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Thank You
One of the few indisputable geniuses of pop music, Sly Stone is a trailblazer and a legend. He created a new kind of music, mixing Black and white, male and female, funk and rock. As a songwriter, he penned some of the most iconic anthems of the 1960s and ’70s, from “Everyday People” to “Family Affair.” As a performer, he electrified audiences with a persona and stage presence that set a lasting standard for pop-culture performance.
Yet his life has also been a cautionary tale, known as much for how he dropped out of the spotlight as for what put him there in the first place. People know the music, but the man remains a mystery. In Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) , his much-anticipated memoir, he’s finally ready to share his story―a story that many thought he’d never have the chance to tell.
Written with Ben Greenman, who has written memoirs with George Clinton and Brian Wilson, among others, and created in collaboration with Sly Stone’s manager, Arlene Hirschkowitz, Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) includes a foreword by Questlove.
Yet his life has also been a cautionary tale, known as much for how he dropped out of the spotlight as for what put him there in the first place. People know the music, but the man remains a mystery. In Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) , his much-anticipated memoir, he’s finally ready to share his story―a story that many thought he’d never have the chance to tell.
Written with Ben Greenman, who has written memoirs with George Clinton and Brian Wilson, among others, and created in collaboration with Sly Stone’s manager, Arlene Hirschkowitz, Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) includes a foreword by Questlove.
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First published October 17, 2023
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About the author
Sly Stone
6 books21 followersSylvester Stewart, better known by his stage name Sly Stone, was an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He was the frontman of Sly and the Family Stone, playing a critical role in the development of funk with his pioneering fusion of soul, rock, psychedelia, and gospel in the 1960s and 1970s. AllMusic stated that " James Brown may have invented funk, but Sly Stone perfected it," and credited him with "creating a series of euphoric yet politically charged records that proved a massive influence on artists of all musical and cultural backgrounds". Crawdaddy! has credited him as the founder of the "progressive soul" movement.
Born in Denton, Texas, and raised in the Bay Area city of Vallejo in Northern California, Stone mastered several instruments at an early age and performed gospel music as a child with his siblings (and future bandmates) Freddie and Rose. In the mid-1960s, he worked as both a record producer for Autumn Records and a disc jockey for San Francisco radio station KDIA. In 1966, Stone and his brother Freddie joined their bands together to form Sly and the Family Stone, a racially integrated, mixed-gender act. The group would score hits including "Dance to the Music" (1968), "Everyday People" (1968), "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" (1969), "I Want to Take You Higher" (1969) "Family Affair" (1971) and "If You Want Me to Stay" (1973) and acclaimed albums including Stand! (1969), There's a Riot Goin' On (1971) and Fresh (1973).
By the mid-1970s, Stone's drug use and erratic behavior effectively ended the group, leaving him to record several unsuccessful solo albums. He toured or collaborated with artists such as Parliament-Funkadelic, Bobby Womack, and Jesse Johnson. In 1993, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the group. He took part in a Sly and the Family Stone tribute at the 2006 Grammy Awards, his first live performance since 1987. He released the autobiography Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) in 2023.
Born in Denton, Texas, and raised in the Bay Area city of Vallejo in Northern California, Stone mastered several instruments at an early age and performed gospel music as a child with his siblings (and future bandmates) Freddie and Rose. In the mid-1960s, he worked as both a record producer for Autumn Records and a disc jockey for San Francisco radio station KDIA. In 1966, Stone and his brother Freddie joined their bands together to form Sly and the Family Stone, a racially integrated, mixed-gender act. The group would score hits including "Dance to the Music" (1968), "Everyday People" (1968), "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" (1969), "I Want to Take You Higher" (1969) "Family Affair" (1971) and "If You Want Me to Stay" (1973) and acclaimed albums including Stand! (1969), There's a Riot Goin' On (1971) and Fresh (1973).
By the mid-1970s, Stone's drug use and erratic behavior effectively ended the group, leaving him to record several unsuccessful solo albums. He toured or collaborated with artists such as Parliament-Funkadelic, Bobby Womack, and Jesse Johnson. In 1993, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the group. He took part in a Sly and the Family Stone tribute at the 2006 Grammy Awards, his first live performance since 1987. He released the autobiography Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) in 2023.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 259 reviews
January 28, 2024
Top 3 Favorite Sly Stone Songs
1. Everyday People
2. Family Affair
3. Thank You ( Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again)
I grew up hearing Sly and the Family Stone songs. Most Black people did. Sly Stone is cookout music. I've never really thought about the songs or him. I didn't know anything about him and I didn't even know if I knew what he looked like. I don't intentionally listen to his music but if his songs come on the radio I sing along.
Sly Stone probably doesn't get the credit he deserves for changing Black music and really Pop music overall. When Sly started making music the popular R&B sound was Doo Wop and Motown. Sly Stone made what would go on to thought of as "Psychedelic Soul". Sly Stone is a Black Hippie. He's a very weird guy.
I think Sly was probably a little too honest in this memoir. I like some honesty but Sly really doesn't care if we like him. He just tells his story in a very conversational manner. He doesn't try the smooth the edges around his story. He also doesn't try to build the world around him. I almost never knew what year anything was taking place. He would introduce people like we should already know who these people were. Despite his big age and rather worldly life he has a very simplistic worldview that sounds more like how an 11 year old would view the world.
I can't really recommend this book to anyone who isn't a fan of Sly Stone. I don't think casual fans or non-fans would get much out of it.
1. Everyday People
2. Family Affair
3. Thank You ( Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again)
I grew up hearing Sly and the Family Stone songs. Most Black people did. Sly Stone is cookout music. I've never really thought about the songs or him. I didn't know anything about him and I didn't even know if I knew what he looked like. I don't intentionally listen to his music but if his songs come on the radio I sing along.
Sly Stone probably doesn't get the credit he deserves for changing Black music and really Pop music overall. When Sly started making music the popular R&B sound was Doo Wop and Motown. Sly Stone made what would go on to thought of as "Psychedelic Soul". Sly Stone is a Black Hippie. He's a very weird guy.
I think Sly was probably a little too honest in this memoir. I like some honesty but Sly really doesn't care if we like him. He just tells his story in a very conversational manner. He doesn't try the smooth the edges around his story. He also doesn't try to build the world around him. I almost never knew what year anything was taking place. He would introduce people like we should already know who these people were. Despite his big age and rather worldly life he has a very simplistic worldview that sounds more like how an 11 year old would view the world.
I can't really recommend this book to anyone who isn't a fan of Sly Stone. I don't think casual fans or non-fans would get much out of it.
April 23, 2024
I’d round up. 3.5 stars.
I love his music, but expected the memoir to be more exciting.
The beginning was great, as I got lost in his stories about the 60’s, music festivals, hanging with other musicians… Fun stuff. Then the second half was really full of rambling, to be quite honest.
Spoiler alert turned on here because he said he could have made Snoop’s music better. LOLOLOLOL!!!
I enjoyed Questlove’s intro and found the musical transitions in this audiobook quite fun!
I love his music, but expected the memoir to be more exciting.
The beginning was great, as I got lost in his stories about the 60’s, music festivals, hanging with other musicians… Fun stuff. Then the second half was really full of rambling, to be quite honest.
Spoiler alert turned on here because he said he could have made Snoop’s music better. LOLOLOLOL!!!
I enjoyed Questlove’s intro and found the musical transitions in this audiobook quite fun!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 25, 2023
I love Sly Stone’s music and I had heard so many rumors about his drug use that I really wanted to read his memoir. It was really interesting—from Sly’s roots in gospel in Northern California to the huge hits in his prime to his incredible drug use to his rehabilitation and life in old age. It’s a cautionary tale by a survivor and a look at he music business and one of the most influential musicians of his era. The only negative is that his drug use clearly made it difficult to remember what happened at times. But read it—you’ll enjoy.
