(March 1, 2006) — A brief history…. Woodstock, NY 1969. Sly and the Family Stone take the stage at the Woodstock Music and Arts and perform their repertoire of high-energy soul funk defined by five-voice harmonics and ARP synthesizer rips. With exception to George Clinton and the Parliament-Funkadelic family, Sly Stone is a musical genius and a one of a kind performer who has taken soul to incredible heights. In Los Angeles, 1997, Sly Stone had his keyboards taken to a music shop in the LA to be repaired. They are completely destroyed and missing half its control knobs, caked in crack cocaine, blood, vomit and surprisingly, glitter. Los Angeles. Grammy Awards 2006. The shot heard ‘round the world. At least for me. Sly Stone comes out of almost 10+ years of hiding and steps onstage for a disgusting one minute performance and arrogantly steps off sporting his gold sequin suit and mohawk. It is clear that the drug has taken over. What I have to write now is not a blatant outcry against the decline of avant-garde music, or how punk rock is dead, or how the music sub sect of the entertainment industry has assimilated into the superficial world of conspicuous consumption and largesse, but more fittingly an obituary to musicians and artists who are sadly “out of their element,” so to say, and the ones who couldn’t make it to spread their musical legacies longer. Upon contrasting the two archetypal images of Sly Stone the prodigy from Martin Scorcese’s Woodstock documentary and Sly Stone the dope fiend from the Grammy Awards 2006, you can’t help but take into perspective the tragedies of the music industry. In a profession of passion, you can expect as much joy as there is heartbreak. What we see here is an example of the burnt-out musician, who has surprised people by the mere fact of being alive. In his three decade spanning career, Stone like all musicians has had his Platinums and his Golds, but these days, he stands as the classic example of the dope fiend, a joke (along with forgotten Pink Floyd front man, Syd Barret). George Clinton, a flamboyant figure in strange circus-like antics, has even referred to Stone as a freak and parasite. This leads me to wonder why Stone, out of all the musicians claimed by premature deaths, whether they be drugs or accidents is still alive. The Doors’ Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, The Temptations’ David Ruffin, Sublime’s Bradley Nowell, The Who’s Keith Moon, Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham, are all examples of artists who all left the world too early, however, Sly still wastes away in some Los Angeles crack house. But, the beat goes on… Music has a fascinating way of moving on though. Following the death of John Bonham, Led Zeepelin still took the stage at Live Aid in 1985, Sublime minus Nowell has continued as a band called The Long Beach Dub All-Stars, and The Who still tours, although missing Moon, and recently deceased bassist John Entwistle. INXS, after losing their charismatic front man Michael Hutchence in 1997, has even garnered new mainstream success with their reality show, in which the audience has the privilege of naming their new lead singer. Although some of these efforts have lasted longer than others, and some still continue till this day, it is strikingly clear that the “industry” is as fast as the musicians who make it their life. And as I spill the champagne from my glass to honor those who have left and made waves in musical history, my heart also goes out to the fallen heroes, such as Sly Stone, Syd Barret and other who I haven’t named. So that they may know that they too have left an impression upon contemporary music, even if not in a blaze of glory.