There’s simply no way that Oscar-winning director Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson (Summer of Soul) would mess up a documentary about rock/funk/soul icon Sly Stone (real name Sylvester Stewart). But SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius) isn’t just a music-heavy look at Stone’s rise with his band the Family Stone (Freddie Stone, Ruth Stone, Larry Graham Jr., Cynthia Robinson, Jerry Martini, Greg Erico), followed by a drug-fueled fall that saw the band break up and a slew of personal troubles wreck the musician’s life. It’s also a look at why the lives of successful Black artists frequently spiral into a type of chaos that is fueled by pressures from their own community as well as those seeking to capitalize on their downfall, especially the media.
From all of the interviews seen here (though there is no new interview with Stone himself), Sly was about as personable and charismatic as they came in the 1960s-70s, and the band (the members of which are interviewed) was the best that ever did it. The film makes the case that Sly & the Family Stone never had to change up their style to attract an audience, the way some Black artists did to get the crossover white fans or radio play. Instead, the audience rushed toward the band’s unique musical blend that resulted in some of the greatest, most danceable tunes ever recorded. But the band’s mix of races and genders also make it transcendent and trailblazing, and gave them the artistry to be one of the most energetic live acts of all time (just watch the Woodstock documentary for proof of that). The film traces Stone’s career as a young musician, music producer, and popular radio DJ before forming the band, and a slew of rare archival footage really underscores the talent and impact Stone had on generations of musicians to follow.
SLY LIVES! also features important insight on both the music and the “burden of Black genius” from interviews with musicians and music scholars/writers, including Andre 3000, D’Angelo, George Clinton (Sly’s frequent party companion), Nile Rogers, Vernon Reid, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Clive Davis, Chaka Khan and Q-Tip. Like many great Black artists from that period, the music was rediscovered during the Golden Age of hip-hop, with samples of the band’s music making their way into many a chart-topping hit. Occasionally, director Questlove allows a subject to break down the pieces of a particular track and show how innovative and boundary-pushing Sly’s arrangements could be. I also loved the coda of the film that deals with his grown children discussing their present-day relationships with Sly, who seems in a better place than he has been in years. It’s a soaring, sometimes-painful journey, but in the end, the music speaks for itself, and Questlove lets it play loud.
The film streams on Hulu beginning February 13.
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