I read that article a few days ago.
The Wizard of Woo is a tough guy. If there’s anyone who can beat this…it’s him…I hope…
Always loved his Talking Heads stuff. Watched this documentary about him a few months ago.
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/stranger_bernie_worrell_on_earth/