{"id":399,"date":"2011-05-29T08:41:47","date_gmt":"2011-05-29T12:41:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp\/2011\/05\/gil_scott-heron_hard-eyed_real\/"},"modified":"2011-05-29T08:41:47","modified_gmt":"2011-05-29T12:41:47","slug":"gil_scott-heron_hard-eyed_real","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2011\/05\/gil_scott-heron_hard-eyed_real.html","title":{"rendered":"Gil Scott-Heron, hard-eyed realist, dead of self-inflicted escapism"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gil Scott-Heron, dead at age 62, was a poet, prophet and spokesperson<\/a> of the black urban American experience. A merciless and unsentimental truth-teller when he emerged on the scene in the ’70s, by telling Afro-identified kids dancing to Motown and grooving on psychedelic rock that “the revolution will not be televised” he meant that the real revolution in Civil Rights and human conduct was not a show, that those who wanted to make it happen or enjoy its results had to liberate themselves from sitting on the couch zoning out, that there was dirty work ahead.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n


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I heard him in 1970 at Colgate University on a bill with the Last Poets<\/a> — one reason why the rise of poetry slams and rap didn’t seem like anything new to me when they came along a decade later. I didn’t listen to him much, but I heard and mostly respected what he had to say — and anyway, Scott-Heron’s message wasn’t aimed at me. I admire that he reached his target audience, without compromising his vision.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
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\nScott-Heron, rather like Miles Davis in On The Corner<\/a><\/i>, predicated the blaxploitation film esthetic, hardcore funk of the later ’70s and ghetto lit (pace the great Chester Himes<\/a> and lesser if more popular Iceberg Slim<\/a>). He inspired rappers to look at the gangsterism and other real-life extremism around them, and to relate the unforgiving experiences of a still-with-us underclass to a critical, political point of view.<\/span><\/p>\n


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It’s surprising to read in his obituaries<\/a> about Scott-Heron had a relatively privileged (but probably no less conflicted) personal background — but on second thought not so surprising, because only the well-read will think that words, whether poetry or prose, can change the world. Unfortunately his identification with tell-it-like-it-is analysis and gritty street life became so unrelenting he succumbed to its self-destructive escape routes, specifically the addictive crack pipe. <\/span><\/div>\n

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As big city America recovered from its ’70s economic scrabble, Americans “of color” did find ways to move in greater numbers into the middleclass mainstream society, and rap turned into advertisements for bling and corporate king-making. Scott-Heron stood outside that, marginalized as a Ezekial<\/a>-on-the-mean-streets. A dissenter, he scorned the complacency of the multitude. But he could not survive the ravages that have eaten away the core of old school oppositional American culture. He was no self-healing Oprah or bridge-building Obama. So he basically killed himself after rendering his poetic voice irrelevant, unable to adapt, drowned in illusory sensation.<\/s><\/span> I’ve had second thoughts about this. See next post.)<\/span><\/div>\n

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Compare him to Amiri Baraka<\/a>, the staunch anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist, anti-racist who’s managed to reap grants, prizes and honors, or the Last Poets themselves, who keep the faith as veterans of genuine and oh-so-rhythmic cutting edge black American perspectives.<\/span><\/div>\n
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Gil Scott Heron was a man who made an incontrovertible choice to cast a cold, clear eye on society, and for that he should be listened to, remembered. That he couldn’t see or wouldn’t do anything about his own self-imposed afflictions is rather tragic. The story of a grim realist who takes refuge personal failings rather than facing up to them seems like a subject the poet, prophet and spokesperson Gil Scott-Heron would have grasped and railed on at first glance.<\/span><\/div>\n