December 16, 2023
I will always treasure seeing Sly and the Family Stone live. I will always love their songs. But this book? Not so much. Sly rambles almost incoherently at times. The book is choppy, poorly written and at times downright silly.
Sly complained that journalists ‘got it wrong,’ thus his disdain for interviewing. (To the point of throwing a wet rag at a man interviewing him, for no apparent reason. ) if he thought telling his story himself would cast him in a better light, he is so wrong. I truly dislike him. His treatment of women was abhorrent. He wasn’t much better with his band mates and friends. I’ll go back to listening to his music and try to forget this book.
Sly complained that journalists ‘got it wrong,’ thus his disdain for interviewing. (To the point of throwing a wet rag at a man interviewing him, for no apparent reason. ) if he thought telling his story himself would cast him in a better light, he is so wrong. I truly dislike him. His treatment of women was abhorrent. He wasn’t much better with his band mates and friends. I’ll go back to listening to his music and try to forget this book.
September 9, 2023
There is a certain narcissism in every celebrity autobiography, but Sly Stone's is over the top even by celebrity biography standards. But who would expect less. The first part of the book, where he describes how he got started as a DJ and producer, and formed Sly & the Family Stone, was the most fascinating. Lots of anecdotes about gigs, other bands, Woodstock, and especially working on his groundbreaking music (I had his music playlist on repeat the entire time I was reading). Too much of the second half was about scoring drugs and getting laid, and generally acting like an asshole, over and over again. I suppose that was his life, or what he remembers of it, but it made that part of the book a boring read. Even so, I read this to learn more about Sly Stone and in that regard: mission accomplished. Strongly recommended for fans of Sly & the Family Stone.
Thank you to NetGalley and AUWA for an advanced reader copy.
Thank you to NetGalley and AUWA for an advanced reader copy.
November 20, 2023
This was an enjoyable exploration. I grew up enjoying the band’s music, but didn’t remember much about the man himself. So I had to read this. Interesting, funny, heartwarming and sad also. The celebrity stories were fun as well.
I always opt for the audiobook even if I’m reading along in the paper copy. You either get the treat of the author themselves narrating or you get some extras like music from musicians, which I tend to love. It enhances the reading experience. This was no exception. While I would have preferred to hear the hits played in the audio book, they chose unreleased music instead.
I definitely recommend for fans of Sly and the Family Stone as well as Funk music in general. I always feel like the music that came out of the 60’s and 70s was the best. So this was right up my alley.
I always opt for the audiobook even if I’m reading along in the paper copy. You either get the treat of the author themselves narrating or you get some extras like music from musicians, which I tend to love. It enhances the reading experience. This was no exception. While I would have preferred to hear the hits played in the audio book, they chose unreleased music instead.
I definitely recommend for fans of Sly and the Family Stone as well as Funk music in general. I always feel like the music that came out of the 60’s and 70s was the best. So this was right up my alley.
October 11, 2024
Thank you (Faletineme Be Mice Elf Agin) by Sly Stone - Quite a ride from the beginning of Sly and The Family Stone. Some piece were brutal ugly sad and shameful which I hope means it was honest. Lyrically written.
September 15, 2023
(early copy from NetGalley)
I was very excited to read this, but it's really just a thin chronology with only the most basic levels of insight and backstory, with his memory sharper based on the woman or women in his life at a given time, than his music, writing, or creative process. He confirms some legends and myths from earlier books and stories, denies others, and says he doesn't remember still others.
He doesn't shy away from drug talk, and speaks pretty bluntly about his use, but with a certain detachment, and rarely with any regret. He blames his spotty performance record on imperfect equipment, flawed handlers, and even phone calls he had to make or take during scheduled shows. It ends with no promise of more music, more performance, and seems to serve as a farewell, a disappointing finale after the last decade's hints and attempts at some type of return.
We still have that incredible catalog, though, and for that we must remain grateful.
I was very excited to read this, but it's really just a thin chronology with only the most basic levels of insight and backstory, with his memory sharper based on the woman or women in his life at a given time, than his music, writing, or creative process. He confirms some legends and myths from earlier books and stories, denies others, and says he doesn't remember still others.
He doesn't shy away from drug talk, and speaks pretty bluntly about his use, but with a certain detachment, and rarely with any regret. He blames his spotty performance record on imperfect equipment, flawed handlers, and even phone calls he had to make or take during scheduled shows. It ends with no promise of more music, more performance, and seems to serve as a farewell, a disappointing finale after the last decade's hints and attempts at some type of return.
We still have that incredible catalog, though, and for that we must remain grateful.
November 8, 2023
Huge Sly Stone and Sly and the Family Stone fan, from the second I heard You Caught Me Smilin’ to all the times I listened to A Whole New Thing front to back. That said, the chronological recalling of Sly’s beginnings up until his height of fame is a page turner as inspirations and details about every song, album, and performance are laid out. He describes these days as the band formed as well as his later years deep in the cycle of addiction with honesty, humor, and more importantly, with his original voice and point of view. That’s not to say his shortfalls don’t show through, they very much do, and you come to see that grandeur and ego bring fortune and fame and then spoil it away. This book is honest, thoughtful, and concise in the sharing of memories both good and bad. Waited for this day, and it didn’t disappoint. At all. In any way.
October 24, 2023
Being a fan of 1960’s music, I was really interested to read Sly Stone’s autobiography. I did enjoy learning about how he became a musician and the stories behind the big hits. It’s also nice that I can ask Alexa to play a song after I read about it as I did that for his lesser known singles.
After his success of the early hits like Dance to the Music, he got into money troubles and drugs, which seemed to linger throughout his life. He was jailed a few times for various issues and lost many properties including musical equipment due to the money issues.
After his success of the early hits like Dance to the Music, he got into money troubles and drugs, which seemed to linger throughout his life. He was jailed a few times for various issues and lost many properties including musical equipment due to the money issues.
September 1, 2023
Sylvester Sly Stone Stewart has turned 80. This is an amazing fact.
Sly Stone is, to borrow a line of Tony Wilson’s from the film “24 Hour Party People”, “the only bona fide genius” of the Bay Area music scene. His memoir is an exhilarating journey, full of great highs and scarifying depths, told with candor and humor, redemption and forgiveness.
Sly Stone is, to borrow a line of Tony Wilson’s from the film “24 Hour Party People”, “the only bona fide genius” of the Bay Area music scene. His memoir is an exhilarating journey, full of great highs and scarifying depths, told with candor and humor, redemption and forgiveness.
November 20, 2023
Bravo to Ben Greenman for untangling the complicated life of Sly Stone and molding it into a highly entertaining and readable memoir.
December 5, 2023
Sly Stone a true pioneer a trailblazer of Funk Rock whom electrified audiences as far wide as Woodstock to Isle of Wight by 1970 and inspired many to embody and bestowed the Genre known as Funk which transcended all race. Hailing from Denton Texas where Sly was born but was raised in San Francisco during the 60s is where he really developed his vision and ear working as a DJ on Fm radio KSOL. Enjoyable read for most part until eventually one can find nothing but sadness loss and turmoil during Sly drug induced phase which wanted me to be late for the show . Well different strokes for different folks as Sly pronounced before his reclusion . Well as Sly radio calling announcement during his first gig in entertainment in radio,
“Listen, all you cats and kitties sitting out there, whipping up and wailing, and jumping up and down and sucking up all that good juice and talking about who the greatest cat in the world is. Well, I want to put a cat on you that was the coolest, swingingest, grooviest cat that ever stomped this sweet, swinging sphere. And they called this here cat -- Sly Stone!
