The lonesome ballad of Sly Stone

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If there is a more tragic figure in the annals of pop music than Sylvester Stewart, aka Sly Stone, I don’t know him or her. The latest twist in the long, often depressing saga that is Stewart’s life occurred Thursday when Sly announced he was suing his former business manager for millions that the musical genius says were illegally withheld from him.

The complaint said Stone had been homeless at times and is dependent on Social Security. Goldstein paid Stone some money in 2007, when the payments stopped, the lawsuit says.

Business managers absconding with a client’s hard-earned cash is not a new industry story. And everybody knows that Sly also has himself to blame for squandering what money he had been paid over the years for creating some of the most memorable and trailblazing albums of the late sixties and early seventies.

Hard to say when his troubles really started, but in 1969, Sly and his band moved to Los Angeles. There, Sly’s drug use–PCP and cocaine–is said to have skyrocketed. Band friction started even earlier than that, shortly following the group’s success on the pop charts.

The downfall is in full effect, however, on the Dick Cavett show in 1970, when a loaded Stone wandered his way over for a post-performance interview with the host.

In ‘74, by which time bassist Larry Graham had been fired from The Family Stone, Sly appeared on the Mike Douglas show, and tried to explain the evolution of his erratic behavior, missed concerts and interviews.

Moving on to the 80’s a San Francisco TV News crew interviewed Sly at his Novato home. By then Stewart had secluded himself, and the band had dispersed.

At the climax of a truly cringe-worthy Grammy tribute (are there any other kind?) Sly returned to the public eye in 2006. Sporting a tall, blonde mohawk and an inexplicable hunch-back and a cast on his right arm (from a motorcycle accident), Sly waltzed on stage for all of 30 seconds before exiting to the confusion of his fellow performers, Stewart made other stage performances. Here, the shell of the man plays the Tokyo Jazz Festival in 2008.

But a much more coherent Sly gave an unexpected interview with KCRW on May 25. It’s definitely worth a listen, even if the elephant in the room–Sly’s self-destructive years–don’t ever come up. Of special note is an anecdote about Charles Manson. Check it out HERE. Asked whether the song “If You Want Me to Stay” was written as a direct appeal to his audience, Stewart replied, “Yeah, that’s what I was saying.” The lyrics to the tune turned out to be pretty self-fulfilling:

If you want me to stay
I’ll be around today
To be available for you to see
I’m about to go
And then you’ll know
For me to stay here I’ve got to be me

You’ll never be in doubt
That’s what it’s all about
You can’t take me for granted and smile
Count the days I’m gone
Forget reaching me by phone
Because I promise I’ll be gone for a while

When you see me again
I hope that you have been
The kind of person that you really are now
You got to get it straight
How could I ever be late
When you’re my woman takin’ up my time

How could you ever allow
I guess I wonder how
How could you get out of pocket for fun
When you know that you’re never number two
Number one gonna be number one

I’ll be good
I wish I could
Get this message over to you now
When you see me again
I hope that you have been
The kind of person you really are now

When you see me again
I hope that you have been
The kind of person that you really are now
I’ll be so good
I wish I could
Get the message over to you now

But Sly’s story may yet have a surprise ending. He has reportedly signed a new record deal with Cleopatra records, and this year a new documentary is set for release. Here’s the trailer:

For those who have not yet taken the time to bask in Sly’s brilliant run of albums–starting with 1967s “Brand New Thing” and running through 1973s “Fresh”–you shouldn’t let these lowlights get in the way.