=== SLY STONE HOMELESS? ===

What?

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/the_rise_and_fall_of_sly_ston...

Get Prince on the phone, asap...

0 members like this

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Compound Egret on October 5, 2011 at 12:34am

Drugs are Baaaaaaad. Sly was even mentioned in Slash's book sneaking into Duff's apartment to smoke rocks if memory serves me correctly.

I think the other thing with Sly is just the time period that he came to prominence, as well as a background I'm guessing was devoid of entertainment managers and attorneys(join the club). Dude was at Woodstock and probably fully bought into that "money will degrade my art" shtick that I have heard. I read an article in this same vein a while ago about another brother who was at Woodstock, Richie Havens...http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/investing/20020723a.asp

The crazy thing is I never hear people say "Yesterday is a great song, but it would be even better if Paul McCartney was living under a bridge..." The song is the song.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Rosenda on October 5, 2011 at 11:11am

My sister heard he's up on Crenshaw last time he was seen. And she thinks that he's up in the hood cause he wants to lay low and he feels he'd blend in with other Black folks, and that kinda makes sense. He was out of the public eye due to his personal emotional and drug struggles for decades. And I've noticed there are more folks living in their cars/motor homes in certain spots in black and Mexican areas, cause the police don't pay enough attention there, so one can get past the move your car in 72 hours rule that applies to parking on one spot. I hope Sly Stone conquers whatever hurts him and he's able to have a home again, if that's not what he wants, then I hope he knows the safer streets to park on.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by X-D-D-M*9 on October 5, 2011 at 5:29pm

^^^ thaks for the update. Sounds reasonable about staying in a car and just moving.

If you want me to stay, I'll be around the way...

Seriously, I wonder if Prince is up this and wanted to reach out. He signed Chaka Khan, ex-Sly bassist Larry Graham, Mavis Staples and others so an unappreciated legend like Sly seems a perfect fit. It's possible Prince has asked and Sly turned him down for whatever variety of reasons, but I'm just curious. And a new Sly album? It's guaranteed to sell even if it's not all that (which I somehow doubt, even his choppiest tracks since the 80's still sound good).

Shoot, Sly recorded "Crazay" with Jesse Johnson back in the day, "Funk Gets Stronger" with Funkadelic, played keys on Bill Laswell's "Tell The World" and Tony Maiden, co-founder & lead guitarist of Rufus, toured with Sly just last year in the US and Asia (obvious I'm a fan, right?).

What's the deal?

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Rosenda on October 10, 2011 at 8:03pm

Given him being out of the public eye, supposedly by his own choice, all those many prior years/decades, Daoud, it might be a bit of both. There might be those who'd reach out to him from the industry but because of what others would say about Sly to them, they might be wary that he'd even talk with them. And then you're right about someone actively reaching out to him and him turning them away, especially if it was during a period of being high on whatever he might have been taking.

There was a well respected very talented jazz saxophonist from my father's generation (he actually took lessons from him when he was young) that is living on the streets around the Seattle area for decades now, and he told some people close to him, he'd just sort of given up and gotten away from everybody, because he experienced a lot of bitterness and anger at some folks in the music industry who'd disrespected him in some way back in the late 60's or so, and it totall disenchanted him with wanting anything to do with anyone. And this was according to some of the other musicians who'd known him back then, as well as from his own words a few years ago during some interviews.

That whole story reminds me of Sly Stone. Who knows if that plays a part , and exacerbated by stuff in your system that isn't good for you? Lots of regular folks succumb to that combination and the only reason we are paying more attention to this is because this is a celebrity from our generation. Ya know?

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Compound Egret on October 12, 2011 at 1:25am

The thing that makes me pay attention is that Sly really created some classics that are played daily and have been sampled numerous times. I don't know the details of people's finances, but I have heard of many with less talent that live comfortably off their publishing. Merv Griffin made plenty just off that jeopardy music.