“Listen, all you cats and kitties sitting out there, whipping up and wailing, and jumping up and down and sucking up all that good juice and talking about who the greatest cat in the world is. Well, I want to put a cat on you that was the coolest, swingingest, grooviest cat that ever stomped this sweet, swinging sphere. And they called this here cat -- Sly Stone!
December 13, 2023
This is one of those memoirs that frustrate the hell out of me.
While it's fascinating to read about someone with prodigious talent and their climb to the top, it's also painful and irritating to watch the inevitable downfall because the prodigious talent is set aside for prodigious appetites for sex, drugs, and belief in your own press.
Is Sly talented? God, yes. I love those songs, those albums. And, throughout this book, you still see he's got an incredible gift for words and writing. He makes the wildest, most amazing verbal connections, and there's a wonderful rhythm to his narrative style.
And yet, once we get into the 1980s, it's disheartening to watch him make excuse after excuse, mistake after mistake, poor choice after poor choice, yet try to spin it as, well, that's just me being Sly.
I'm sure there's also a lot of far more uncomfortable truths that were left unspoken, or excised prior to publication.
It's fascinating to read about those with world-spanning talent. But it's awful to read about how the talent, the possibilities are squandered.
It's worth the read, for sure.
While it's fascinating to read about someone with prodigious talent and their climb to the top, it's also painful and irritating to watch the inevitable downfall because the prodigious talent is set aside for prodigious appetites for sex, drugs, and belief in your own press.
Is Sly talented? God, yes. I love those songs, those albums. And, throughout this book, you still see he's got an incredible gift for words and writing. He makes the wildest, most amazing verbal connections, and there's a wonderful rhythm to his narrative style.
And yet, once we get into the 1980s, it's disheartening to watch him make excuse after excuse, mistake after mistake, poor choice after poor choice, yet try to spin it as, well, that's just me being Sly.
I'm sure there's also a lot of far more uncomfortable truths that were left unspoken, or excised prior to publication.
It's fascinating to read about those with world-spanning talent. But it's awful to read about how the talent, the possibilities are squandered.
It's worth the read, for sure.
November 27, 2023
I've grown up listening to Sly and the Family Stone. I mean, like, some of the first music my baby ears heard was Sly's. So this book was a no-brainer for me!
While Sly does have a ghostwriter (not exactly secret, he's credited on the book), you definitely hear Sly's voice in the writing. It's very poetic, rythmic... very purposeful writing.
I was really impressed with how well Sly goes back through time, beginning with his parents first meeting, his childhood, how he started playing music and singing, etc. I mean, all the way up through current day, his memory for things is pretty sharp. (I'm impressed because he's the same age as my own parents--at the time of writing, he's 80 years old.) Again, he likely got help. But my point is that HE is telling his own story, and he's telling it well. He goes into all the good times and the bad. I genuinely feel that he left little out.
And if there was ever any doubt in my mind about my love and respect for Sly Stone, it was completely wiped away by the end of the book! I feel like this is a must-read for anyone who enjoyed 70s music!
While Sly does have a ghostwriter (not exactly secret, he's credited on the book), you definitely hear Sly's voice in the writing. It's very poetic, rythmic... very purposeful writing.
I was really impressed with how well Sly goes back through time, beginning with his parents first meeting, his childhood, how he started playing music and singing, etc. I mean, all the way up through current day, his memory for things is pretty sharp. (I'm impressed because he's the same age as my own parents--at the time of writing, he's 80 years old.) Again, he likely got help. But my point is that HE is telling his own story, and he's telling it well. He goes into all the good times and the bad. I genuinely feel that he left little out.
And if there was ever any doubt in my mind about my love and respect for Sly Stone, it was completely wiped away by the end of the book! I feel like this is a must-read for anyone who enjoyed 70s music!
January 27, 2024
I think Sly Stone is a musical genius, so I gave this book a try. I did the audiobook and Sly Stone narrates. However, I was hoping for more information on how the music was made but got lots of anecdotes about doing drugs, and all of the women in Sly Stone's life. The first part was more interesting giving insight into his upbringing and early interest in music. The latter part seemed to be where his ego really took over. His treatment of many women was horrendous, and his drug use burned a lot of bridges. It seems like he is in a better place now. I will admit that I was ready for this book to be over about 75% of the way through. If you do the audiobook, there are some nice musical interludes.
November 14, 2023
Great musician
Sly is a great musician. He is not a likeable person. At least he wasn't by the time I got halfway through. I couldn't finish the book. I disliked him too much and didn't want to stop liking his music. So I stopped reading.
Sly is a great musician. He is not a likeable person. At least he wasn't by the time I got halfway through. I couldn't finish the book. I disliked him too much and didn't want to stop liking his music. So I stopped reading.
December 25, 2024
A great book about an astounding musician. Sly Stones work through the years is some of the greatest soul and funk albums to be created. I only wish he went more into how the albums were made.
October 10, 2024
I have my ticket stub to when I saw the family stone at Ritchie Coliseum. It cost me $2.75. When Sly came out it was a real change. The artists that have been influenced by him are numerous,Prince, Maxwell, NormanWhitfield, EWF and on and on. This is a must read for hard-core Sly fans. It’s un flinching in that he admits to all the problems that he caused in his rise and fall from fame. From doo-wop, to DJ, to icon. His was the first self-contained band and they were the first band to wear all individual outfits, no sequined suits, etc..In the R and B genre. No more love,spoon June lyrics etc. I read it slow because I was enjoying it so much and I didn’t want it to end. Now I’m going back to listen to some more Sly!
May 3, 2024
sly's book delivered! it has all the hallmarks of a great 70s rock memoir - drugs, women, insane amounts of money, fancy cars, woodstock, a pet monkey, and touring the world. ben greenman does a fantastic job capturing sly's voice, and the book is chock full of rhymes, wordplay, and 70s slang. sly discusses his drug addiction at length, and it reminded me a lot of juicy j's book. the life of a touring musician (especially in sly's heyday) isn't an easy one, and many of these guys turn to drugs.
all in all, it was a fun and interesting read, and i left with a renewed appreciation for the family stone.
all in all, it was a fun and interesting read, and i left with a renewed appreciation for the family stone.
June 8, 2024
It's great to finally hear Sly's version of events, and you know what? They make sense. Sure, drugs and other things fucked him up, along with the ups and downs of being in a successful band, and his schedule made it difficult to keep going, night after night after night. The same story with a thousand bands. But this helps to personalize things, as Sly's not exactly a media whore, so here we are with this autobiography, told in his own voice. I understand more than I did previously. And Sly's just fine by me.
June 9, 2025
I really surprised myself by rating this 3 stars. I came very close to DNF because the book is written so poorly. I decided to keep reading because it is written - I'm not exaggerating - at the level of a children's chapter book and thus an extremely quick read.
I was pretty much hate reading for most of the book and then my perception shifted. By the time I got to the last page, where the 81 year old Sly is talking about what tv shows he likes to watch and how he gets his family's attention by banging his back scratcher on the coffee table(He has COPD from years of smoking crack and angel dust), I was strangely...charmed? Not sure if that's the best word choice. He's your cranky grandpa telling you to shut up and go outside to play but grab him a beer first. I understand how his kids and friends are mad at him but also love him and still care about him, even with all his foolishness over the years. He's not an easy person to have in your life.
It's an extremely honest book, more so than most celeb memoirs I have read. Sly did not want to participate in this book but because he needed the money, he begrudgingly acquiesced. This baseline irritation of his, of having to rehash the past, ended up being refreshing. He has zero fucks to give. He doesn't care if you like him or if this book will help his career. He doesn't care if he is getting the story right or if he is giving enough details. He badmouths people with impunity. He barely describes major events in his life - Woodstock warrants 2 short paragraphs - and then spends pages transcribing old talk shows he was on because Jesus H Christ, a man has tv shows he wants to watch but he's being forced to write this dumb memoir so let's fill up a bunch of pages detailing a Mike Douglas episode from the early 1970s. Another good way to fill up pages is by summarizing old magazine articles and giving his opinion on them. You have to hand it to him, how he worked around having to do this project. Another page filler is going through all of his albums and critiquing every damn song. Every song. Not just the hits.
