RIP Gil Scott-Heron

William Haskins

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Gil Scott-Heron, whose late 1960s and early '70s poetry set to rhythmic jazz music, especially "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised," was one of the most important and obvious inspirations for rap music, has died, according to his British publisher.

The poet and musician, who had long struggled with drug addiction, had in the past two years returned into the public eye with an acclaimed solo recording, "I'm New Here," and a follow-up remix album done by Jamie xx of the British group the XX. Scott-Heron was 62.

Last year the New Yorker published a reverent but heartbreaking profile of Scott-Heron by Alec Wilkinson. Written after Scott-Heron had recorded "I'm New Here" but after he had relapsed and was smoking crack openly in front of the reporter, the story traced his rise, his fall and his influence.

In an interview for the feature, bassist Ron Carter, who played on "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised," described Scott-Heron's allure: "He wasn't a great singer, but with that voice, if he had whispered it would have been dynamic. It was a voice like you would have for Shakespeare."

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2011/05/gil-scott-heron-dies.html
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Without Gil Scott-Heron would rap music been born? Probably, but without the social consciousness, Black pride and positivity that was once standard and now seems merely quaint.

Scott-Heron personified the cliché of the "tortured artist" and it's sad a brother who spoke with such eloquence about the downward spiral alcohol and drug addiction leads to was pretty much wrecked due to his crack habit.

In 2009, Scott-Heron gave an interview to The Washington Post where he declared the revolution had occurred with the election of Barack Obama.

Q. In the early 1970s, you came out with "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised," about the erosion of democracy in America. You all but predicted that there would be a revolution in which a brainwashed nation would come to its senses. What do you think now? Did we have a revolution?

A. Yes, the election of President Obama was the revolution.

But that was televised. You said in the poem, "NBC will not be able to predict . . . or report from 29 districts. The revolution will not be televised." But NBC and every other TV network station did just that.

The revolution was a change in thinking, people changing their hearts and minds. This country was at a crossroads and could have gone either way. But the people stopped taking whatever was being handed to them at face value; they stopped putting up with the status quo and started thinking for themselves. The revolution is a mental thing. You did not see it televised.

So what do you think of Obama so far? Already, some on the political left are accusing him of bending over so far to please the political right that he's coming awful close to kissing his own behind, so to speak.

Give him time to make his mark. He's like a young rapper working to find his voice. Don't judge him by his first CD. Remember, Obama did not get us into this mess. You might not agree with his solutions, but there were no solutions before he took office.

You were paroled in May 2007 after serving 10 months for violating a plea agreement in a cocaine possession case. Before that, in 2002, you got caught with some cocaine and did time in prison. Songs like "Angel Dust" and "Home Is Where the Hatred Is" seem to have foreshadowed a drug problem, as well as health problems caused by drugs. For instance, "Home is where I live inside my white powder dreams/Home was once an empty vacuum that's now filled with my silent screams." Is that true?

If you meet somebody who never made a mistake, you help them start a religion. I make mistakes. I got caught with $25 worth of cocaine on an airplane in 2003 and did time for that. But I don't see that making me out to be some Pablo Escobar. Until everybody who has a drink and drives gets their names on a list made up by Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, I think they ought to leave people alone for possessing cocaine and marijuana. I'm not the guy who hit-and-runs while drunk or sneaks in your window and takes a television to feed a habit.
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Thursday was the 85th birthday of Miles Davis and I had already programmed my Grooveshark playlist for a night of all Miles. Guess now I'll have to modify it to mix in some Gil Scott-Heron as well.

:Thumbs:
 
Don

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R. I. P.

Radley Balko just reminded me of No Knock.

No knocked on my brother Fred Hampton
Bullet holes all over the place
No knocked on my brother Michael Harris
And jammed a shotgun against his skull

For my protection?
Who's gonna protect me from you?
The likes of you?
The nerve of you?
Your tomato face deadpan
Your dead hands ending another freedom fan
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Maryn

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I met him in the early 80s. I did not know he was a celebrity at the time. I rented him a car, made a little joke, got him laughing and making jokes back, so it took twice as long as it might have before he left the rental counter smiling.

Then one of the car wash guys comes running it. "Do you know who I just saw getting into one of our Cutlasses?"

So what I remember was that he was a nice-enough man who seemed content to be treated as an individual rather than a performer. Lots of other people in the entertainment field who rented our cars were horrid, self-important jerkwads, so the contrast was lovely.

Maryn, saddened to learn he's gone
 
Chicago Expat

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Maxinquaye said:
Guardian has an exclusive where you can listen to his last record:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2010/feb/02/gil-scott-heron-new-here
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And NPR's First Listen had it up for awhile, too. I'm hoping they put it back up. It was pretty well received.

Payback Press reissued a couple of his older books, a couple works of fiction, about, I dunno, ten years ago. I think they were originally on Old School. Anyways, well worth reading.

A person who influenced society through their art. That's pretty cool.

RIP.
 
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