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Gil Scott-Heron, dead at age 62, was a poet, prophet and spokesperson of the black urban American experience. A merciless and unsentimental truth-teller when he emerged on the scene in the ’70s, by telling Afro-identified kids dancing to Motown and grooving on psychedelic rock that “the revolution will not be televised” he meant that the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[297,1279,1277,1280,1275,1278,1276,196],"class_list":{"0":"post-399","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-main","7":"tag-on-the-corner","8":"tag-amiri-baraka","9":"tag-black-nationalism","10":"tag-chester-himes","11":"tag-gil-scott-heron","12":"tag-iceberg-slim","13":"tag-last-poets","14":"tag-miles-davis","15":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1i3CL-6r","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":400,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2011\/05\/more_on_scott-heron_-_artist.html","url_meta":{"origin":399,"position":0},"title":"More on Scott-Heron — artist in the American tradition","author":"Howard Mandel","date":"May 29, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"I turned to the recordings of Gil Scott-Heron after writing that he should have and did known better than to abuse drugs as he did, leading to his decline and demise. They make me ever more impressed with his scope and intensity, in both long ago and recent work. His\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "main"","block_context":{"text":"main","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/category\/main"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":978,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2012\/07\/short-list-2013-nea-jazz-masters-announced-my-guy-won.html","url_meta":{"origin":399,"position":1},"title":"Short list: 2013 NEA Jazz Masters announced (My guy won!)","author":"Howard Mandel","date":"July 18, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Last January during the NEA Jazz Masters ceremonies at Lincoln Center, I blogged \"Who should \u00c2\u00a0the next NEA Jazz Masters be?\"\u00c2\u00a0and wrote, \"My own list of deserving nominees -- it starts with Eddie Palmieri.\" Today the NEA announced \u00c2\u00a0its\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0Jazz Masters of 2013\u00c2\u00a0-- Eddie Palmieri! -- pianist-composer-arranger-bandleader and spokesman known as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "main"","block_context":{"text":"main","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/category\/main"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":321,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2010\/06\/yesteryears_jazz-beyond-jazz_t.html","url_meta":{"origin":399,"position":2},"title":"Miles’ beyond jazz, today and tomorrow","author":"Howard Mandel","date":"June 21, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Miles Davis is still at it -- in Prospect Park, the Highline Ballroom, (le) Poisson Rouge, Carefusion Jazz Festival's Carnegie Hall concerts, also overflowing the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts,\u00c2\u00a0as per\u00c2\u00a0my City Arts - New York\u00c2\u00a0column and enriching the glorious Festival International de Jazz de Montreal (June 25 - July\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "main"","block_context":{"text":"main","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/category\/main"},"img":{"alt_text":"Thumbnail image for images.jpeg","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/assets_c\/2010\/03\/images-thumb-106x125-13689.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":954,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2012\/07\/funding-jazz-projects-kickstarter-and-other-pleas.html","url_meta":{"origin":399,"position":3},"title":"Funding jazz projects: Kickstarter and other pleas","author":"Howard Mandel","date":"July 8, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Do-it-yourself practicalities pertain to serious jazz projects -- artists whatever their art form do what they must to fund their projects. Hence\u00c2\u00a0Kickstarter, the platform that seems to have become the functional alternative to asking wealthy patrons to underwrite expeditions, experiments and print folios.\u00c2\u00a0That model worked for Columbus, Edison and Audubon,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "main"","block_context":{"text":"main","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/category\/main"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/electric-ascension.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":159,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2009\/02\/al_green_and_sonny_rollins_now.html","url_meta":{"origin":399,"position":4},"title":"Al Green and Sonny Rollins, now and then","author":"Howard Mandel","date":"February 14, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Al Green, age 62, won two Grammy awards last week \u00c2\u00a0-- Best R&B Performance by a Duo for \"Stay with Me (By the Sea)\"\u00c2\u00a0and Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance for \"You've Got The Love I Need\" -- and of course out-classed Justin Timberlake on the televised award program singing his\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "main"","block_context":{"text":"main","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/category\/main"},"img":{"alt_text":"Picture of: Road Shows, Vol. 1","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bbc.co.uk\/music\/jazz\/release\/images\/jp_sonny_roadshows_140.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":168,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2009\/03\/pbs_fundraising_week_jazz_soul.html","url_meta":{"origin":399,"position":5},"title":"PBS fundraising week: jazz & soul tv abounds","author":"Howard Mandel","date":"March 11, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"What gets New Yorkers to watch and\/or contribute to PBS? Jazz, blues, r&b -- American vernacular music, of course. I assume it's time for\u00c2\u00a0WLIW's spring fundraiser, for instance, because \"New York Public Television\" has scheduled for one evening (March 11) of prime time the smooth r&b couple Ashford and Simpson\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "main"","block_context":{"text":"main","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/category\/main"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"http:\/\/tbn0.google.com\/images?q=tbn:5ORQ93UF_SI9NM:http:\/\/kjzz.org\/music\/interviews\/2008\/chrisbottiview\/Botti1.jpg","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/399","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=399"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/399\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=399"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=399"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=399"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}