It was 1970 on the screen but 2020 in the room. I was watching the interview back, not for the first time. Of course I watched old interviews. Who wouldn't? When there's a record kept, play it. Time moves forward and also stays where it was. Two different times at the same time.
We wandered off to try to find some food. All we could locate was a table of sandwiches but they were already spoiled.You could see the meat walking. I don't remember how I left, maybe the same way I came in, but I wasn't there to see Jimi close the festival. One of his two brief paragraphs about Woodstock.
Sly has huge chunks of missing memory. Like astoundingly poor. He is the poster child of why you shouldn't do hard drugs. It was sad, how much has been lost to the ravages of his drug use. I also started wondering if he has dementia? I recently read Barbra Streisand's memoir and boy, talk about the polar opposite of Sly!!! She is the same age, a few months older, so I kept comparing and contrasting her life with Sly's. She has obsessively kept journals her whole life and recalled EVERYTHING (hence her memoir being a thousand pages). It's like she couldn't shut up and Sly wouldn't open his mouth. She did pretty much everything right careerwise which is why she now has a net worth of $400 million and Sly is broke(per the internet a net worth of $150,000 which isn't nothing but for a celeb with the hits he had it is nothing. At one point in the book he mentioned the address of one house in Bel Air he bought and then later lost to the IRS. I googled the address. The house has been torn down but you can buy the lot for 28 million. Oh Sly, if you hadn't become a drug addict you would have had a smooth life as a super rich guy) Barbra never doing drugs and rarely drinking vs. Sly smoking crack since before it was crack and still called freebasing. I think that is the key to their difference, the drug use. It's sad, thinking about how great his life could have been with different choices. All the music he never made because he was busy chasing the rock to smoke. Tragic.
Drugs were accelerating by that point. I didn't even have to buy them. People gave me powder or pills because I was famous or they wanted my approval or they were trying to establish a relationship on that basis. It would have been rude to refuse. I had a violin case filled with cocaine that I would carry around town with me. That's a lot of blow, filling up a violin case.
Drugs came in. There were reasons. There was a culture and there was a mindset, but there were also demands. I was trying to write, trying to play, trying to record. All of that needed to be fueled. But how did that fuel make me feel? A drug is a substance and so the question has substance. A drug can be a temporary escape and so I will Drugs came in. There were reasons. There was a culture and there was a mindset, but there were also demands. I was trying to write, trying to play, trying to record. All of that needed to be fueled. But how did that fuel make me feel? A drug is a substance and so the question has substance. A drug can be a temporary escape and so I will temporarily escape that question.
I also had a baboon named Erfy, meaning earthy. I forget where I got him. Baboon store? Erfy used to tease Gun and then, just as Gun's temper was spilling over, leap away, higher than a pool table. One day Erfy jumped away too slowly. Gun lunged and got a baboon foot in his law and then more than that. He didn't just catch Erfy. He killed him. And he didn't just kill him. He forced him to have sex after he was dead. I didn't see it myself but I heard about it from everyone. Oh my. I feel like this story is a good snapshot of what his life was like freebasing in a BelAir mansion.
Sly was an awful friend, an awful bandmate, an awful husband, an awful father, an awful pet owner, an awful tenant, an awful neighbor - a never ending tale of shittiness. I think underneath the drugs Sly was a good guy but the drugs created a monster. Sure, it was also the era of casual sexism and bad parenting, but Sly doubled down and was worse than the average guy. I got an undercurrent of deep sadness from him, not that he is remotely self aware or insightful about his sadness or the reasons why. He is the epitome of a closed book. He would be a difficult person to have in your life.
Some people said I didn't have any clocks in the house, and while I can neither confirm nor deny that, it sounds right.A minor thing but is a good detail showing how crazy his life was.
I completely agree with the one star reviews on Goodreads yet I went with the three stars because he does have some batshit crazy stories worth hearing and the book is the best anti-drug message I've ever read. Sly accepts nearly zero responsibility for the way his life played out. Blames everyone but himself. Classic addict. I did end up being glad I read it but I wouldn't call it an enjoyable read. Worth checking out if you keep these caveats in mind.
A small taste of some of the great comments he made about other well known people.
Arlene wasn't the only one who felt her skin crawl around him. He made everything crawl. He made people want to sleep with one eye open. He was bad vibes all the way down. Even so I partied with him. He had connections I could use. about Ike Turner.
Michael(Jackson) was respectful, always that way and extremely so, to the point where I would sometimes wonder if he was for real. I wanted to know about his shit. And we now know that creepy soft spoken act was an act. Ugh.
I worked for a few days on songs for Diana but the vocal arrangements didn't fit with the sound she had in mind. I don't remember exactly why but I do remember that she was musty. I think she had been napping and someone woke her up to sing. About musty Diana Ross. HAHAHA. Snap!
I used the phone there to call Huey. "Bring Dawn's clothes over here," I said. He started explaining but I cut him off. "You can't have this one," I said. "She's mine." About Huey Newton and some other Black Panthers trying to forcibly impregnate women for 'the race' so they kidnapped Sly's girlfriend/drug buddy and took her clothes so she couldn't escape and she jumped out a window with only a towel around her.
I was on Grace to smoke some crack. She got royal about it. "No, thank you," she said in her slippery Grace Jones accent. I kept making the case. Eventually she came around. "'ll try it," she said. "I don't like it," she said. I couldn't believe it. Who did it once and stopped? I'm sure she is thrilled about him telling this story lol.
I wish that some of the rappers would have called me: Snoop, Mystikal, Ludacris. I could have made their music better Haha!
I heard a song from a new Bob Dylan album. He sounded drunk. Someone asked me if it was the kind of thing that I would have thought he would have made when I first heard him sixty years ago. I said it sounded like it was made sixty years ago.Hahaha. Sly tellin' it like it is!
Bill Cosby sat on a couch off to the side, a red couch, leaning back like a little king, shirt off and girls rubbing lotion on his chest. They seemed like they were doing it because they wanted to. But there was a feeling around him, a sideways vibe. Otherwise, he was just all right, cool enough but not with a capital C.
Once I went to a girl's apartment. At some point in the evening, she told me that she had a film of herself and Jimi(Hendrix) having sex. "Let me see," I said. I didn't want to see the movie. I just wanted to get eyes on it to make sure it was what she said it was. It was. When I left, I took it with me. I figured that Jimi didn't know about it and I didn't think it was right to have it out there in the world like that, where it could appear suddenly and do him harm. I gave it to someone who wasn't in the business, who I knew would never do anything with it other than throw it away.
His name was Charlie Manson. I crossed paths with him a few times. Sometimes he would give an opinion and l'd give the opposite and we'd have a little disagreement. They weren't even about songs. They were about nothing. Turn the lights brighter or darker. Open or close a door. Whichever way I went, he'd go the other way. Spooky! About meeting Manson at the house on Cielo Drive where the murders later happened.
The details in the stories people tell shift over time, in their minds and in mine, in part or in whole, each time they're told. That's what makes them stories. Telling stories about the past, about the way your life crosses into the lives of those around you, is what people do, what they have always done. Those people aren't trying to hurt you. They're trying to set the record straight. But a record's not straight, especially when you're not. It's a circle with a spiral inside it. Every time a story is told it's a test of memory and motive. Telling stories isn't right and it isn't wrong. It isn't evil but it isn't good. It's the name of the game but a shame just the same.
