George Clinton's Funky Drawers: Overton Loyd

Overton "O-Dog" Loyd put in overtime for Indiana Review's funk feature. He's literally got work on every page of the section. If you haven't noticed, down at the bottom of the left-facing pages, there's a breakdancing lowrider/Funkmobile, he did our cover, and contributed a piece that starts off the art.

So, who is Overton Loyd? Well, he's a Funktoonist. He was one of the original cover artists for Parliament/Funkadelic and, like Pedro Bell, Diem Jones, and Stozo da Clown, helped develop George Clinton's Funkmology.

The character on our cover, Sir Noze, actually was produced as a collaboration between Loyd, George Clinton, and other members of the band. Story goes, one day everyone was hanging out in a hotel room on the road and someone brought in some clown noses and started passing them out. After that, as you can imagine, people started clowning. Loyd was drawing Clinton with one of these noses on and Clinton liked it. He asked him to throw a pimp hat and a cape on, someone else named the character (think Cyrano de Bergerac), and Sir Noze D'Voidafunk was born.

According to P-Funkmology, Sir Noze places himself in opposition to the forces funk, personified by Dr. Funkenstein and Starchild. Sir Noze is unable to walk under water wihout getting wet and it leaves him a frustrated and bitter man. He doesn't want to be moved by the power of The One, so he does all he can to destroy Starchild. Loyd said Sir Noze is kind of like Darth Vader, Dr. Funkenstein is Yoda, and Starchild is, of course, Luke.

This story is relevant to our Funk feature because it describes the degree to which Funkmology is the product of a unique collaboration between lyricists and visual artists. In the issue, we're hoping for a similar interaction between the visual and the written. I think the artists pull this off brilliantly (in my unbiased opinion, of course). But you don't have to take my word for it.

*Cue Reading Rainbow music*

This cartoon, from The Motorbooty Affair (1978) album, gives you a flavor of what they were up to. If you can't funk with this, than I don't know what to tell you.