Sly Stone’s daughter once snorted sidewalk chalk, a startling mimicry of his cocaine use, revealing a complex tapestry of admiration and confusion from her childhood.
Phunne Stone lays bare her tumultuous upbringing in the Hulu documentary “Sly Lives! (aka the Burden of Black Genius),” where she reflects on the depths of her fascination for her legendary father. It was a childhood marked by attempts to emulate his larger-than-life persona, which, tragically, led her to snort brightly colored sidewalk chalk. Her innocence collided with a dark reality as she actually used one of her father’s razor blades to prepare lines of chalk, imitating the adults around her.
“I went and grabbed me one and my box of chalk,” Phunne recounted, revealing the motivations behind her surreal behavior. “And I said, ‘We gon’ do what the grown folks do.’ So, I got my chalk and I chopped up about 37 lines of chalk out there and got the Monopoly money, rolled up.” Childhood naiveté takes on a new shape when viewed through the lens of uncontrolled parental influence.
Speaking of that day, Phunne recalls, “We were out there … about 19 lines,” she laughs, a mixture of nostalgia and disbelief weaving through her voice. “We sneezing and s–t.”
It was Phunne’s mother, Cynthia Robinson, co-founder of Sly and the Family Stone and a powerful force in her own right, who discovered her daughter’s antics. The shock was palpable as Phunne describes the moment: “My mama came out and was like, ‘What are you doing?!’” It’s a moment resonating with both humor and severity, only punctuating the chaos of growing up amid rock and roll legends.
“I went and grabbed me one and my box of chalk. And I said, ‘We gon’ do what the grown folks do.’ So, I got my chalk and I chopped up about 37 lines of chalk out there and got the Monopoly money, rolled up.”
Reflecting further, she states, “She beat the brakes off me.” Even with her mother’s strictness, it was a chaotic dance between love and rebellion that defined her youth. Raised amidst musical greatness, Phunne often felt isolated, living in an adult world filled with complexities beyond her years. While acknowledging her father’s shortcomings as a present figure, she asserts that the love between her parents, Sly and Cynthia, was authentic, marked by genuine connection.
It is a poignant reality that Cynthia passed away in 2015, leaving Phunne with a myriad of vivid memories and unresolved feelings about her childhood.
“I think that my dad is … shy, and I think drugs helped him be fearless,” Phunne observes candidly. The intersection of her parents’ extraordinary talents and turbulent lives paints a complex portrait. “My mom loved him more than any man. She never dated another man after my dad. But he wasn’t always around when I lived with my mom.” The vulnerability in her words echoes a struggle many children of famous parents face, caught between admiration and disappointment.
In the film, Phunne describes a recent effort to rebuild her relationship with her father, Sly Stone, now 81. “He cried, I cried, everybody around us was crying,” she conveys, capturing a collective emotional release that many families long for, irrespective of fame.
The enigmatic Sly, born Sylvester Stewart in Texas, eventually became a pioneer of melding genres. While he studied music composition at a local college, he also worked as a radio DJ, enchanting listeners with his eclectic style.
Sly and the Family Stone emerged in the 1960s with an explosion of hits like “Everyday People” and “Hot Fun in the Summertime.” They not only changed the music scene but also redefined cultural boundaries, a legacy inspiring generations. Yet, the glamour of success came with its thorns.
As addiction took hold, Sly’s vibrant creative spirit became overshadowed. The man who carried a violin filled with cocaine on tour left audiences uncertain of his presence. Would they witness brilliance, or a ghost of a star? The band fractured after their album “Fresh” in 1973, launching Sly into a spiral of dependency that would define the ensuing decades.
Years of turmoil brought with them not just addiction, but eroded relationships and instability, trailed by brushes with the law and rehabilitation. Yet, even at this darkened period, glimmers of his musical genius flickered just beneath the surface.
Currently, he battles chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a stark reminder of the physical toll his lifestyle has taken. Cleaning up in 2019 marked a poignant turning point, and in 2023, he released his memoir, a testament to a life filled with both triumphs and struggles. Sly admitted to relying on others’ memories to fill in the gaps of his own hazy recollections.
His son, Sylvester Stewart Jr., also candidly speaks in the documentary. “As a kid, hearing about him being arrested for drugs or whatever, I didn’t like it,” he reflects, emphasizing the complexity of adoration mixed with heartbreak. “I always wanted him to be the person that I was always told he was when I was a baby.” These heartfelt sentiments resonate with many who grapple with the dichotomy of familial love and personal pain.
As the Stone family comes together, they are crafting a new narrative, one that transcends the shadows of addiction and celebrates the enduring legacy of their artistry. Phunne’s upbringing reminds all of us that behind every star, there lies a multifaceted story filled with love, pain, and an eternal quest for connection and acceptance.