I was pretty much hate reading for most of the book and then my perception shifted. By the time I got to the last page, where the 81 year old Sly is talking about what tv shows he likes to watch and how he gets his family's attention by banging his back scratcher on the coffee table(He has COPD from years of smoking crack and angel dust), I was strangely...charmed? Not sure if that's the best word choice. He's your cranky grandpa telling you to shut up and go outside to play but grab him a beer first. I understand how his kids and friends are mad at him but also love him and still care about him, even with all his foolishness over the years. He's not an easy person to have in your life.
It's an extremely honest book, more so than most celeb memoirs I have read. Sly did not want to participate in this book but because he needed the money, he begrudgingly acquiesced. This baseline irritation of his, of having to rehash the past, ended up being refreshing. He has zero fucks to give. He doesn't care if you like him or if this book will help his career. He doesn't care if he is getting the story right or if he is giving enough details. He badmouths people with impunity. He barely describes major events in his life - Woodstock warrants 2 short paragraphs - and then spends pages transcribing old talk shows he was on because Jesus H Christ, a man has tv shows he wants to watch but he's being forced to write this dumb memoir so let's fill up a bunch of pages detailing a Mike Douglas episode from the early 1970s. Another good way to fill up pages is by summarizing old magazine articles and giving his opinion on them. You have to hand it to him, how he worked around having to do this project. Another page filler is going through all of his albums and critiquing every damn song. Every song. Not just the hits.
It was 1970 on the screen but 2020 in the room. I was watching the interview back, not for the first time. Of course I watched old interviews. Who wouldn't? When there's a record kept, play it. Time moves forward and also stays where it was. Two different times at the same time.
We wandered off to try to find some food. All we could locate was a table of sandwiches but they were already spoiled.You could see the meat walking. I don't remember how I left, maybe the same way I came in, but I wasn't there to see Jimi close the festival. One of his two brief paragraphs about Woodstock.
Sly has huge chunks of missing memory. Like astoundingly poor. He is the poster child of why you shouldn't do hard drugs. It was sad, how much has been lost to the ravages of his drug use. I also started wondering if he has dementia? I recently read Barbra Streisand's memoir and boy, talk about the polar opposite of Sly!!! She is the same age, a few months older, so I kept comparing and contrasting her life with Sly's. She has obsessively kept journals her whole life and recalled EVERYTHING (hence her memoir being a thousand pages). It's like she couldn't shut up and Sly wouldn't open his mouth. She did pretty much everything right careerwise which is why she now has a net worth of $400 million and Sly is broke(per the internet a net worth of $150,000 which isn't nothing but for a celeb with the hits he had it is nothing. At one point in the book he mentioned the address of one house in Bel Air he bought and then later lost to the IRS. I googled the address. The house has been torn down but you can buy the lot for 28 million. Oh Sly, if you hadn't become a drug addict you would have had a smooth life as a super rich guy) Barbra never doing drugs and rarely drinking vs. Sly smoking crack since before it was crack and still called freebasing. I think that is the key to their difference, the drug use. It's sad, thinking about how great his life could have been with different choices. All the music he never made because he was busy chasing the rock to smoke. Tragic.
Drugs were accelerating by that point. I didn't even have to buy them. People gave me powder or pills because I was famous or they wanted my approval or they were trying to establish a relationship on that basis. It would have been rude to refuse. I had a violin case filled with cocaine that I would carry around town with me. That's a lot of blow, filling up a violin case.
Drugs came in. There were reasons. There was a culture and there was a mindset, but there were also demands. I was trying to write, trying to play, trying to record. All of that needed to be fueled. But how did that fuel make me feel? A drug is a substance and so the question has substance. A drug can be a temporary escape and so I will Drugs came in. There were reasons. There was a culture and there was a mindset, but there were also demands. I was trying to write, trying to play, trying to record. All of that needed to be fueled. But how did that fuel make me feel? A drug is a substance and so the question has substance. A drug can be a temporary escape and so I will temporarily escape that question.
I also had a baboon named Erfy, meaning earthy. I forget where I got him. Baboon store? Erfy used to tease Gun and then, just as Gun's temper was spilling over, leap away, higher than a pool table. One day Erfy jumped away too slowly. Gun lunged and got a baboon foot in his law and then more than that. He didn't just catch Erfy. He killed him. And he didn't just kill him. He forced him to have sex after he was dead. I didn't see it myself but I heard about it from everyone. Oh my. I feel like this story is a good snapshot of what his life was like freebasing in a BelAir mansion.
Sly was an awful friend, an awful bandmate, an awful husband, an awful father, an awful pet owner, an awful tenant, an awful neighbor - a never ending tale of shittiness. I think underneath the drugs Sly was a good guy but the drugs created a monster. Sure, it was also the era of casual sexism and bad parenting, but Sly doubled down and was worse than the average guy. I got an undercurrent of deep sadness from him, not that he is remotely self aware or insightful about his sadness or the reasons why. He is the epitome of a closed book. He would be a difficult person to have in your life.
Some people said I didn't have any clocks in the house, and while I can neither confirm nor deny that, it sounds right.A minor thing but is a good detail showing how crazy his life was.
I completely agree with the one star reviews on Goodreads yet I went with the three stars because he does have some batshit crazy stories worth hearing and the book is the best anti-drug message I've ever read. Sly accepts nearly zero responsibility for the way his life played out. Blames everyone but himself. Classic addict. I did end up being glad I read it but I wouldn't call it an enjoyable read. Worth checking out if you keep these caveats in mind.
A small taste of some of the great comments he made about other well known people.
Arlene wasn't the only one who felt her skin crawl around him. He made everything crawl. He made people want to sleep with one eye open. He was bad vibes all the way down. Even so I partied with him. He had connections I could use. about Ike Turner.
Michael(Jackson) was respectful, always that way and extremely so, to the point where I would sometimes wonder if he was for real. I wanted to know about his shit. And we now know that creepy soft spoken act was an act. Ugh.
I worked for a few days on songs for Diana but the vocal arrangements didn't fit with the sound she had in mind. I don't remember exactly why but I do remember that she was musty. I think she had been napping and someone woke her up to sing. About musty Diana Ross. HAHAHA. Snap!
I used the phone there to call Huey. "Bring Dawn's clothes over here," I said. He started explaining but I cut him off. "You can't have this one," I said. "She's mine." About Huey Newton and some other Black Panthers trying to forcibly impregnate women for 'the race' so they kidnapped Sly's girlfriend/drug buddy and took her clothes so she couldn't escape and she jumped out a window with only a towel around her.
I was on Grace to smoke some crack. She got royal about it. "No, thank you," she said in her slippery Grace Jones accent. I kept making the case. Eventually she came around. "'ll try it," she said. "I don't like it," she said. I couldn't believe it. Who did it once and stopped? I'm sure she is thrilled about him telling this story lol.
I wish that some of the rappers would have called me: Snoop, Mystikal, Ludacris. I could have made their music better Haha!
I heard a song from a new Bob Dylan album. He sounded drunk. Someone asked me if it was the kind of thing that I would have thought he would have made when I first heard him sixty years ago. I said it sounded like it was made sixty years ago.Hahaha. Sly tellin' it like it is!
Bill Cosby sat on a couch off to the side, a red couch, leaning back like a little king, shirt off and girls rubbing lotion on his chest. They seemed like they were doing it because they wanted to. But there was a feeling around him, a sideways vibe. Otherwise, he was just all right, cool enough but not with a capital C.
Once I went to a girl's apartment. At some point in the evening, she told me that she had a film of herself and Jimi(Hendrix) having sex. "Let me see," I said. I didn't want to see the movie. I just wanted to get eyes on it to make sure it was what she said it was. It was. When I left, I took it with me. I figured that Jimi didn't know about it and I didn't think it was right to have it out there in the world like that, where it could appear suddenly and do him harm. I gave it to someone who wasn't in the business, who I knew would never do anything with it other than throw it away.
