Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson had a tall order to one-up himself after he and producer Joseph Patel received the Finest Documentary Characteristic Oscar in 2022 for “Summer season of Soul.” However he discovered it with “Sly Lives!,” the story of Sly Stone and his revolutionary music with Sly & the Household Stone. Past only a biographical account, the documentary, subtitled “(aka The Burden of Black Genius),” examined one thing larger: The extraordinary representational burden Black artists carry.
Asking the 20 or so artists who seem in “Sly Lives!” about that — from Jimmy Jam to D’Angelo to André 3000 — Questlove had a realization: It’s “most likely essentially the most horrifying query they’ve ever been requested,” he mentioned at a Q&A for the movie, which occurred at IndieWire’s Go the Distant occasion, introduced by Disney and Hulu. The screening and Q&A at Vidiots Basis in Los Angeles on Could 3 drew a packed home, and Questlove and Patel each mingled with attendees afterward on the beer and wine reception within the foyer that adopted, a lot because the interviewees did for our earlier Go the Distant panels in April about casting and TV music. (Watch the total panel above.)
However as celebratory because the occasion was, it was considerate — and thought-provoking — too. Questlove mentioned that asking that query of his interviewees was like “Jedi thoughts tricking individuals.” Stone’s life meandered from extraordinary artistic highs to lengthy durations of artistic inactivity marked by questionable selections, in his profession and in his life. “What we’re not attempting to do is pile on,” Questlove mentioned. (See images from all our 2025 Go the Distant occasions right here.)
“It could’ve been really easy simply to inform the worst tales and the worst experiences and reap the benefits of peoples’ poor selections in life simply to profit our movie and inform a extra sensational story,” the director continued. “Particularly with Black artists, they’re not handled as human beings. Even the Household Stone members [we interviewed] have been like, ‘Boy, what is that this? Remedy? You attempting to make me go to remedy?’ That type of factor. Numerous them aren’t requested half the time how they really feel. I put out feelers to about 19, 20 of my friends. I want I may most likely say that is most likely essentially the most horrifying query they’ve ever been requested. And numerous them didn’t wish to do it as a result of they couldn’t permit themselves to go there. Some agreed to do it after which day of, hours earlier than have been like, ‘Are you displaying up?’”
Evidently there was numerous nervousness there, as a result of the expertise of getting to be all issues to all individuals as a Black artist — whereas placing the perfect foot ahead to signify Black excellence — and regularly delivering on the highest stage, is fairly common. With all of that stress, fissures can reveal themselves. “That is additionally Lauryn Hill’s story,” Questlove mentioned. “That is additionally D’Angelo’s story. That is Frank Ocean’s story. That is Kanye’s story proper now. You might have every part you ever wished on the planet. Why are you purposely attempting to mess this up? And it’s a lot deeper. From afar, we predict we would like issues. However there’s a lot underneath the floor that we now have to discover it. And I believe that’s horrifying for individuals generally.”
Producer Patel added, “D’Angelo [who’s interviewed in the film] additionally suffered via among the identical issues Sly did when he was profitable, he put out one album and everybody known as him the subsequent Marvin Gaye. After which he does Voodoo and he releases a single, ‘How Does It Really feel?,’ with a video that folks can’t cease speaking about. Ahmir was witness to D’Angelo struggling to go on stage, each evening getting later and later, as a result of he is aware of he needs to be in high bodily situation to carry out that music together with his shirt off to a screaming, bought out room each evening. He’s been via that. So everybody within the film, whether or not individuals choose up on it or not, it was actually intentional. We spent numerous time in pre-production determining who’re the individuals that would converse to Sly’s story as proxies.”
That’s additionally as a result of the 82-year-old Stone wasn’t interviewed for the film. “Sly Lives!” is basically extra involved together with his affect and affect on different artists — one sequence narrated by Jimmy Jam displaying how “Dance to the Music” influenced “Rhythm Nation” is especially extraordinary — and what he represents about Black artistry, than it’s about parsing his biography.
“After we actually truly got down to work on this, I requested Ahmir, ‘What’s the story?’” Patel mentioned. “And he mentioned, ‘It’s about Sly. But in addition if you hint again all of the Black artists who discover success,’ together with Ahmir, together with his friends. He was like, ‘Sly was actually the primary to undergo this factor that all of us expertise.’ And I believe for us and the movies that we do collectively, it’s about one particular factor, however actually one thing that resonates extra to an even bigger thought. And so he, Ahmir, within the very first dialog was like, ‘It’s about Sly, but it surely’s actually in regards to the burden of Black genius.’”
The movie can also be about how artists are remembered, and the actual set of circumstances that end in sure artists being significantly celebrated. It makes a convincing case Sly Stone is among the most influential artists of all time… so why isn’t he revered much more?
“We talked about very, very, very early was telling Sly’s story with empathy,” Patel mentioned. “That’s essential. But in addition the truth that he’s nonetheless alive is essential. It’s why the movie is titled ‘Sly Lives!’ as a result of had he handed away at 27, like lots of people of his technology, well-known and on high, would we revere him extra? You realize what I imply? And it’s like he… Ahmir additionally talks in regards to the run of genius. He talks about how most artists have a genius run of max seven years. After which numerous these artists that he’s referencing died earlier than we may discover out. Sly didn’t, and Sly most likely had extra down years than up years, however does that imply he’s any much less of a genius? I believe these are the subtext questions of the movie.”
Watch your complete panel dialog with Questlove and Joseph Patel above.