We Want the Funk

What exactly is the funk?

"Well, it's funky," says Todd Boyd, a professor at the University of Southern California known for his expertise in race studies, cultural politics and hip hop culture. "But beyond that, I don't know if I can describe it. But when you hear it, you know what it is. And, perhaps more importantly, you know it when you feel it."

So begins a four-minute piece on NPR's All Things Considered describing a new documentary entitled We Want the Funk! from PBS' Independent Lens series about, well, the funk.

Directed by Stanley Nelson and Nicole London, Funk goes all the way back to the 1950s in search of a way to define and describe a genre that's hard to pinpoint but easy to feel. Luminaries such as George Clinton, Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson, and David Byrne lend their expertise and opinions to the project, with Clinton himself explaining how he evolved from straight-ahead Motown into turning this mutha out.

The documentary was released on April 8. You can watch the whole thing at PBS.org, and check out the trailer below. I, for one, want the funk.