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Pat Walsh
Pat's Peeps Podcast
Ep. 278 The Reluctant Podcaster: Thoughts on LA Protests and Remembering Sly Stone
Sometimes the most memorable moments emerge when we're at our lowest. In this unexpectedly powerful episode, I push through illness to address critical issues demanding attention—proving that passion can overcome physical discomfort when there's something important to say.
The streets of Los Angeles have become battlegrounds as anti-immigration protests spiral into chaos. I dive into the disturbing reality of protesters damaging police vehicles, blocking freeways, and waving foreign flags while officials like Maxine Waters confront ICE agents instead of maintaining order. Most concerning is Governor Newsom's response—threatening legal action against the Trump administration for deploying the National Guard and boldly declaring "Come arrest me." This disconnect between political posturing and public safety demands scrutiny, especially as city infrastructure faces vandalism and destruction.
On a more somber note, we lost a musical pioneer with the passing of Sly Stone at 82. I celebrate the Vallejo, California native who revolutionized funk and soul music by blending psychedelic rock, gospel, and unifying social messages. Through classic tracks like "Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself," "Family Affair," and "Everyday People," we explore how Sly created a unique sound that remains timeless decades later. The episode features rare audio of Sly's early career as a KSOL radio DJ and examines how drugs and personal struggles ultimately led to his band's dissolution despite their groundbreaking success.
What stories make you push through discomfort to speak your truth? Share your thoughts and join me tomorrow for episode 279, hopefully with a bit more energy but certainly with the same dedication to addressing what matters most.
welcome. Hey, it's the pat's Beach Podcast, number 278. The podcast 278, the podcast that almost did not get done. My friends, I'll be honest with you. But as I look out my studio windows into the beautiful foothills of Northern California on this Monday, it is a beautiful day. I think it's hot. I haven't been outside much today.
Speaker 1:I don't know, I never say this, but this is everyday life. Rarely do I say this. I guess I can't say never, but today, just, I don't know what, woke up not feeling too swift. I don't know what the heck If I got food poisoning, I don't know, I'm not a huge drinker or anything, so it wasn't that I don't know. Doesn't feel like the flu, I really don't know. But I knew as soon as I woke up here on this Monday of all days that I didn't feel too good and I was not going to do this podcast, to be honest with you. But I'm a pretty dedicated guy. I don't have the flu, so I don't know what it is, but I'm just gonna. I'm gonna for John because I have a couple of things that I want to talk about. If it hadn't been for these couple of things, I probably would have said yeah, I'm going to skip one day and I also called in sick for work tonight.
Speaker 1:My name is Pat Walsh, by the way, in case you don't know, I host the Pat Walsh Show, heard on KFBK Radio in Sacramento, 93.1 FM 1530 AM. Excuse me, yeah, I'm just ugh. Anyhow, and yeah, I woke up feeling lousy, but then there's a couple of lousy things going on and I just needed to talk about it. That's the thing about doing a show every day. It's like you don't really want to miss a certain thing when you see it. There are days where there's nothing really big to talk about, spectacular, and nothing that really catches my attention, but every day I will find something, that eventually I'll find something. And then other days, like this, there's just days where you have to talk about it and uh, to talk about it and uh. So this is one of those.
Speaker 1:Okay, one of the things is the idiocy is that a word? Going on in la with these protests, these anti-immigration, illegal immigration protests, where you have these people who are now criminals standing on on the overpasses and such and smashing out police car windows and creating all kinds of havoc there in Los Angeles, just doing whatever they feel like, waving Mexican flags because they want to stay in America and these people who are joining the forces there and are fighting and protesting with police. I love it, kamala Harris, these are peaceful protests. Yeah, maxine Waters getting her nose stuck out of joint, trying to demand that she goes and speaks to ICE. Ice is there deporting these people who are there illegally. You know, this is why I didn't want to jump into the fray today on this stuff, because I did, but I didn't because my blood pressure is going to go up and I already don't feel well and this is sickening. What I'm seeing, and even more sickening, or just as sickening, is when you have stories where allegedly allegedly I don't know if it's true Karen Bass, the mayor, telling people you know the police not to be involved there. Well, I did see the police cars out there, so I'm not exactly sure you can't find a lot on that, so I'm not going to elaborate too much on that. But I did see Maxine Waters out there shouting at the armed agents during the riots, shouting at ICE as people are rioting, as people are assaulting officers, as people are burning flags and defacing properties.
