The great rock-funk-soul band Sly and the Family Stone didn’t just make hits in the 1960s and ‘70s, they made “culture-changing hits,” in the words of no less a figure than record mogul Clive Davis. Hits like “Everyday People,” “Stand!”, “Dance to the Music,” “Family Affair” and “If You Want Me to Stay.”
But if the group released so many incredible songs, why do we remember them now mostly for the personal troubles of bandleader, composer and multi-instrumentalist Sly Stone? That question underpins the Emmy-contending documentary Sly Lives! (aka the Burden of Black Genius), directed by Oscar winner Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson.
Questlove joins the latest edition of Deadline’s Doc Talk podcast to share his observations on what made Sly Stone great and what impelled him to tumble from the mountaintop of rock stardom. It’s got much to do with crushing expectations placed on Black genius (hence his film’s subtitle).
Sly’s still alive – he turned 82 last month – but Questlove says in some respects the musician belongs in the “27 club” – rock stars like Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Amy Winehouse who died at that young age. Such is the precipitous fall and virtual disappearance of Stone from the music scene.
Questlove gets personal in our conversation, speaking about his own journey in life and music (including an early, awkward encounter with Prince), and that infamous moment at the Oscars when Will Smith struck presenter Chris Rock – the “slap” coming just before Rock announced Questlove’s documentary Summer of Soul as the winner of the Academy Award. The filmmaker-drummer-Roots band member says some deep introspective work helped him avoid the trope of self-sabotage that perhaps did in Sly Stone.
In the episode, you’ll also hear how Sly and the Family Stone came on the scene “wearing wigs and fuzzy boots, like [something out of] Star Wars” and how an interview Sly did with a young Maria Shriver, then a 22-year-old journalist, became key to the documentary.
That’s on the new episode of Doc Talk, hosted by Oscar winner John Ridley (12 Years a Slave, Shirley) and Matt Carey, Deadline’s documentary editor. The pod is a production of Deadline and Ridley’s Nō Studios.
Listen to the episode above or on major podcast platforms including Spotify, iHeart and Apple.
