I don’t recall the exact moment that I met Arik. I do, however, remember the first time that I heard him play guitar. He was onstage with Macy Gray in a small club in Hollywood in the late ’90s. I scrambled across town, having missed sound-check due to other commitments, but made it just in time to hear him play.

…and Man, could he play!

Shortly after, I went out on tour with Macy and got to know Arik fairly well. On days off I would seek him out knowing that I wanted to be his friend, which as an adult is not always an easy task, because things like, “Hey, you’re cool. Let’s hang out,” can come across as weird, especially when you’re way past 12 years old.

…but I wore him down.

Raised in South Central L.A., he was born to a black father and white Jewish mother; and not quite fitting in with either, his outlook is unique. He has often said things that make me rethink my assumptions on life. And for those of you who think racism is imagined, then imagine getting it from two groups, at the same time, all the time.

Anyway, I guarantee that he will have a unique perspective for you.

Q: What is your favorite sandwich and who makes the best one?

A.M. A tuna & avocado sandwich with lettuce & tomato. This little hole in the wall spot in Hollywood.

Q: What is your favorite meal your mom makes?:

A.M. Mashed potatoes and fish baked in corn meal. She doesn’t make it anymore, but that was a childhood fave.

Q: How did you meet your best friend?

A.M. I shared the same womb with him.

Q: When or how did you find what you wanted to do?

A.M. I was born.

Q: How did you pursue it?

A.M. Living and being my authentic self as opposed to following others.

Q: Did you have a mentor/mentors in pursuing it? 

A.M. Mario & Lonnie, my mom, Kermit the Frog. They all provided me with external examples of various aspects and characteristics that I wanted to cultivate internally. George “Dr. Funkenstein” Clinton falls into both of those categories. He was the musical idol of my childhood. I eventually met and established a personal relationship with him after I suggested to Flea and Anthony of The Red Hot Chili Peppers (the band that I was the guitarist for, at the time) that we ask Parliament/Funkadelic to join us onstage at the 1993 Grammy Awards.

Q: What do you dream of doing or are you doing it?

A.M. I’m currently doing it, on the creative tip. To continue to express myself honestly. To push myself and be pushed by others to go where no Arik Marshall has gone before. Money is always nice and I’d like to make a lot more, but doing something I feel proud of at the very least. On the social tip, I’d like to find my soul-mate. Who knows … maybe I already have.

Q: What advice would you give your 15 year old self?

A.M. I’d ask him for advice. He’s my hero, because he had to endure some serious hell and persist through it so that the current me could enjoy some not-so-serious heaven.

Q: If life were a person what would you say?

A.M. Probably nothing as I avoid most people.

Q: If you were in charge of the world and you have no restrictions, real or imagined, what is the one thing you would give it?

A.M. The finger. Jk … uh … amazing and real music.

Q: Has morality disintegrated to the point that we now need Yelp for people?

A.M. I don’t know if morality has disintegrated … apparently violent crime in America is actually down from the past few years. That moral stuff is subjective … folks judging other folks … but I’d say that stupidity seems to have increased.

Q: How is society getting things right?

A.M. There have always been those in societies, all around the world (for The Funk) that try to do the good things and those who don’t. But as far as ‘The System” … uh … I can’t really say. Some things seem to be better, but it often appears that just as many people (if not more) have regressed. Technology is really out of control for one thing and I’m a victim of it too. But to paraphrase Rakim by way of Bobby Byrd: “I know I got Soul.”

Q: What do people need in order to see each other as equals?

A.M. No eyes and a loss of memory.

Q: Do you have hope for the future?

A.M. No, but I hope to.

Hot topic of the week:

This is an open discussion. Could be Gay marriage or Confederate flag, Donald Trump, for example.

A.M. I can address all three with this: Most people in this country don’t really interest me too much anymore. It’s much ado about nothing.

A.M. Gay marriage: Whatever. I don’t care. If it isn’t against the law for a man to have sex with another man then why in the hell would it be illegal for him to have a ceremony and a piece of paper? Absurd!

A.M. Confederate flag: Southern whites would actually be the coolest of all white people if they weren’t so often racist. They seem to be the most real and down to Earth.

A.M. Trump? He’s an obviously arrogant-jackass-attention-seeker, but so many people have their heads up their asses that I wouldn’t be surprised if he won. I dig certain people in places like Asia. They still seem to have a humility and innocence that Americans lost somewhere in the 80’s.

Q: What are three things that work for you: For example, I can’t find a good razor. Because of a near unbridled need for massive profits I find that many products don’t live up their advertising. What works for you?

A.M. Love, sex and freshly squeezed pineapple juice.

Q: Do Americans have the right to complain about immigration?

A.M. Yeah because their stupidity cancels out any attempt to regard them with rationale and logic.

Q: If our value system is based on scarcity then what of a human life now that we are in the billions?

A.M. I prefer God’s (or Mother Nature’s if you prefer) value system over ours. Which to me is: if it’s alive (whether human or otherwise) it has as much value as any other living thing.

Q: Parking lots: IQ tests for adults?

A.M. I’d say children are.

Q: Would life be easier if racism were accurate?

A.M. W.T.F. does that mean? There are a lot of things that would make life easier if they weren’t around: racism, sexism, classism, ageism, capitalism, consumerism…Mariah Carey, Kenny G., Human Brother…