Gil Scott-Heron (1949-2011)

It's always sad to hear of the passing of a legend - someone whose work you value (and in this case love). But I have wondered about how to approach eulogising Gil Scott-Heron (he died on Friday, May 27 - the news reaching New Zealand on Saturday afternoon).  You see, in some ways, I said all I wanted to say about him with this post here written just over a year ago, timed to celebrate the release of his comeback album I'm New Here.

And then, just a few short months ago, I wrote this, timed to celebrate the remix/reimagining of that album, the collaboration with Jamie XX titled We're New Here.

In that original post - which I called The Anger and Poetry of Gil Scott-Heron (I believe those were the two prominent facets of his life and work) - I told you all about how I got to hear Gil Scott-Heron. I told you about Paul Ubana Jones' amazing a cappella take on Home Is Where the Hatred Is and how that sent me out to grab this brilliant compilation album. (I consider it a must-have for any music collection.)

I told you about how that performance by Paul and that album (I just linked to again above) then also sent me out to get this book. (I consider it a must-have for any book/poetry collection.)

For the last 15 years Gil Scott-Heron's music has flicked in and out of my life. It's been important. It's been amazing. The classic, early tracks (Whitey on the Moon, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised) are still relevant; stunning examples of performance-poetry and the obvious antecedents for hip-hop.

He deserved, as a result, every epithet along the lines of the "Godfather of Rap" and "the black Bob Dylan" varieties.

There's a run of amazing albums from Gil Scott-Heron and partner-in-rhyme Brian Jackson. Jackson is perhaps underwritten in the Gil Scott story, possibly due to their falling out. But as band-leader and musical strategist he was/is an important figure.

Gil Scott-Heron was never just a poet though - never just a political proto-rapper. He was a musician. His love (and knowledge) of jazz and blues and soul came through in the early performances both lyrically and musically. His knowledge of the distinct black forms of music continued to inform his music.

You could pick any/all of Gil Scott-Heron's albums from 1970's debut, Small Talk at 125th and Lennox, through to 1977's It's Your World and you'd find some magic. You should - if you have not - definitely pick up one of the compilations.

From there he slowed down. Life caught up. I still like 1981's Reflections and, especially, 1982's Moving Target. The anger was on fire, flaming hard against Ronald Regan and the politics of the day.

There's plenty to like about 1994's Spirits too - it might not be vital but it's not terrible.

If you are open to the music, and interested, it's fair to say that Gil Scott-Heron didn't really make a bad album. There are no terrible embarrassments in his discography. But there is a giant break - a hiatus from 1994 through to 2010.

In that time Gil Scott-Heron fell victim to the drugs that he had, in the past, spoken out about in songs and poems. He went from being the preacher and teacher to the subject of one of his verse and/or choruses.

It's part of the contradiction that informs the anger and poetry of Gil Scott-Heron.

When I heard that he had died I did the quick-eulogy of the internet age. I mentioned it on Facebook and Twitter. I posted YouTube clips too.

Later, I took in the fact that he had just turned 62. He looked like he had 10 years on that. Easily.

I couldn't - exactly - be sad. He was sick. He had been sick for a while. Life had more than caught up. Gil Scott-Heron did get the chance - which so many do not. He got the career-comeback while he was alive. He didn't suffer the near-indignity of what amounts to simply posthumous lip-service. He actually created a stunning album. One of his finest. And saw it released. He did interviews again - and saw his name introduced to a new generation.

Someone from that new generation then took the music and turned it into something else - something that stands up as its own thing, that also pays tribute to the original source and the original creator; something that might well be the touchstone for Gil Scott-Heron for Generation Y and younger. The point of entry that then sends them back to the early magic.

His novels were reissued - they'll be picked up now and studied for further clues about this life - about this anger, about this poetry.

So in that sense it's hard to be sad. There was, it seems, almost never any peace in this man's life. Maybe he's just (finally) achieved that.

...junkie walking through the twilight/I'm on my way home/I left three days ago, but no one/seems to know I'm gone/Home is where the hatred is/Home is filled with pain and it,
might not be such a bad idea if I never, never went home again

So I wrote this for you to comment - I know that's always the point of a blog-post. But what I mean here is that I have already paid tribute to Gil Scott-Heron in my other posts (included here for you to click back and see if you missed them before or would like to revisit). But please add your comments about the man and his music.

When did you discover him? What are your favourite pieces, songs, albums? Were you a fan of his voice on record only? Or did you read his words for the page? Did you discover him through name-dropped references in hip-hop? Were you listening to him before there was ever anything called rap? Or are you not a fan at all?

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