21Feb 2012

Allee Willis Kitsch Of The Day – Shooting Dr. Phil Today With Sly Stone

As we speak, I’m racing out of the house to be on Dr. Phil with Sly Stone of Sly and the Family Stone fame. Normally  I’d be a little excited to be on TV but the show is all about saving another iconic singer from self-destruction. A couple of weeks ago I got a call from a mutual friend who’d worked with Sly back in the heyday to see if I was interested in writing with him because he was clean and sober and a comeback felt possible.

I can’t even tell you how much influence this guy had on me. One of the earliest purveyors of fusing together different genres of music, Soul, Funk, Pop, Psychedelic and Rock, and doing it in insanely wild outfits with a message of peace and celebration. And lets not forget that The Family Stone was the first group EVER to have female players in the band. The music was uplifting and life enforcing. But we all watched or heard about the life slipping out of Sly until there was no music anymore.

Having nothing to do with the phone call asking me if I wanted to write with Sly, I got an e-mail just as I stepped on the dias to honor Lily Tomlin last friday asking me if I would be on Dr. Phil. The show was to be devoted entirely to Sly. I was honored and, trust me, if I can be of any support to someone so influential on me and any other writer, singer, arranger or producer of popular music I’m there. So they shot an interview at Willis Wonderland where I just talked about why Sly was so important in music and that I believed he absolutely could rise again.

And now today, after the show being on-again and off-again all day yesterday as Sly decided whether he could commit to Dr. Phil staying on him to make sure the path stays straight and narrow, I’m racing to throw myself in the shower, find a couple outfits that I don’t have to iron, and throw them and myself into the car that’s coming to take me in mere minutes to take me to the Dr. Phil (sober) House. I have no idea what I’m walking into, both in the near future with Sly’s family there, and in the little farther out future when we (hopefully) start to write. But no one is rooting harder for Sly to once again Dance to the Music and be an Everyday Person ( know I took liberty with People). He’s a noble and just cause and soon I hope to be talking about us co-writing a nice big, fat hit for 2012, The Year Of The Sly.

16 Responses to “Allee Willis Kitsch Of The Day – Shooting Dr. Phil Today With Sly Stone”

    • Allee

      You too, Ruby! We will most definitely stay in touch and I’m ready to spring into action whenever necessary. A French filmmaker who’s making a documentary on Sly contacted me the next day. He’s been in touch with Dr. Phil as well. Let me know if you come back out to LA.

  2. Gemi Taylor

    I am forever indebted to Sly,every note that I’ve played,on all the many recording sessions for the last 40 years has had little bit of Sly and The Family Stone in it.

  3. Jay

    Hey Allee!

    I got tears reading this. I’m a huge supporter of Sly and also a “Fresh” fan. I’m 25, from England and got into him after hearing If You Want Me To Stay 2 years ago (i know, catch up!).

    Is there any update on Sly’s status and also the status of this Dr Phill programme?

    I too, am one who believes Sly can rise again. His old and new fans won’t leave him, we all are behind one of the greatest to ever do it.

    Good luck on that collaboration!

    • Allee

      No news yet but I’ll definitely update as that happens. Sly can definitely rise again. I’m a firm believer that one is born with talent and is here to perfect it. It’s not something that can be acquired, even with a great producer or whatever amount of hype one is willing to pay for.

  4. madhatter

    Sly, I have followed you for years and no one has enfluenced me more than you. Good luck and I hope we will HEAR from you soon!!!!

  6. spacecowboy

    Hi, please let us when the Dr. Phil episode will air. Can you tell us anything about what happened during the show? Did Sly perform?

    • Allee

      Unfortunately, can’t divulge any details. Will be a while before it’s on. But I will alert everyone here when it is. All on Sly now…

    • Allee

      Which documentary? Always working on a few. AS for Dr. Phil, no it hasn’t aired. Depends on Sly Stone’s cooperation…

    • Allee

      Never heard another peep about it so….. Would have been so great to do.