Dr. Funkenstein

"The state of funk today is kind of funked up."

Such a dire musical proclamation comes from no less a groove guru than William Earl Collins. Better known as Bootsy, the trailblazing bassist for James Brown in the early '70s and then George Clinton's Parliament-Funkadelic through 1980, Collins fears for the future of the music he helped pioneer.

The problem? Young people today, he lamented, just don't know their history.

"If you say anything about those old musicians to youngsters today, most of them don't have a clue," Collins said. "All they know is who their favorite bass player or guitarist is now. They have no idea how to connect those dots, where this style or this music comes from."

So, as one of the universe's foremost funkmasters, Collins has decided to do something about it. Starting July 1, aspiring funkateers can enroll at Funk University, an online bass guitar school he is co-creating and curating with actor-entrepreneur Cory Danziger.