The Strange Brew - artist stories behind the greatest music ever recorded
Aug 10, 2026 · 31 min · 10 segments
Over fifty years ago, a teenager from Cleveland got talked into playing “Maggot Brain” at an after party, and soon after he was on stage with Parliament-Funkadelic. Michael Hampton, known as Kidd…
Michael HamptonGuest
Jason BarnardHost
Did he just have a natural eye for musicians that would work? The artists that went through the group is just amazing.
He, he seems to be able to read the audience when we're out live, and I don't know, that must take some kind of gift.
And then as far as hearing different things through his time in the studios, time as a singer and vocalist for Parliament, and other, other singers that, that he knows, the way records were being produced when he was coming along, when he was younger, what have you.
All of those aspects, I guess you find out what works for you or who you can work with.
But usually people really wanted to get in the band, and then it seemed like it was just a carnival of players, and people connected on a lot of different levels.
And then some musical moments came out of it Until I guess lifestyles change or tastes change.
Yeah, everybody has to have a, a knack for just something that's gonna keep going, you know? Like, what is, what's gonna last, you know? And so I'm not as particular as, uh, I believe George is, or a lot of producers in music.
So that's something that's to be said about being a perfectionist in some kinda way with people and their personalities and their talent and how it mixes together for a longevity type of a thing.
Can you keep playing with a person for a long time, or is this gonna take some lawyers to intervent- intervene [laughs] and stuff? But that's cool.
If he hears something and that I'm doing at the time, I may be up to this point.
It's hard to say 'cause a lot of people could listen to any nu- number of other guitars, they probably could do same as or more, less, what have you, and, um, they just don't have the availability.
I just, I just so happens I, I'm probably one of those people that's not as real ambitious when it comes to that.
Did he just have a natural eye for musicians that would work? The artists that went through the group is just amazing.
He, he seems to be able to read the audience when we're out live, and I don't know, that must take some kind of gift.
And then as far as hearing different things through his time in the studios, time as a singer and vocalist for Parliament, and other, other singers that, that he knows, the way records were being produced when he was coming along, when he was younger, what have you.
All of those aspects, I guess you find out what works for you or who you can work with.
But usually people really wanted to get in the band, and then it seemed like it was just a carnival of players, and people connected on a lot of different levels.
And then some musical moments came out of it Until I guess lifestyles change or tastes change.
Yeah, everybody has to have a, a knack for just something that's gonna keep going, you know? Like, what is, what's gonna last, you know? And so I'm not as particular as, uh, I believe George is, or a lot of producers in music.
So that's something that's to be said about being a perfectionist in some kinda way with people and their personalities and their talent and how it mixes together for a longevity type of a thing.
Can you keep playing with a person for a long time, or is this gonna take some lawyers to intervent- intervene [laughs] and stuff? But that's cool.
If he hears something and that I'm doing at the time, I may be up to this point.
It's hard to say 'cause a lot of people could listen to any nu- number of other guitars, they probably could do same as or more, less, what have you, and, um, they just don't have the availability.
I just, I just so happens I, I'm probably one of those people that's not as real ambitious when it comes to that.
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