Speaker 1:You got this woman out there, maxine Waters. Remember she instigated riots in Minneapolis? Remember she was in front of her constituents. You confront them at the gas station, at the grocery store. You confront them, people you disagree with, get right in their face. Remember this you got to be kidding me. Now here she is doing this. To be kidding me. Now here she is doing this. She's taking on the ice agents and the police, rather than speaking up for the city, in which is we've already seen, you know it burned recently. It was awful, the fire that was in LA. Now, this kind of madness where it's just oh and so you got Maxine Waters who's gonna go out there and and and back. The people who are rioting and doing all these things that I just mentioned assaulting officers, burning flags and the like, putting graffiti everywhere you've seen it blocking freeways, setting cars on fire, bashing out police windows, all of that.
Speaker 1:So Trump brings in the National Guard. What are you supposed to do? Yeah, do you want these? Look, as far as I'm concerned, if you're doing this, you round them all up, tom Holman, and you get them the hell out of here. But no, no, no, no, not when you have this A-wipe, sorry. No, not when you have this A-wipe, sorry, gavin Newsom.
Speaker 1:I'm so sick and tired of this pathetic dude. Look, I'm just being honest. I don't feel well. I'm not chipper about this, I'm not in a bad mood, but this stuff is the country. Better, listen to this. Here he is telling us how he's so concerned about his community. We all know that's a joke, most of us do, and somehow we keep voting for this guy. The main reason the gas prices are about to shoot through the roof with their little mandate. Same person that taxes you and is giving free Medicare to illegals, undocumented people, in this country, while you and I don't get that benefit. Same person who can't seem to manage the forest, so we have wildfires. These are old stories, but listen to this guy today. This is from KTla5 ktla5 in los angeles. This is just it's sickening.
Speaker 2:The governor is here. He's been in town for quite some time and tonight he's saying that he's going to file a lawsuit against the trump administration over its decision to deploy the california national guard without his approval. Now the governor spoke with msnbc.
Speaker 1:He's going to file a lawsuit because trump deployed the national guard without his approval. Now the governor spoke with MSNBC. He's going to file a lawsuit because Trump deployed the National Guard without his approval. So, in the midst of Los Angeles burning a couple of months ago, in the midst of the rioting by people who are waving Mexican flags in our country and acting in the way I just told you and they're not all Mexicans there's other criminals involved in this whole chaos as well. Now Newsom, who wants to spend more money on the homeless while the homeless population continues to grow.
Speaker 2:Now he wants to sue Trump because he deployed the national card earlier this evening where he called on the white house to change their course. Listen to this. Look, I have a feeling there's a pretty good chance that in the white house there might be a television on and he might be watching us. I hope so right now yeah, he can learn something yeah, we can learn something.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we can learn something. Look, hey, rest of the country. Gavin, with his styled, freaking hair, said we could learn something Learn how to let people get away with creating havoc and chaos in a city. So let's all watch together.
Speaker 2:I might just say to him I'll give you the floor. You have the opportunity. You weren't able to say to him on that phone call or calls that he hasn't taken today.
Speaker 3:I mean, where's your decency, mr President? Where's your decency? Stop, stop, rescind this order. It's illegal and unconstitutional. I said it, I'll say it again it's immoral. You're creating the conditions that you claim you're solving and you're not, and you're putting real people's lives at risk.
Speaker 1:No, you're putting people's lives at risk. You, Gavin Newsom, are creating this. Gavin, you will never. I know you got a podcast now. I know I'm just a talk show host. I dare you, I dare you to debate me on these topics, Dare you?
Speaker 3:This is a serious moment and it requires serious leadership. Yes, it does to be a commander-in-chief of the united states of america and I will have your back if you want to work in a relationship of trust and truth. You'll have his back in the spirit right after the lawsuit of our founding fathers.
Speaker 1:But you, spirit of our founding fathers, the spirit of our founding fathers yep, that's what they want. The spirit of our founding fathers, attacking police, taking over cities, stomping on cars, waving the mexican flags, wearing masks yes, looting, yes, gavin, our founding fathers after poor kids.
Speaker 3:You come after family. Come. Come after poor kids, you come after families. We will do everything in our power to stand up and stand in your way, will ya?
Speaker 1:oh will ya? We've got to get this guy out of here. You know, in that clip he didn't even say it. I'm trying to get to where he says it. Where is he saying I want to hear him say come and arrest me. I don't know, they didn't get to where he says it. Where is he saying it? I want to hear him say come and arrest me. I don't know, they didn't get to it there. They left that one out conveniently. I wonder why they left that one out at KTLA. Hmm, he told me he said come.
Speaker 1:He didn't tell me yeah yeah, yeah, I want to hear him say it.
Speaker 3:Come after me. Here we go, here we go. The fear, the horror, the hell is this guy? Come after me, arrest me. Let's just get it over with, okay.
Speaker 1:Anyone know the number for the local PD? Come after me, let's get it over with. What was that again? Huh, come after me, let's get it over with the emergency yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, come after me, let's get it over with.
