Moments Sly Stone Would've Broken the Internet
A look at the Sly Stone moments that would’ve taken over timelines if social media existed during his peak.
Photo by Michael Wadleigh. Photo illustration by Jefferson Harris.
Sly Stone was one of American music’s greatest titans. His capacity for innovation and influence in rock and funk went head-to-head with his knack for both enlivening and upsetting a variety of enamored audiences. There’s perhaps no musical figure whose extended peak existed pre-internet and pre-social media who would’ve had as much of a resounding effect on the web if it had existed during their reign. The array of moments captured in photos, videos, or the journalistic written word that would’ve gone explosively viral if Sly were involved seems unending. So, we made a condensed list to highlight the most potent. It’s wild to imagine how this all would’ve played out online.
Sly Stone and Richard Pryor Play a Comedic Duet Together on The Mike Douglas Show
On the day before Thanksgiving in 1974, one of the era’s greatest musicians and one of its greatest comedians appeared on The Mike Douglas Show. After a bit of pressuring, Richard Pryor steps behind the drum kit and Sly Stone, in a glittery fit, gets behind the piano. The duo rolls for a bit on the Sly & the Family Stone classic “If You Want Me to Stay,” but Pryor loses the rhythm and Sly jokingly berates him. One can imagine the clips that may have been used to compare goofy friendships among everyday people, with captions that read, “Me and bestie when we are supposed to be acting professional.”
Sly and Muhammad Ali on The Mike Douglas Show
In July of 1974, Sly appeared on The Mike Douglas Show again with Muhammad Ali, one of the greatest boxers to ever live, as well as a congressman from Illinois. There’s a tense moment between the two when Sly inserts himself for a second in opposition to Ali as he responds to a question about whether or not he’d ever run for office. Ali says he couldn’t serve for a government with a white man’s flag above his head, and Sly, for a second, retorts, saying that isn’t how it would be. Ali quickly jumps in, saying, “I don’t fuss with a brother on TV… in front of white people.” This and the dismissal of his retort seem to annoy Sly for a moment, and then he begins to speak about changing the color of the American flag so that it would represent people of color as well. This further annoys Ali, who feels this pivot is interrupting his more substantive points. This exchange would have absolutely enlivened online racial and political discussion.
3:30 AM Woodstock Set
What is widely regarded as the greatest music festival of all time was once marred by weather delays. The rain was so intense that the field, which is widely portrayed as filled with flower-crowned hippies in the sunshine, was actually drowned in massive puddles. This naturally caused many sets to be moved and some to be cancelled. The crowd grew raucous over their disappointment with the local acts and the extended delay for Sly, eventually beginning to riot. The footage feels like you’re watching Moses part the sea in musical form. In the social media era, Sly would have been crowned online as the savior of Woodstock.
Sly Stone Gets Married Onstage at Madison Square Garden in 1974
One of the wildest scenes in both Sly Stone’s career was a fully orchestrated onstage wedding between Sly Stone and model/actress Kathy Silva at Madison Square Garden. Sly and Kathy were presented as a gold-draped king and queen, surrounded by an array of beautiful women in similarly sparkly clothing, each holding a golden palm frond. There was a pastor and a procession like a normal wedding, but of course, the event was as far from normal as one could imagine.
Sly Stone Says He Writes Music on the Toilet in an Interview
One of the many funny moments in Sly Stone’s interview history is when he told a reporter that he writes music in the restroom while doing his business. You can imagine the internet’s reply. The interesting part of the quote, though, is that he also says he writes there because it’s where no one can bother him. At the height of his fame, solitude came few and far between.
Grant Park Riot in 1970
In Chicago’s Grant Park in 1970, a free show was set to go on with Sly and his band headlining. However, two bands played opening sets first: Fat Water and The Flying Burrito Brothers. The crowd grew raucous over their disappointment with the local acts being there at all and the extended delay for Sly, and they began rioting. A total of 162 people were injured at the event. Many consider this scene part of the backdrop that prompted his classic album, There’s a Riot Goin’ On. Others have broken down videos, linking the event and the album to how it might have played out in the internet era.
The Black Panthers Pressured Sly to Change His Band to All Black Members, and He Refused
While Sly did have his band composed of many of his real-life family members, he also filled the rest of the roles with a racially diverse crew. This, at a certain point, caught the attention of the Black Panther Party, who pressured Sly to make his progressive band completely Black. Sly refused due to his intention, not only to achieve the synchronistic sound he envisioned, but also to have the band reflect American society as a whole. White trumpeter Jerry Martini said in an interview with NPR, “I just saw him as a visionary person who knew the group that he put together represented a lot of society." This decision and its reasoning would have sparked a plethora of online discussions.
Sly and The Family Stone's Innovative Production
(I.E. Slap Bass and Drum Machine on 'There’s a Riot Goin On')
Sly’s seminal album with his band was a musical reflection of a moment in time marked by innovation. His bassist, Larry Graham (Drake’s uncle), invented the technique of slap bass on its recordings. The crew even foreshadowed future hip-hop techniques by using drum-machine sounds that producers like J Dilla would further innovate. The timelessness of the record lies in these choices. It simultaneously sounded like the present and the future. The video analysis of this level of musicianship would’ve been unending.
