Truly a one of a kind person, artist and performer. I saw him at SOB's two days before 9/11 which has always provided such an interesting layer when I think about how 9/11 affected me personally ("man ... what was going through your head two days later!"). Gil had such a gift for looking huge problems square in the eye and turning them into poetry and music without watering anything down for the audience. His work was intensely thought provoking and beautiful at the same time.
RIP
This clip from Black Wax is great:
The-gaffler said:
If anyone hasn't seen it, I can't recommend it enough:
One bad cat. He kept it going while his peers drifted to the wayside. Dude was a warrior throughout life.
Hearing this news kind of crushes me a little.
This was the first video I was thinking of when I heard the news yesterday. Made me smile to see him between Douglas and Childers Hall just standing with his boombox in front of the students. It's so hard to believe this he meant so much to me. He was my introduction to written word poetry, and it was his sly and subtle humor that kept me a fan of his. Even with sprinkles of gray in his hair, he always had a youtful attitude about him. Rest well, Gil.
I can't believe it, Gil just always seemed to be there, even when people counted him out. My bro saw him in the rain last year on a mud filled field with a few hundred other lucky souls. The next day he came over and was like "I just saw this dude with the most beautiful attitude..." He had never heard Gil before. I patted him on the back and directed to the GSH slot in the collection. It was a lot of fun to watch someone loose their shit discovering one of the greatest musical minds of the past century.
So much of what he said was true.
i dont remember, but do remember hearing this track at a very early stage, and just being totally blown away by the sheer power of the funk groove with the vocal, gil scott heron, one of the main forfathers, his music, definately a very important building block in the evolution of hip hop music!
There's nothing I can say that hasn't been said, but I will say this: I'm generally not the type of person who decides to listen to an artist's records the moment he or she dies. I listened to their music while they were still alive, and will continue to do so when I feel like it.
However, when the reports of his death were confirmed, I had to listen to "We Almost Lost Detroit" about two or three times in a row. The slow-burning mood of the song totally synched up with the way I felt right then.
Peace go with you, Brother Gil.
So many deep and soulful songs.
A huge inspiration to me since discovering his music as a teen.
Saw him live in '93. Spoke briefly to him backstage and got an autograph.
Only person I've ever asked for an autograph. Still have it.
DocMcCoy"Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,913 Posts
Nothing to say that hasn't been said, but I've gotta add something, because this is one totally unsurprising passing that has me really mourning...
There are certain artists you like, and some you just love... but, then there are others that I've found I describe as, "they were a really IMPORTANT artist for me." Like, there are certain artists who just change you, remold you, and once you hear them, you are a fundamentally different person from the one you were before they came into your life.
Gil Scott Heron was one of those for me, and it seems, a lot of people, which adds some sort of catharsis in his passing.
RIP to one of the most unique talents we'll ever see.
DK takes his turn to pay tribute to the legendary Gil Scott-Heron with a mix that highlights just a few personal favourites from his extensive career spanning 40 years. His music was influential to many and has been played on Solid Steel ever since the show started. We look at his early work from the 70???s with classics ???The Revolution Will Not Be Televised??? and ???Home Is Where the Hatred Is??? right up to his latest album ???I???m new here??? from last year and ending on the full 13 min live version of ???The Bottle???.
PART 3 + 4 - DK - Gil Scott-Heron tribute mix
Gil Scott-Heron _ Me & The Devil (NYC Orchestral version) _ XL
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson _ Peace Go With You. Brother _ Strata East
Gil Scott-Heron _ The Revolution Will Not Be Televised _ Flying Dutchman
Gil Scott-Heron _ Home Is Where the Hatred Is _ Flying Dutchman
Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie xx _ Jazz (Interlude) _ XL
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson _ It's Your World _ Arista
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson _ Racetrack In France _ Arista
Gil Scott-Heron _ Lady Day and John Coltrane _ Flying Dutchman
Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie xx _ I'm New Here _ XL
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson _ We Almost Lost Detroit _ Arista
Gil Scott-Heron _ On Coming from a Broken Home, Pt. 1 _ XL
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson _ Winter in America _ Arista
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson _ Johannesberg _ Arista
Gil Scott-Heron _ The Klan _ Arista
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson _ The Bottle (Live) _ Arista
Comments
RIP
This clip from Black Wax is great:
If anyone hasn't seen it, I can't recommend it enough:
This was the first video I was thinking of when I heard the news yesterday. Made me smile to see him between Douglas and Childers Hall just standing with his boombox in front of the students. It's so hard to believe this he meant so much to me. He was my introduction to written word poetry, and it was his sly and subtle humor that kept me a fan of his. Even with sprinkles of gray in his hair, he always had a youtful attitude about him. Rest well, Gil.
So much of what he said was true.
http://cosmobaker.com/2010/03/do-the-knowledge-gil-scott-heron/
I wrote this last night:
@cosmobaker: I'm not myself tonight. And Gil Scott-Heron is dead. My hero. Our American hero. Now even more so, not myself. RIP
i dont remember, but do remember hearing this track at a very early stage, and just being totally blown away by the sheer power of the funk groove with the vocal, gil scott heron, one of the main forfathers, his music, definately a very important building block in the evolution of hip hop music!
RIP
However, when the reports of his death were confirmed, I had to listen to "We Almost Lost Detroit" about two or three times in a row. The slow-burning mood of the song totally synched up with the way I felt right then.
So many deep and soulful songs.
A huge inspiration to me since discovering his music as a teen.
Saw him live in '93. Spoke briefly to him backstage and got an autograph.
Only person I've ever asked for an autograph. Still have it.
There are certain artists you like, and some you just love... but, then there are others that I've found I describe as, "they were a really IMPORTANT artist for me." Like, there are certain artists who just change you, remold you, and once you hear them, you are a fundamentally different person from the one you were before they came into your life.
Gil Scott Heron was one of those for me, and it seems, a lot of people, which adds some sort of catharsis in his passing.
RIP to one of the most unique talents we'll ever see.
http://chanceswithwolves.blogspot.com/2011/06/episode-154-gil-scott-heron-memorial.html
RIP
DK takes his turn to pay tribute to the legendary Gil Scott-Heron with a mix that highlights just a few personal favourites from his extensive career spanning 40 years. His music was influential to many and has been played on Solid Steel ever since the show started. We look at his early work from the 70???s with classics ???The Revolution Will Not Be Televised??? and ???Home Is Where the Hatred Is??? right up to his latest album ???I???m new here??? from last year and ending on the full 13 min live version of ???The Bottle???.
PART 3 + 4 - DK - Gil Scott-Heron tribute mix
Gil Scott-Heron _ Me & The Devil (NYC Orchestral version) _ XL
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson _ Peace Go With You. Brother _ Strata East
Gil Scott-Heron _ The Revolution Will Not Be Televised _ Flying Dutchman
Gil Scott-Heron _ Home Is Where the Hatred Is _ Flying Dutchman
Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie xx _ Jazz (Interlude) _ XL
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson _ It's Your World _ Arista
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson _ Racetrack In France _ Arista
Gil Scott-Heron _ Lady Day and John Coltrane _ Flying Dutchman
Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie xx _ I'm New Here _ XL
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson _ We Almost Lost Detroit _ Arista
Gil Scott-Heron _ On Coming from a Broken Home, Pt. 1 _ XL
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson _ Winter in America _ Arista
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson _ Johannesberg _ Arista
Gil Scott-Heron _ The Klan _ Arista
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson _ The Bottle (Live) _ Arista