I Want to Take You Higher_ The Life and Times of Sly & the Family Stone - Jeff Kaliss [61]
Early in the 1990s, Sly remained a shadow, even to his parents. His communication with them was spotty, but his mother, Alpha, insisted to Mojo, "I know he's a good man, God watches over him." "You can usually tell what he's been doing from the way he is on the phone," added papa K. C. "Mama knows the moment he says `Hello' if she's talking to Sly or Sylvester. If he tries to tell a tenminute story in ten seconds, then it's been a Sly Stone kinda day."
Jerry Goldstein took over management of Sly Stone in the early '90s. In a manner evocative of psychologist Eugene Landy's tough appropriation of care of the Beach Boys' fragile Brian Wilson in the 1970s and '80s, Jerry became Sly's guardian and personal supervisor, keeping inquisitive promoters, reporters, biographers, and ex-Family Stone members at bay. Jerry was a music veteran himself, having co-written the 1963 smash "My Boyfriend's Back" for the Angels, and later forming and performing in the Strangeloves, who recorded the first of many versions of the bubblegum standard "I Want Candy." Later he slipped behind the scenes to become a producer, and also served as manager for the great interracial funk act War. For better (Sly seemed to free himself from drugs for a while) or worse (Sly had no authority over his own catalog of compositions), Sly put his career, such as it was, in Jerry's charge.
GEORGE C L I N TO N INDUCTED SLY & the Family Stone into the Rock 'n' roll Hall of Fame in January 1993. Other legends ushered in that year included Sly contemporaries the Doors, Cream, and Creedence Clearwater Revival. While the original Family received their accolades, a quiet and withdrawn Sly, dressed as if he'd been taking fashion tips from Prince, came to the podium and made a very short thank-you speech, closing with, "See you soon." The players from his old band had not expected to see him there, and reaped little from his appearance. "When we were starting out," Jerry reminded People magazine, "Sly Stone had the power to control 80,000 people with his eyes. But in'93, he couldn't even look at me."
In 1995, Sly was back in rehab, spending forty-five days in the Brotman Medical Center in L.A. "He went in by choice, to concentrate on getting healthier," his son Sly Jr., then training to be a sound engineer, explained to People. "He's had problems because he hasn't been able to grow up. He's meant no harm to anyone." Sly remained rooted to the L.A. area through the '90s, though he was often in hot water with landlords and hotel managers. "In a sense, my father has wasted a lot of years," allowed Sly Jr. "But he's purposely stayed away from the spotlight and the pressure. He hasn't wanted attention."
But toward the end of the decade, there were healthy signs that Sly, or maybe Sylvester, was preparing himself properly for the new millennium. In 1997, he extended a rare summons to a young MIT graduate student named Jon Dakss, who'd established the slyfam- stone.com Web site. Jon went to Los Angeles in April of that year to help Sly learn how to make use of his computer and the Web: "Though he assured me it was nothing personal," Jon related on his Web site, Sly"insisted on observing all that I did with his computer, and asked that I explain whatever I was going to do before I did it." Jon pronounced Sly to be in good spirits and in good health, living with a pair of sisters as aides. "They set up his equipment and perform on his songs. If Sly has lyrics, they write them down." For his trouble and devotion, Jon was given a spontaneous