Is there a way to fully understand Sly Stone, a musical genius and embodiment of spiritual freedom, without resorting to a simplistic view? Can we move beyond contrasting elements like light and darkness, order and chaos, and see him as the angels do? It may require us to evolve our thinking and perspective to truly grasp the essence of this man.
To many Americans, Sly Stone’s rise and fall can be summarized as a story of triumph followed by failure. He was the epitome of the 1960s, blending the vibrancy of Jimi Hendrix with the melodic genius of Paul McCartney. Sly Stone’s music fused expansive hippie consciousness with gritty and worldly funk, creating a unique and intellectually stimulating euphoria. His band, Sly and the Family Stone, which was racially diverse, gender fluid, and filled with diverse voices, represented joy and the possibility of a united America. It was an experiment that proved people could coexist and love and justice were attainable, if only for a brief moment. Philosopher Cornel West expresses his deep admiration for Sly Stone, stating that his music provided a temporary taste of freedom and democratic experience, even if it wasn’t fully realized in reality.
However, by 1975, it all came crashing down. Sly Stone’s creativity was squandered, his reputation ruined, and he succumbed to the destructive forces of cocaine, PCP, and paranoia. Decades of obscurity followed, punctuated by occasional unsuccessful comebacks. Many people will be surprised to learn that Sly Stone is actually still alive, as his new memoir, written with Ben Greenman, titled “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)”, reveals.
Thankfully, Sly Stone lives on. With the help of the resourceful Ben Greenman, who co-wrote a memoir with George Clinton, a fascinating book was crafted, delving into Sly’s life and thoughts. Sly Stone, though an unreliable narrator, retains vivid memories of his past. He recounts his childhood watching Westerns on TV and his fascination with cowboys like Lash LaRue who used a whip instead of shooting. Soul singers like Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson mesmerized him during his churchgoing years, and he desired to sing and control the stage like them. During his time as a student at Vallejo Junior College, his music teacher Mr. Froehlich opened his eyes to music theory, allowing him to see the melodies intertwining in his mind.
Despite these clear memories, Sly Stone also has significant memory gaps, particularly when it comes to his drug use. Drugs became a crutch for his writing, playing, and recording, but their true impact on him remains hazy and complex.
Before his own musical successes, Sly Stone worked as a radio DJ in San Francisco and a record producer, honing his skills and experimenting with various artists. The concept behind Sly and the Family Stone was to bring together people of different races and genders, with the added innovation of women playing instruments. This was a groundbreaking idea at the time, and it carried a significant purpose.
The pinnacle of Sly Stone’s career was the Woodstock festival in 1969. In the early hours of the morning, he and the Family Stone performed “I Want to Take You Higher,” creating an otherworldly call-and-response experience that connected the crowd with a sense of heavenly euphoria. Sly recalls that everything glowed after Woodstock.
However, entropy was already setting in. Sly’s masterful control over the Family Stone was also a source of turmoil and unpredictability. His band was plagued by constant uncertainty and despair due to his erratic behavior and unreliability. The image of Sly’s pit bull, Gun, chasing his tail like a whirlwind becomes a metaphor for the chaos within his household. Eventually, Gun tragically mauled Sly’s young son, leading to a further descent into darkness.
While some consider Sly’s 1971 album “There’s a Riot Goin’ On” to be a masterpiece, others find the heavy drug influence, elusive self-awareness, and overall atmosphere to be too overwhelming. His subsequent albums, “Fresh” (1973) and “Small Talk” (1974), are often overlooked but are possibly superior records artistically. However, “There’s a Riot Goin’ On” cast a spell of destruction, and the Family Stone began to disintegrate. A disastrous performance at Radio City Music Hall in 1975 signified the beginning of the end.
So, what is the essence of the Sly Stone story? Is it the collision of utopia and reality? Not quite, as Sly Stone was always a realist to some degree. Is it the slow death of the 1960s? Not entirely, as the spirit of conflict the era embodied continues to exist. Perhaps it is more accurate to perceive Sly Stone as an artist chosen and condemned to expand reality, experiencing himself and his flaws on the grandest scale. His brilliance shone brightly alongside his weaknesses, creating a simultaneous and unified whole.
In conclusion, Sly Stone’s story is one that defies easy categorization. It transcends simplistic narratives of success and failure, utopia and reality, and instead offers a complex portrayal of a deeply talented and flawed artist. Sly Stone’s impact on music and culture resonates to this day, reminding us of the enduring power of his artistry. Thank you, Sly Stone, for sharing your story with the world.
(This article appears in the October 2023 print edition with the headline “I, Sly.”)
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