Sir Nose D'Voidoffunk is a totalitarian leader and crime boss, and the primary antagonist in the 1977-1979 albums of American funk group Parliament.
Sir Nose is a technology-assisted human who has made it his mission to rid the world of music and the desire to dance. He is the self-proclaimed arch-nemesis of Dr. Funkenstein and his most advanced clone, Star Child. Sir Nose later becomes the leader of his own team of supervillains called The Unfunkables.
Sir Nose is portrayed on the albums by George Clinton, and has been played on stage by Larry Heckstall and Carlos McMurray.
Biography[]
In concept, Sir Nose was inspired by a song called "The Pinocchio Theory" by Bootsy's Rubber Band, which contains the line, "Don't fake the funk or your nose'll grow". The song "Trombitulation" also claims Sir Nose is "Cro-Nasal", an ancient genus of humankind.
As a character, much of Sir Nose's past civilian life is unknown. Before he adopted the Sir Nose identity, he was sometimes known as "Placebo", and he looked like a normal, well-dressed human man. In the present, Sir Nose has begun to amass power, wealth, and technology to make himself into a de facto leader.
Funkentelechy vs. the Placebo Syndrome[]
At the start of the album, Sir Nose has successfully brainwashed whole swaths of America into the "Placebo Syndrome", a condition where victims become uninterested in any sort of excitement or pleasure. Demigod mad scientist Dr. Funkenstein sends his clone/son, Star Child, to Earth with the Bop Gun, a non-lethal device that makes its targets vulnerable to funky music. Sir Nose loses a battle with Star Child and he publicly vows that he will never dance - which Star Child proves wrong during a second encounter.
The album's third track, "Wizard of Finance", is sung in Sir Nose's voice, implying it takes place from his perspective. The song follows an individual who longs to make loads of money in hopes of impressing a woman he loves. It is entirely possible this is part of his backstory.
Through Star Child and Dr. Funkenstein's efforts, the Placebo Syndrome is eradicated. Sir Nose agrees to a duel out of costume with Star Child. However, Sir Nose knows he won't be fast enough to win a duel against Star Child, and Sir Nose fears public humiliation if he starts dancing, so he begins planning to end his life by aiming the Snooze Gun at his own head. Little does he know, Star Child has read Nose's mind, and hits him with the Bop Gun before Sir Nose can shoot himself. The album's final track, "Flash Light", follows a (briefly) reformed Sir Nose being welcomed into a dancing crowd.
Motor Booty Affair[]
Sir Nose briefly appears in this album along with a new character who strongly resembles Sir Nose, an android named Rump-of-Steel-Skin, who is functionally unable to dance. In the song "Aqua Boogie", Sir Nose announces he can't swim and hates water, to which he is immediately thrown into the sea.
Gloryhallastoopid[]
Sir Nose returns as the leader of the Unfunkables, a group of fellow funk-haters. This album included a comic included that depicts the Unfunkables scheming to "make a jackass" out of Star Child - by literally turning him into a donkey. Sir Nose makes a deal with Deeni Hoo the Magician to create a synthetic tail that must be shot at the victim's behind in order to make them a donkey forever. However, this tool requires a real rump, so Sir Nose volunteers his own behind; he muses over how a lack of a rump will give him nothing to shake if he's ever forced to dance.
Sir Nose goes to the Jam Station, an intergalactic nightclub where Star Child and his band are playing a gig. In disguise, Sir Nose is able to get the tail onto Star Child's behind, turning him into a donkey in front of his audience. However, it doesn't last; Dr. Funkenstein is nearby and is able to counteract the magic's effects. One of Sir Nose's groupies gives him a fake butt to wear as a replacement for the real thing.
Sir Nose impersonating Dr. Funkenstein
Medicaid Fraud Dogg[]
Sir Nose impersonates Funkenstein during the track "I’m Gon' Make U Sick O’ Me". According to an official comic by Overton Loyd, Sir Nose records the song with audio modulators to imitate Dr. Funkenstein's iconic deep vocals. (In reality, this is George Clinton singing with his natural voice.)
Appearance[]
Sir Nose D'Voidoffunk wears a Venetian-style mask with an elongated nose. This mask obscures his eyes and much of his face, leaving his true identity unknown to onlookers, and most of his face is covered in a beard and moustache. He often dresses in wide-leg slacks, blazers, and open shirts that show off his chest. In Gloryhallastoopid, he begins wearing parachute pants.
In his civilian form, Sir Placebo wears a large-brimmed fedora and matching fine suits. He wears thick sunglasses at all times, which look like regular broad oversized glasses, but this will morph into his Sir Nose mask whenever he's feeling especially negative. He also wears silk ties and multiple watches on one hand.
Personality[]
Sir Nose is a finicky, fussy villain who tries to eliminate or dull-out anything he doesn't like. He is not particularly dangerous, but the technology he gets his hands on - especially the Placebo Syndrome conduits - can be extremely dangerous. Sir Nose, much like his trademark nose mask, is also very nosy, and will invite himself anywhere people are doing something he doesn't personally like. He hates dancing and funk music the most, seeing these as annoying and frivolous.
Powers and Abilities[]
Much of Sir Nose's powers come from technological devices and enhancements. His mask can shapeshift, turning from a regular pair of broad sunglasses to his trademark Venetian nose mask; this nose mask seems to also contain antennae that can pick up on any mentions of him or of funk music.
Sir Nose's main weapon is the Snooze Gun, which emits a mind-altering laser beam that sends its target into a placated, disinterested state. However, it can be fatal at close range.
Gallery[]
