/* MOBILE FIX: stop forcing desktop min-width */ @media screen and (max-width: 800px) { body { min-width: 0 !important; } .content-outer, .content-fauxcolumn-outer, .region-inner { min-width: 0 !important; max-width: 100% !important; width: auto !important; } .main-inner .columns { padding-left: 0 !important; padding-right: 0 !important; } } .date-header { background: #000 !important; display: block !important; width: 100% !important; padding: 8px 12px !important; box-sizing: border-box !important; } .date-header span { background: transparent !important; } .post-header-line-1 { display: block !important; width: 100% !important; background: #000 !important; padding: 8px 12px !important; box-sizing: border-box !important; } .post-header-line-1 * { background: transparent !important; } /* --- XMastime fixes: titles + date bars + mobile --- */ /* Post titles: stop random centering */ h3.post-title, h2.post-title, .post-title { text-align: left !important; } /* Date header: make the black bar extend full width */ .post-header-line-1 { display: block !important; width: 100% !important; background: #000 !important; padding: 8px 12px !important; box-sizing: border-box !important; } .post-header-line-1 * { background: transparent !important; text-align: left !important; } /* Mobile: stop forcing huge desktop width */ @media screen and (max-width: 800px) { body { min-width: 0 !important; } .content-outer, .content-fauxcolumn-outer, .region-inner { min-width: 0 !important; max-width: 100% !important; width: auto !important; } .main-inner .columns { padding-left: 0 !important; padding-right: 0 !important; } } /* FORCE post titles consistent */ .post-title, .post-title a, h2.post-title, h3.post-title { text-align: left !important; } /* FORCE full-width date bar across common Blogger structures */ .date-header, .date-header span, .post-header, .post-header-line-1, .post-header-line-1 span, .post-outer .post-header-line-1, .post-outer .post-header, .blog-posts .post-header-line-1 { display: block !important; width: 100% !important; background: #000 !important; box-sizing: border-box !important; padding: 8px 12px !important; margin: 0 !important; } /* prevent inner bits from “breaking” the bar */ .date-header *, .post-header *, .post-header-line-1 * { background: transparent !important; text-align: left !important; } /* MOBILE: stop the fixed 1218px width behavior */ @media screen and (max-width: 800px) { body, .content-outer, .content-fauxcolumn-outer, .region-inner { min-width: 0 !important; max-width: 100% !important; width: auto !important; } .main-inner .columns { padding-left: 0 !important; padding-right: 0 !important; } } /* DATE HEADER: make the black bar go full width */ .date-outer, /* FORCE FULL WIDTH DATE BAR NO MATTER WHAT */ .date-outer, .date-posts, .date-posts h2, .date-posts h3, .date-header, h2.date-header, h3.date-header { display: block !important; width: 100% !important; background: #000 !important; padding: 10px 12px !important; box-sizing: border-box !important; margin: 0 0 18px 0 !important; } /* force the TEXT itself orange and remove any weird inner box */ .date-posts span, .date-header span, .date-posts h2 span, .date-posts h3 span { background: transparent !important; color: #ff6600 !important; display: block !important; width: 100% !important; } -->

Saturday, March 01, 2025

Xmastime Rock Doc Review

SLY LIVES! - Hulu
 
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to blow minds at a dinner party by matter-of-factly mentioning that of course everybody knows LL Cool J 100% lifted Sly Stone’s Trip to Your Heart for Mama Said Knock You Out. - AN XMASTIME PRAYER

I'm embarrassed that while for decades I've venerated Stand! for its greatness I never took the time to really dive into Sly & the Family Stone's first five albums until about a year ago, which I happily discovered to be INCREDIBLE.

The doc's a who's-who of other iconic black artists eager to remind us of what an absolute genius Sly was and I don't know if he is one or not but he seems to have had some sort of natural, magical gift for bringing people together, and in every way: literally by having a band that effortlessly combined races AND sexes, and figuratively in how he effortlessly delivered a message of togetherness to different audiences during wildly divisive times in ways that made them all think he was speaking directly to them.

Every time I was worried they'd spend too much time going into his drug stuff they'd pull fairly quickly back to the music, which was a relief; it was also cool to see what a benevolent producer he was in the studio, always incredibly supportive and generous with his fellow musicians whom he really DID consider to be family. He's revealed to be a super-sweet, kinda goofy but somehow magically touched guy. Even when it gets to the worst of any professional drama - GASP! Sly starts showing up at concerts late! - we see that his natural nervousness about performing is as culpable as drugs which, however much grain of salt you wanna take with this tidbit, makes him even more endearing.

The second the doc finished I immediately started watching it all over again and I suggest you do too - but only AFTER listening to those first five albums!!!! ๐Ÿค—๐Ÿ•บ๐ŸŽธ

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