His name was Charlie Manson. I crossed paths with him a few times. Sometimes he would give an opinion and l'd give the opposite and we'd have a little disagreement. They weren't even about songs. They were about nothing. Turn the lights brighter or darker. Open or close a door. Whichever way I went, he'd go the other way. Spooky! About meeting Manson at the house on Cielo Drive where the murders later happened.
The details in the stories people tell shift over time, in their minds and in mine, in part or in whole, each time they're told. That's what makes them stories. Telling stories about the past, about the way your life crosses into the lives of those around you, is what people do, what they have always done. Those people aren't trying to hurt you. They're trying to set the record straight. But a record's not straight, especially when you're not. It's a circle with a spiral inside it. Every time a story is told it's a test of memory and motive. Telling stories isn't right and it isn't wrong. It isn't evil but it isn't good. It's the name of the game but a shame just the same.
February 22, 2024
I love this in-depth story about Sly Stone: Thank You (Faletttinme Be Mice Elf Agin). He tells the whole truth and nothing but the truth in his electric 2023 musician memoir, co-written by Sly with Ben Greenman.
During my entire professional radio career I played Sly's music: the hits, the heavies, and the near misses. Mr. Stewart's word-driven, song-laden, narrative timeline is accurate and all-encompassing as he tells the Sly story.
The book is long. It's almost 300 pages before you get to the selected discography and other back of the manuscript matter.
Who is Sylvester Stewart, the architect of the hit making Sly & The Family Stone machinery?
Sly enters the world of Denton, Texas in 1943. He says "a little while after I was born, we moved out to California." He and family settled in Vallejo, a port city that was the home of the first naval shipyard on the west coast.
Soon there were seven members in the family unit. Sly recalls that music was front and center as the eighth sibling of the clan.
Sly became a jack of all instrument trades playing piano, keyboards, bass, guitar and other melody maker devices, joined by his eventual Family Stone brother Freddie (on guitar).
The whole family rejoiced together singing gospel songs at home and at church. They bonded through the chorus of praise.
After high school, a strong music theory teacher at Vallejo Junior College was a big influence. Sly credits instructor David Froehlich for helping him "recognize chords, scales, intervals, and rhythms."
He says he "learned how to learn," crediting Froehlich for his appreciation for "music as a language."
We learn how Mr. Stewart acquired the nickname "Sly." Not how you might think! Before jumping into music full-time, the medium of radio knocked as a possible opportunity.
If you want a broadcasting job, you have to be aggressive. Our hero explains how he got his first radio gig at KSOL San Francisco after completing training at the Chris Borden School of Modern Radio Technique.
Singing and Playing Simple Songs
Progressive forward thinking creative people at Black radio stations always open up the song airwaves to multi-cultural artists. KSOL was a Black station. Sly took some heat in 1964 for including "Beatles, Stones, Bob Dylan, and Mose Allison" in his on-air playlist.
This era was the heyday of the three minute or less hit song. Stations could jam in more ads by playing short records so artists created those records! Sly emphasizes his philosophy of writing short tunes throughout the book.
Even in the radio studio, Sly was never far from a musical instrument.
Styling the thank you words
If you've ever watched a Sly Stone talk show interview, you may have noticed his innate ability for non sequiturs. The Random House Dictionary defines them as "an inference or a conclusion that does not follow from the premises."
So when Sly says "arrest records were my new records" or "I didn't really keep score except when it came to scoring" (talking about good and bad days), you know this is authentic and this is the real Sly.
The book uses this technique to move the story along. Another of his gems: "if I wasn't straight, I didn't have much interest in being straightforward."
Producing hits
While still at KSOL, Sly shares anecdotes about early success producing hits for Bobby Freeman "C'mon and Swim," and both "Laugh Laugh" and "Just a Little" by the Beau Brummels.
Sly Stone shares ideas and interacts with a who's who of performers, stars, and musicians. He has a lot of interaction with Bobby Womack, Billy Preston, George Clinton, and others.
George 'Mr. P. Funk' Clinton is at the center of a famous story related by Sly. If you've watched the documentary "Tear the Roof Off: The Untold Story of Parliament Funkadelic," this birthday suit story is shown in the film and recalled by Sly's summary in the book.
Sports, Cars, and Everyday People
Sly loves boxing and collectable cars. He talks fondly about interactions with Muhammad Ali. He lustfully describes his army of personal automobiles. Everything is on the table during his story.
Mr. Stewart wanted an everyday people concept for his band Sly & the Family Stone. "White and Black together, male and female both, and women not just singing but playing instruments."
It's 1967. Sly was missing shifts at KSOL. He hops across The San Francisco Bay to Oakland's KDIA. The interracial Sly & The Family Stone drop "A Whole New Thing" into the marketplace while Sly is still at KSOL.
This collection of songs showed some promise but received mixed reviews. By the time "Dance to the Music" is released, the legend of Sly as a saint, sinner, and performer takes off.
I've written about seeing Sly & the Family Stone live at both The Apollo Theater and at Bill Graham's Fillmore East during the same short period in NYC. Sly touches on this dynamic in "Thank You..."
At these two shows I sensed the tension in the Black audience uptown, and the welcoming embrace of the white audience downtown.
Let's face it. Sly & the Family Stone were not the Temptations wearing matching suits. When "A Whole New Thing" was released by the Epic record label, Sly describes the Family Stone band outfits as "eclectic."
Sly recalls label chief Clive Davis asking "if I thought that our fashion might distract people from the music." Sly said no, continuing "it was fashion but it was also a feeling" responding to Davis.
These songs took off in 1968 and 1969:
"Dance To The Music"
"Everyday People"
"Sing a Simple Song"
"Stand"
"I Want To Take You Higher"
"Hot Fun In The Summertime"
"Life And Death in G & A" (Georgia and Alabama) by Abaco Dream
Sly & The Family Stone, number one records:
* "Everyday People," (1969)
* "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mic Elf Agin)" (1970)
* "Family Affair" (1971)
Between all of the girl friends, marriage, children, talk show appearances, problems with promoters, gun culture, drugs, and dogs, Sly details the progression of his music year by year alongside his personal and professional challenges.
Each book chapter summarizes a couple of years through his timeline.
There are so many behind the scene stories that this element makes Thank You (Faletttinme Be Mice Elf Agin) a book you won't want to put down.
Sly discusses all of his album covers and why specific art was used.
You'll discover what really happened between Sly and Larry Graham, his bassist who left and went on to score Graham Central Station music fame.
Sly gets into expressing how hip-hop artists have sampled his music. He likes this and thinks that sampling their music in his tracks might be wonderful to try out!
He says "working on music settles his mind." There are unsettling stories within the prose about his experiences with the drug culture that I don't need to detail. Read the book to learn more.
There's also a nice explanation about the "no show" reputation he was branded with and the justification he offers for why he missed so many concerts.
Sly made his reputation with the Family Stone performing at some of the biggest shows: Woodstock, Isle of Wight, Summer of Soul (The Harlem Cultural Festival), and others.
In the later years new musicians would come and go passing through the Family Stone circle of players.
There's a good story about the original group's induction into the Rock Hall of Fame. We learn what was said, and who was there.
Sly talks candidly about superstars Michael Jackson, Prince, and James Brown. He knew them all and has lots to say about them.
Mr. Stewart shares his practice to use cameras and microphones to keep tabs on the pulse of the action inside of his home front. He is a tech guy.
I give him credit for moving smoothly from the analog world into the digital age. His music production benefited.
He got interested in using computers. He mentions the digital audio editor Pro Tools that was used to lay down tracks.
Sylvester says his Alexa smart speaker "let's me request any song I want."