Speaker 1:Oh my god, sometimes I feel like things. People are insane in the government here, particularly I. I really do. It's always okay. He always has a reason why people are allowed to stop traffic and freeway and freeways and and riot. Same thing with maxine waters. You remember, we all remember minneapolis, anyhow. Um, I'm gonna bring that up on my show tonight. That's what what I'm going to do. Bring that up on my show On the Pat Walsh show. Hope you can listen at 7 pm. That way I can get your take on a lot of this. All right, I would like your take on this Now. The other thing today I was sad about this is that Sly Stone has passed away.
Speaker 1:Sly Stone, sly Stone, sly of Sly and the Family Stone was 82. This guy was funky man. He was a pioneering musician in terms of funk and soul. He had rock, but he had varying styles, but he had a very unique sound. But he had a very unique sound and after a prolonged battle with COPD and some other underlying health issues, sly passed away With his group, sly and the Family Stone. He tied together soul, psychedelic rock, gospel and he could create these uplifting songs and they all had this very unique feel to them, very unique sound.
Speaker 1:It's hard to describe some of my favorites. I'll play a couple of excerpts from those. But something that set him apart. You know how Bo Diddley had his own Bo Diddley beat, bo Did, but something that set him apart. You know Bo Diddley had his own Bo Diddley beat. Bo Diddley beat set him apart. Sly had something like that. Stevie Wonder had something in there where he had that synthesizer and superstition and boogie on reggae woman and you know I wish, and all of those early songs.
Speaker 1:But yeah, sly Stone, along with James Brown and others I mean these were the big funk players in the 70s which I'm a huge fan of. I love funk. Funk to me is timeless. Most of it is timeless. You could listen to it now. It doesn't seem too outdated, whereas some of the old rap maybe does you know? Um, he had songs like thank you, you know, and I loved how he would do. He would have like, uh, he would mix his song titles into. I don't know what you would call that, but for instance the song Thank you, let's see Thank you For Letting Me Be Myself, but it would be spelled out like. Thank you For Letting Me you know F-A-L. I was looking for letting me you know F-A-L. I was looking for the spelling F-A-L-E-T-T-I-N-M-E. Thank you for letting me. And then it wouldF again A-G-N. So that was pretty clever. But the song was funky. Fingers start shaking. I can't run.
Speaker 4:Bullets start chasing. I'd be good to stop.
Speaker 1:Fast forwarded to where they sing that line. Thank you for letting me be myself. That's a cool tune, though Skip on in the palace May have skipped it. Be my, there we go. Thank you for letting me be myself. That's a cool tune, though I may have skipped it. There we go. I love that bass. So good. Be myself again. So good. Another one that Sly did. This was always just such a great song. This was always one of my very favorites by Sly and the Family Stone Got played on the radio all the time. This has that sound. It's kind of a subtle, just it's the family affair.
Speaker 4:It's the family affair. It's the family affair. It's the family affair. One child grows up to be Somebody that just loves to learn. Another child grows up to be Somebody you just love to burn. Mom loves the, both of them. You see, it's in the blood. Both kids are good and bound. Blood's thicker than the mud. It's a family affair.
Speaker 1:It's a family affair Got played on the radio all the time All the time. By's the family affair All the time. By the way, when you listen to Sly, I was talking about how much I love the bass player, if you listen to. Thank you For Letting Me Be Myself. We were just listening to that one, just listening to that I mentioned I like the bass. I did want to mention that that is Larry Graham playing the bass, who is known as one of the great bass players of all time. All night long, everyday, people Sing the simple song.
Speaker 4:Mama's so happy, mama starts to cry. Papa's still singing. Can't make you get tired.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he's got that signature bass sound, larry Graham, you know. By the way, Sly Stone was from Vallejo, california, right here in Northern California. Yeah, they tied together that soul, that psychedelic rock. They had, well, everyday People. That was a huge hit for them. You know, it was kind of it was very upbeat.
Speaker 4:You know, I just love that there is a blue one who can't accept a green one for living with a fat one trying to be a skinny one.
Speaker 1:I just love that. You know different strokes for different folks. Scooby-dooby-doo. We got to live together and yeah, that was a good upbeat message in that song. You know he fell on hard times later in his life. Sly did. There's another song I want to play by him coming up, the one that I always think of that. I'm sure no one else. I don't know how many people do think of it, but it's always been one of my favorites. It was not a hit and there's something very unique about it. By the way, sly and the Family Stone performed at Woodstock as well. They took the stage in the early morning hours of August 17th 1969. The set was widely considered one of the most powerful performances of the festival.
Speaker 5:They played.
Speaker 1:I Want to Take you, and here's the radio ad. I think this is 1967. I think this is a Hera. I think this is Hera. I think this is a Hera, I think this is Hera.
