More music to pimp!
On Steve Earle’s album "The Revolution Starts Now "it begins with Gil-Scott Heron’s piece "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised ". So we go from a leftist redneck to a leftist Rapper. Gil-Scott Heron creates some beautiful & passionate music often as not with a social/political message.
Here’s some bits of info on Gil-Scott Heron gleaned from websites which you should checkout :
Malcolm X, Gil Scott-Heron and Stevie Wonder -And check out:
Speeches
http://www.gilscottheron.com/
Talk The Talk, Walk The Walk, Gil
Scott-Heron
Fri, January 26, 2001
Jacquelyn Pope - Sonicnet
" Gil
Scott-Heron, proto-rapper and pianist, prime influence on hip-hop, creates a
synthesis of soul, jazz and poetry that is quite unlike anything else around.
Invigorated by righteous anger and biting wit, his recordings have lost none of
their vividness or urgency over the 30 years he's been making them. The first
releases in a planned series of reissues from TVT offer proof (if any was
needed) of his enduring power- and how the more things change, the more they
stay the same. "
Gil Scott-Heron Portrait of a Jazz
Man
http://home.clara.net/giaco/gil/
"Gil Scott-Heron was born
in Chicago on April 1st 1949. He attended Lincoln and John Hopkins University.
He wrote two novels. The Vulture and The Nigger Factory. He met Brian Jackson,
his frequent collaborator. Gil Scott-Heron began playing keyboards and, teaming
up with Brian Jackson, setting his political poetry to a jazz-funk fusion. First
releases were on the Flying Dutchman label in the 70's.
During the 1970s and
1980's for Arista label, Scott-Heron released twelve albums. Then, after a
twelve-year break, he signed with TVT Records and released Spirits in 1993. The
first cut of this album, "Message To The Messenger," is a warning to today’s
rappers, urging them to take responsibility in their art and in their
communities. Since then, he has played to sell-out crowds all over the world,
performing at major festivals in England; including Glastonbury ...."
Here are the lyrics of "The Revolution Will Not be Televised " by Gil-Scott Heron:
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
You will not be able to stay home, brother.
You will not be able to plug in, turn on and cop out.
You will not be able to lose yourself on skag and skip,
Skip out for beer during commercials,
Because the revolution will not be televised.
The revolution will not be televised.
The revolution will not be brought to you by Xerox
In 4 parts without commercial interruptions.
The revolution will not show you pictures of Nixon
blowing a bugle and leading a charge by John
Mitchell, General Abrams and Spiro Agnew to eat
hog maws confiscated from a Harlem sanctuary.
The revolution will not be televised.
The revolution will not be brought to you by the
Schaefer Award Theatre and will not star Natalie
Woods and Steve McQueen or Bullwinkle and Julia.
The revolution will not give your mouth sex appeal.
The revolution will not get rid of the nubs.
The revolution will not make you look five pounds
thinner, because the revolution will not be televised, Brother.
There will be no pictures of you and Willie May
pushing that shopping cart down the block on the dead run,
or trying to slide that color television into a stolen ambulance.
NBC will not be able predict the winner at 8:32
or report from 29 districts.
The revolution will not be televised.
There will be no pictures of pigs shooting down
brothers in the instant replay.
There will be no pictures of pigs shooting down
brothers in the instant replay.
There will be no pictures of Whitney Young being
run out of Harlem on a rail with a brand new process.
There will be no slow motion or still life of Roy
Wilkens strolling through Watts in a Red, Black and
Green liberation jumpsuit that he had been saving
For just the proper occasion.
Green Acres, The Beverly Hillbillies, and Hooterville
Junction will no longer be so damned relevant, and
women will not care if Dick finally gets down with
Jane on Search for Tomorrow because Black people
will be in the street looking for a brighter day.
The revolution will not be televised.
There will be no highlights on the eleven o'clock
news and no pictures of hairy armed women
liberationists and Jackie Onassis blowing her nose.
The theme song will not be written by Jim Webb,
Francis Scott Key, nor sung by Glen Campbell, Tom
Jones, Johnny Cash, Englebert Humperdink, or the Rare Earth.
The revolution will not be televised.
The revolution will not be right back after a message
about a white tornado, white lightning, or white people.
You will not have to worry about a dove in your
bedroom, a tiger in your tank, or the giant in your toilet bowl.
The revolution will not go better with Coke.
The revolution will not fight the germs that may cause bad breath.
The revolution will put you in the driver's seat.
The revolution will not be televised, will not be televised,
will not be televised, will not be televised.
The revolution will be no re-run brothers;
The revolution will be live.
------------
And here are the lyrics from the Ironic & satirical "Whitey On the Moon":
Whitey on the Moon
A rat done bit my sister Nell.
(with Whitey on the moon)
Her face and arms began to swell.
(and Whitey's on the moon)
I can't pay no doctor bill.
(but Whitey's on the moon)
Ten years from now I'll be payin' still.
(while Whitey's on the moon)
The man jus' upped my rent las' night.
('cause Whitey's on the moon)
No hot water, no toilets, no lights.
(but Whitey's on the moon)
I wonder why he's uppi' me?
('cause Whitey's on the moon?)
I wuz already payin' 'im fifty a week.
(with Whitey on the moon)
Taxes takin' my whole damn check,
Junkies makin' me a nervous wreck,
The price of food is goin' up,
An' as if all that shit wuzn't enough:
A rat done bit my sister Nell.
(with Whitey on the moon)
Her face an' arm began to swell.
(but Whitey's on the moon)
Was all that money I made las' year
(for Whitey on the moon?)
How come there ain't no money here?
(Hmm! Whitey's on the moon)
Y'know I jus' 'bout had my fill
(of Whitey on the moon)
I think I'll sen' these doctor bills,
Airmail special
(to Whitey on the moon)
There are about 15 music/ poetry reading videos of Gil-Scott Heron on YouTube & a couple of interviews.
at You Tube
" THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED "
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTCQSk2l8bc
and Winter in America
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGlRsjHTkbs
and Working For Peace
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88SkWMdIo6o
and interview on BBC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbnBafZnNUI
Anyway check out the videos & if necessary you may be able to find a collection of his music on the Net as it were.
Bye for now,
GORD.
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