Sly Stone: Guns, PCP, a Psycho Mutt, and a Fugitive from Justice
DISGRACELAND
Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts
4.6 • 13.4K Ratings
🗓️ 4 April 2023
⏱️ 35 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
At the end of the 1960s, Sly Stone was at the center of a groundbreaking musical movement that intended to break down barriers of race and genre, all in the service of making people happy. But at the dawn of the 1970s, Sly Stone suddenly was not happy. His L.A. mansion was overrun with cocaine, PCP, guns, and bodyguards. He was strongarmed by the Black Panthers. He thought his own bass player hired someone to kill him. He drew the attention of local law enforcement. Before long, he was crossing paths with cops from coast to coast, busted time and again for drug offenses – including when he went on the lam under a false name and was declared a fugitive from justice.
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This episode was originally published on April 4, 2023.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Disgraceland is a production of Double Elvis. |
| 0:14.3 | The stories about Sly Stone are insane. |
| 0:18.8 | He suspected that his own bass player hired someone to kill him. He was strong-armed |
| 0:23.6 | by the Black Panthers, did cocaine with Miles Davis. His L.A. Mansion was overrun with cocaine, |
| 0:30.0 | PCP, guns, and bodyguards, drawn the attention of local law enforcement. He was soon crossing |
| 0:36.4 | paths with cops from coast to coast |
| 0:38.8 | and was busted time and time again for drug offenses, |
| 0:42.8 | including the time that he went on the lamb under a false name |
| 0:45.9 | and was declared a fugitive from justice. |
| 0:48.7 | If there is any justice in this world, |
| 0:50.9 | Sly Stone will be remembered as the mastermind of great music. |
| 0:55.4 | Music that was intended to break down barriers of race and genre, all in the service of making |
| 1:00.5 | people happy. |
| 1:02.2 | That music I played for you at the top of the show, that wasn't great music. |
| 1:06.3 | That was a preset loop from my Melotron called Vanity Calamity, MK2. |
| 1:12.5 | I played you that loop because I can't afford the rights to a clip from Rod Stewart's |
| 1:17.0 | Maggie May. |
| 1:18.4 | And why would I play you that specific slice of business in the front, party in the back, |
| 1:23.3 | geez, could I afford it? |
| 1:25.5 | Because that was the number one song in America on November 1st, 1971. |
| 1:31.4 | And that was the day Sly and the Family Stone released their fifth studio album, |
| 1:36.7 | There's a Riot Going On, an unexpectedly dark missive that hinted at darker days to come. |
... |
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