Speaker 6:Let's see Sly and the Family Stone.
Speaker 4:And the end.
Speaker 7:You'll still be you.
Speaker 5:One that's done all the things you'll set out to do.
Speaker 6:And Spirit. Wow, that's right. Squack Productions announces another in its series of rock extravaganzas Sly and the Family, stone and Spirit together on the same bill, saturday night, may 17th at Dayton's Hera Arena.
Speaker 6:The day after my birthday Tickets at $3.50, 550 are on sale now at the University of Cincinnati Student Union desk, the Shaker Plain at 37 Calhoun Street, and at Globe Records in the Western Hills Plaza. Sly and the family stone and spirit saturday night, may 17th, at dayton's harrah arena. It's going to be benign insanity another eruption from squack productions, which is dedicated to the idea that what this country needs is a bigger and better rock concert exactly, wow, and you know, uh, this is what's very, uh much of interest to me is that sly was also a radio dj at ksol radio.
Speaker 1:Uh, so how about a little sly stone on the radio, since radio is near and dear to my heart?
Speaker 7:here you go, slice stone this portion of the soul sounds of ksol radio is being brought to you by the house of music record shop at 84 17 east 14 street in oakland where they are having the 59 cent sales. All the records you are now hearing are on sale for just 59 cents. Just listen to the top tunes you can get for just 59 cents. Just listen to the top tunes you can get for just 59 cents at the House of Music.
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Speaker 5:In Oakland. That's better.
Speaker 7:that's better Smokey wait, your turn, man, this portion of the Soul, soul, the host of music.
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Speaker 5:Yeah, well, look at it one time, baby. Look at it. Dig it for what it is because it's the fang Lou Courtney at it. Dig it for what it is because it's the fang Lou Courtney Walking funny lately, feeling bad, all tight and drawn up in the stomach. It's because of Well, listen closely.
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Speaker 1:Yeah, wow, wow, love that era. So as Sly and the Family Stone got more and more successful, problems started up with the band. Relationships within the band were deteriorating. I just mentioned Larry Graham on that unique slappy bass. There was particularly friction between him and the Stone Brothers by the way it used to be, the original name was Sly and the Stoners. But even Epic Records requested more of a marketable output. The Black Panther Party demanded that Sly Stone make his music more militant, more reflective of the black power movement. He's just singing uniting people.
Speaker 1:They became very heavy into drugs, stone and his bandmates, in 1969, after moving to LA, particularly cocaine and PCP of all things. That became the focus. Unfortunately, sly Stone at one point actually carried around a violin case filled with illegal drugs wherever he went. And then, between summer of 67 and fall of 71, the recording of the band started to well. Prior to that it started to slow down. I should say Between 69 and 71, they released just one single, which was Thank you for Let Me Be Myself and everybody's a star. But then, you know, and then again, larry Graham, it showcased Larry Graham's slapping bass technique. And then again, larry Graham, it showcased Larry Graham's slapping bass technique and he developed this technique he once said in an earlier band, in order to compensate for the band's lack of a drummer, and he kept that style which has become legendary so. But then drugs start to take a, take their toll within the band and then sly kind of goes off the deep end, unfortunately, and the band just breaks up. You know, it just breaks up, breaks up by the mid-70s. Sly Stone's drug use, his erratic behavior, basically just ended the group and it just kind of came to an end, left him to record several unsuccessful solo albums. He did collaborate with, like Parliament, funkadelic with, I think, bobby Womack. He was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame In 1971, he released the record there's a riot going on and that album I had.
Speaker 1:I was a little kid and I was already digging Sly and the Family Stone and this album I remember it had a excuse me, it had a flag, american flag. It had, oh God, family Affair was on that one Anyhow, but it had this song on here that I always gravitated towards and it is the only song. It's a deep cut on this record and it's the only song and it really displays Sly's sound, this very unique sound, at least in my mind it does. But it's the only kind of rock, funkadelic, psychedelic soul song that I'm aware of where it also includes yodeling. You don't hear a lot of yodeling in funk and psychedelic funk and soul. Listen to Larry Graham on the bass, here you go, and listen to Sly Stone's words. You can barely you just kind of. It's called Spaced Cowboy, that's Peeps 278.
Speaker 1:Thank you. I love that. Everything I like is nice. That's why I have to have it twice. Well, once I saw a boy, it was a social war. I still dig this tune man, I had a man.
Speaker 5:He tried to pass around out of the film.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to my podcast. I hope I feel better. I'll be on the radio tonight, maybe Possibly. All right, get all fired up again. See you on the next one, which will be hopefully tomorrow, past Peeps 279. Until then, see you on the radio, thank you.