As Sly now navigates through his eighties, I'm happy that this book was finally written. It's his story in his words. This is how he did it. Black history.
Sly says he loves to read 'how to' books. Here is his. There's much more that I haven't touched on. Now it's your turn to discover more!
I got the hardcover and thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Back in the day, Sly was and still is one of my favorite all time artists.
During my entire professional radio career I played Sly's music: the hits, the heavies, and the near misses. Mr. Stewart's word-driven, song-laden, narrative timeline is accurate and all-encompassing as he tells the Sly story.
The book is long. It's almost 300 pages before you get to the selected discography and other back of the manuscript matter.
Who is Sylvester Stewart, the architect of the hit making Sly & The Family Stone machinery?
Sly enters the world of Denton, Texas in 1943. He says "a little while after I was born, we moved out to California." He and family settled in Vallejo, a port city that was the home of the first naval shipyard on the west coast.
Soon there were seven members in the family unit. Sly recalls that music was front and center as the eighth sibling of the clan.
Sly became a jack of all instrument trades playing piano, keyboards, bass, guitar and other melody maker devices, joined by his eventual Family Stone brother Freddie (on guitar).
The whole family rejoiced together singing gospel songs at home and at church. They bonded through the chorus of praise.
After high school, a strong music theory teacher at Vallejo Junior College was a big influence. Sly credits instructor David Froehlich for helping him "recognize chords, scales, intervals, and rhythms."
He says he "learned how to learn," crediting Froehlich for his appreciation for "music as a language."
We learn how Mr. Stewart acquired the nickname "Sly." Not how you might think! Before jumping into music full-time, the medium of radio knocked as a possible opportunity.
If you want a broadcasting job, you have to be aggressive. Our hero explains how he got his first radio gig at KSOL San Francisco after completing training at the Chris Borden School of Modern Radio Technique.
Singing and Playing Simple Songs
Progressive forward thinking creative people at Black radio stations always open up the song airwaves to multi-cultural artists. KSOL was a Black station. Sly took some heat in 1964 for including "Beatles, Stones, Bob Dylan, and Mose Allison" in his on-air playlist.
This era was the heyday of the three minute or less hit song. Stations could jam in more ads by playing short records so artists created those records! Sly emphasizes his philosophy of writing short tunes throughout the book.
Even in the radio studio, Sly was never far from a musical instrument.
Styling the thank you words
If you've ever watched a Sly Stone talk show interview, you may have noticed his innate ability for non sequiturs. The Random House Dictionary defines them as "an inference or a conclusion that does not follow from the premises."
So when Sly says "arrest records were my new records" or "I didn't really keep score except when it came to scoring" (talking about good and bad days), you know this is authentic and this is the real Sly.
The book uses this technique to move the story along. Another of his gems: "if I wasn't straight, I didn't have much interest in being straightforward."
Producing hits
While still at KSOL, Sly shares anecdotes about early success producing hits for Bobby Freeman "C'mon and Swim," and both "Laugh Laugh" and "Just a Little" by the Beau Brummels.
Sly Stone shares ideas and interacts with a who's who of performers, stars, and musicians. He has a lot of interaction with Bobby Womack, Billy Preston, George Clinton, and others.
George 'Mr. P. Funk' Clinton is at the center of a famous story related by Sly. If you've watched the documentary "Tear the Roof Off: The Untold Story of Parliament Funkadelic," this birthday suit story is shown in the film and recalled by Sly's summary in the book.
Sports, Cars, and Everyday People
Sly loves boxing and collectable cars. He talks fondly about interactions with Muhammad Ali. He lustfully describes his army of personal automobiles. Everything is on the table during his story.
Mr. Stewart wanted an everyday people concept for his band Sly & the Family Stone. "White and Black together, male and female both, and women not just singing but playing instruments."
It's 1967. Sly was missing shifts at KSOL. He hops across The San Francisco Bay to Oakland's KDIA. The interracial Sly & The Family Stone drop "A Whole New Thing" into the marketplace while Sly is still at KSOL.
This collection of songs showed some promise but received mixed reviews. By the time "Dance to the Music" is released, the legend of Sly as a saint, sinner, and performer takes off.
I've written about seeing Sly & the Family Stone live at both The Apollo Theater and at Bill Graham's Fillmore East during the same short period in NYC. Sly touches on this dynamic in "Thank You..."
At these two shows I sensed the tension in the Black audience uptown, and the welcoming embrace of the white audience downtown.
Let's face it. Sly & the Family Stone were not the Temptations wearing matching suits. When "A Whole New Thing" was released by the Epic record label, Sly describes the Family Stone band outfits as "eclectic."
Sly recalls label chief Clive Davis asking "if I thought that our fashion might distract people from the music." Sly said no, continuing "it was fashion but it was also a feeling" responding to Davis.
These songs took off in 1968 and 1969:
"Dance To The Music"
"Everyday People"
"Sing a Simple Song"
"Stand"
"I Want To Take You Higher"
"Hot Fun In The Summertime"
"Life And Death in G & A" (Georgia and Alabama) by Abaco Dream
Sly & The Family Stone, number one records:
* "Everyday People," (1969)
* "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mic Elf Agin)" (1970)
* "Family Affair" (1971)
Between all of the girl friends, marriage, children, talk show appearances, problems with promoters, gun culture, drugs, and dogs, Sly details the progression of his music year by year alongside his personal and professional challenges.
Each book chapter summarizes a couple of years through his timeline.
There are so many behind the scene stories that this element makes Thank You (Faletttinme Be Mice Elf Agin) a book you won't want to put down.
Sly discusses all of his album covers and why specific art was used.
You'll discover what really happened between Sly and Larry Graham, his bassist who left and went on to score Graham Central Station music fame.
Sly gets into expressing how hip-hop artists have sampled his music. He likes this and thinks that sampling their music in his tracks might be wonderful to try out!
He says "working on music settles his mind." There are unsettling stories within the prose about his experiences with the drug culture that I don't need to detail. Read the book to learn more.
There's also a nice explanation about the "no show" reputation he was branded with and the justification he offers for why he missed so many concerts.
Sly made his reputation with the Family Stone performing at some of the biggest shows: Woodstock, Isle of Wight, Summer of Soul (The Harlem Cultural Festival), and others.
In the later years new musicians would come and go passing through the Family Stone circle of players.
There's a good story about the original group's induction into the Rock Hall of Fame. We learn what was said, and who was there.
Sly talks candidly about superstars Michael Jackson, Prince, and James Brown. He knew them all and has lots to say about them.
Mr. Stewart shares his practice to use cameras and microphones to keep tabs on the pulse of the action inside of his home front. He is a tech guy.
I give him credit for moving smoothly from the analog world into the digital age. His music production benefited.
He got interested in using computers. He mentions the digital audio editor Pro Tools that was used to lay down tracks.
Sylvester says his Alexa smart speaker "let's me request any song I want."
As Sly now navigates through his eighties, I'm happy that this book was finally written. It's his story in his words. This is how he did it. Black history.
Sly says he loves to read 'how to' books. Here is his. There's much more that I haven't touched on. Now it's your turn to discover more!
I got the hardcover and thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Back in the day, Sly was and still is one of my favorite all time artists.
June 7, 2024
I don't remember why I was interested to read this book. Maybe it was the NY Times review "It is difficult to convey just how astoundingly unlikely it is that this book exist." Maybe it was chatter I picked up who-knows-where. Maybe I was curious after seeing The Family Stone perform at downtown LEAF a few years ago.
Whatever the reason, I'm glad I got my hands on a copy, and spent actual dollars that will go to the still-not-dead-again-today Sly Stone. What a refreshing, insistently playful, insistently honest, insistently tell-it-like-it-is-and-was book this ended up being.
