"Sly Lives!" with Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson & Joseph Patel

Did Sly blow it?  As part of continuing Emmys coverage, we are joined by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Joseph Patel, the director and producer of “Sly Lives! (aka the Burden of Black Genius)” (as well as the same for the 2022 Oscar Winner “Summer of Soul”) to discuss the life and career of Sly Stone, whose interracial and multigendered band drew upon the stew of musical influences of the early 60’s Bay Area to create an innovative new sound.

 

The story as it’s commonly told:  Once Sly gained widespread fame after playing Woodstock, he moved to Bel Air and adopted a nonstop drug-taking party lifestyle that would diminish his genius.  But as Thompson and Patel explain, the truth is much more complicated.  Ultimately, they show that Sly–who passed away just this summer–served less as a cautionary tale, than as an emblem of genius and inspiration for a host of artists in rock, funk, hip hop and more.

 

Watch “Sly Lives!” on Hulu.

 

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