Is it about timeline autobiography? Is it about music? Is it about drugs? Is it about money and poverty? Is it about building a world predicated on Right Here, Right Now, rather than race, gender, and other dissections?
The answer, simultaneous and loudly, is yes.
The audiobook narration by Dion Graham is fantastic. Quite possible and even likely that you come to believe that Sly himself is doing the talking. Toward the end of the book, when 80 year old Sly is reports being mostly housebound and suffering from COPD, Dion Graham's performance becomes older, with a hint of slow breathlessness...he doesn't overplay it or call attention, but it's there, it's subtle, and by god if you don't think Sly is sitting right there in front of you.
Shout out to Questlove for writing the forward and also for bringing this book into the light. It's the first offering from his Farrar, Straus, and Giroux book imprint, AUWA Books. Started with a bang, he did.
Shout out also to ghostwriter Ben Greenman, who previously worked with Brian Wilson and George Clinton on their own books.
Whatever the reason, I'm glad I got my hands on a copy, and spent actual dollars that will go to the still-not-dead-again-today Sly Stone. What a refreshing, insistently playful, insistently honest, insistently tell-it-like-it-is-and-was book this ended up being.
Is it about timeline autobiography? Is it about music? Is it about drugs? Is it about money and poverty? Is it about building a world predicated on Right Here, Right Now, rather than race, gender, and other dissections?
The answer, simultaneous and loudly, is yes.
The audiobook narration by Dion Graham is fantastic. Quite possible and even likely that you come to believe that Sly himself is doing the talking. Toward the end of the book, when 80 year old Sly is reports being mostly housebound and suffering from COPD, Dion Graham's performance becomes older, with a hint of slow breathlessness...he doesn't overplay it or call attention, but it's there, it's subtle, and by god if you don't think Sly is sitting right there in front of you.
Shout out to Questlove for writing the forward and also for bringing this book into the light. It's the first offering from his Farrar, Straus, and Giroux book imprint, AUWA Books. Started with a bang, he did.
Shout out also to ghostwriter Ben Greenman, who previously worked with Brian Wilson and George Clinton on their own books.
November 7, 2023
Audiobooked.
I thought this was really honest more than anything. Big Sly fan, always have been, and he just has a really beautiful control of his language. You’ll never get anyone that talks/writes like Sly and he has a gift.
I think the most personally impactful aspect is Sly’s acknowledgment of the bad press that plagued his career. Even in retrospect, you don’t hear the best stories about Sly. Hearing Sly’s account of the past 80-ish years feels like a long time coming. I’ve been waiting for this one!
I think it’s really rare that you are taken on this journey by Sly to see this aspect of the life of a living legend. The insights offered here are special. Thankful for this book which illuminates a new perspective of someone I’ve been so infatuated with musically yet knew so little about personally.
I thought this was really honest more than anything. Big Sly fan, always have been, and he just has a really beautiful control of his language. You’ll never get anyone that talks/writes like Sly and he has a gift.
I think the most personally impactful aspect is Sly’s acknowledgment of the bad press that plagued his career. Even in retrospect, you don’t hear the best stories about Sly. Hearing Sly’s account of the past 80-ish years feels like a long time coming. I’ve been waiting for this one!
I think it’s really rare that you are taken on this journey by Sly to see this aspect of the life of a living legend. The insights offered here are special. Thankful for this book which illuminates a new perspective of someone I’ve been so infatuated with musically yet knew so little about personally.
January 16, 2024
It's so rare to get such an honest, and honestly incomplete and flawed,retrospective from the artist themselves. In so many ways I feel like Sly and I sail on the same wavelength, when it comes to music and hope and creativity. But there are so many ways he is 180° from me. Drugs, violence, anger. But I give him a lot of credit for owning up to it all here.
The thing the made this book really stand out, though, was the way Sly would interject with little rhymes or questioning his own self or just insert philosophical thoughts here and there.
The thing the made this book really stand out, though, was the way Sly would interject with little rhymes or questioning his own self or just insert philosophical thoughts here and there.
February 21, 2025
I took a lot of flack for not worshipping the ground Prince walked on, because, as I said, "I just don't get it. He sure is no Sly Stone." Well, now my vindication is complete because Sly agrees with me.
Like the Ozzy Osbourne bio, this book is ghost written in a way that sounds like you are sitting around hearing these stories from the source. One thing I did learn is that Sly is not as inherently "angry" as I thought. To me he was synonymous with the Black Panther movement, but it turns out he liked some aspects like the "free lunch" program, he did not much care for them personally.
He also says that reports of his chronic lateness to shows were highly exaggerated. However, I did gain a better understanding of just how much of a musical genius he is. He was lucky enough to have a good music teacher in school, and thus had the tools take in all influences from jazz to the Beatles and blend them into what became known as "funk."
As entertaining as the book is, you really need to watch the documentary on Hulu even if you are familiar with the music.
Like the Ozzy Osbourne bio, this book is ghost written in a way that sounds like you are sitting around hearing these stories from the source. One thing I did learn is that Sly is not as inherently "angry" as I thought. To me he was synonymous with the Black Panther movement, but it turns out he liked some aspects like the "free lunch" program, he did not much care for them personally.
He also says that reports of his chronic lateness to shows were highly exaggerated. However, I did gain a better understanding of just how much of a musical genius he is. He was lucky enough to have a good music teacher in school, and thus had the tools take in all influences from jazz to the Beatles and blend them into what became known as "funk."
As entertaining as the book is, you really need to watch the documentary on Hulu even if you are familiar with the music.
November 6, 2023
Loved reading this survivor story. What epic music, what a life. It’s heartening to know he has at least lived to tell the tale.
December 30, 2023
Sly and the Family Stone have written some amazing songs,Family Affair, Everyday People, Thank you (FalettiimeBe Mice Elf Agin, Dance to the music, and even The Battle Hymn of the Republic. This memoir written by Sly Stone and ghost writer covers a lot of ground we have seen before. Sly spent too much of his money on cars, cocaine, and Angel dust leaving him broke and having to depend on others for money. Despite the deaths of his Peers, such as Jimi Hendex and Janis Joplin, he continued his drug use.In many ways I feel Sly is not sharing all the details. I think back to a time where I read The famous Dallas Cowboys player Hollywood Hendersons' story, where he spoke of taking Cocaine during the Super Bowl, and that he would eat his cocaine encrusted boogers to get high again. There is nothing as candid as that in Sly's story.I mean maybe he didn't eat his boogers,many of us have stopped that once we grew older. I myself have not eaten a booger since I was in my 20's. but oh, I sometimes dream of my wild booger-eating days.when I was untamed, and firerce.I just feel that Sly left out a lot of his story. His interactions with the other musicians at that time and his creating these popular songs are all very interesting.
September 6, 2024
In the 60s and early 70s, Sly and the Family Stone were a big deal. Then, like many famous musicians of the era, life got a little ahead of him, much due to the overuse of drugs. The difference with him, is that he is still here with us, now 81 years old. So many others in his circumstance have passed away, including most of his celebrity friends.
What I appreciated the most about this memoir, is how circumspect he is in the manner which he’s lived his life. I mean, you know that famous musicians of that time were doing the things that he describes, but here you get a first hand account of that was like, who that was with, and delivered with a certain perspective that isn’t sad necessarily, just circumspect. Best word I can think of to describe it.
Definitely enjoyed this one, which I listened to as an audible with an outstanding narrator.
What I appreciated the most about this memoir, is how circumspect he is in the manner which he’s lived his life. I mean, you know that famous musicians of that time were doing the things that he describes, but here you get a first hand account of that was like, who that was with, and delivered with a certain perspective that isn’t sad necessarily, just circumspect. Best word I can think of to describe it.
Definitely enjoyed this one, which I listened to as an audible with an outstanding narrator.
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