Gil! Scott! Heron!
April 19, 2007 5:16 PM Subscribe
Love that guy. Good work Kattullus.
posted by empty commercial spaces at 5:32 PM on April 19, 2007
posted by empty commercial spaces at 5:32 PM on April 19, 2007
A few years ago I discovered "The Bottle", and while looking for more information about mr. Heron, I stumbled upon a mailing list that was about him.
The list was pretty weird, it was dominated by an ex wife of his bickering with his current girlfriend, and fans posting worried comments about his substance abuse.
posted by svenni at 5:51 PM on April 19, 2007
The list was pretty weird, it was dominated by an ex wife of his bickering with his current girlfriend, and fans posting worried comments about his substance abuse.
posted by svenni at 5:51 PM on April 19, 2007
Wow, I really liked the first one. Just everything, the long phrasing, the way the man made the saxamaphone scream, cry, and tell jokes, the plain talk and precise timing, and he had a smooth voice, too. Beyond lounge, cool cats, if you have the time, and a fro that just won't quit, check out this chilled out youtubery. Thanks for posting this.
posted by Area Control at 6:00 PM on April 19, 2007
posted by Area Control at 6:00 PM on April 19, 2007
I don't suppose you have some of those e-mails from the mailing list? That might be interesting.
Blessaður. Hvernig er veðrið á klakanum? :)
posted by Kattullus at 6:01 PM on April 19, 2007
Blessaður. Hvernig er veðrið á klakanum? :)
posted by Kattullus at 6:01 PM on April 19, 2007
[This is good.] Here's text and audio, Small Talk at 125th and Lenox. Oh, man: "Whitey on the Moon."
posted by steef at 6:02 PM on April 19, 2007
posted by steef at 6:02 PM on April 19, 2007
I was there. I was there at the first Can gig in Cologne.
Sorry.
posted by jokeefe at 6:41 PM on April 19, 2007 [1 favorite]
Sorry.
posted by jokeefe at 6:41 PM on April 19, 2007 [1 favorite]
jokeefe, you're losing your edge.
posted by synaesthetichaze at 7:02 PM on April 19, 2007
posted by synaesthetichaze at 7:02 PM on April 19, 2007
Sorry, losing-uh your edge-uh.
posted by synaesthetichaze at 7:03 PM on April 19, 2007
posted by synaesthetichaze at 7:03 PM on April 19, 2007
Oh man, Gil Scott-Heron is fantastic. In my band we used to play a version of "We Almost Lost Detroit."
If anyone complains or asks who is this Gil Scott-Heron that deserves an all you tube post have them click here.
posted by micayetoca at 7:17 PM on April 19, 2007
If anyone complains or asks who is this Gil Scott-Heron that deserves an all you tube post have them click here.
posted by micayetoca at 7:17 PM on April 19, 2007
"The Subject Was Faggots" always made me find it difficult to truly like Heron. It is uncomfortable to support someone who writes a song like that.
The same thing happened when I learned about David Allen Coe's infamous and absurdly racist albums. He was my favorite outlaw country musician from the 70's, and now I feel weird when I listen to him.
And then there is Morrisey's "Bengali in Platforms."
posted by Falconetti at 7:46 PM on April 19, 2007
The same thing happened when I learned about David Allen Coe's infamous and absurdly racist albums. He was my favorite outlaw country musician from the 70's, and now I feel weird when I listen to him.
And then there is Morrisey's "Bengali in Platforms."
posted by Falconetti at 7:46 PM on April 19, 2007
"The Subject Was Faggots" always made me find it difficult to truly like Heron. It is uncomfortable to support someone who writes a song like that.
There was that other song too, about "white thighs" and black men pursuing white women. That was uncomfortable too.
I still love The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, and seeing him perform in 1984 was fantastic, though. And "Whitey on the Moon"! Brilliant. And "Johannesburg", too.
jokeefe, you're losing your edge.
Sigh, all too true.
to the art-school Brooklynites in little jackets and borrowed nostalgia for the unremembered eighties.
posted by jokeefe at 7:59 PM on April 19, 2007
There was that other song too, about "white thighs" and black men pursuing white women. That was uncomfortable too.
I still love The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, and seeing him perform in 1984 was fantastic, though. And "Whitey on the Moon"! Brilliant. And "Johannesburg", too.
jokeefe, you're losing your edge.
Sigh, all too true.
to the art-school Brooklynites in little jackets and borrowed nostalgia for the unremembered eighties.
posted by jokeefe at 7:59 PM on April 19, 2007
I have to say that this is the closest I have come to really liking music that prominently features a saxophone as its main instrument.
posted by !Jim at 10:46 PM on April 19, 2007
posted by !Jim at 10:46 PM on April 19, 2007
White thighs? I think you're thinking of The Last Poets. I'm a big fan of both Gil Scott and Last Poets, having followed them since I was in junior high in the 80s. The "white thighs" makes me think immediately of LP's "(cough)s are Scared of Revolution."
posted by CommonSense at 10:52 PM on April 19, 2007
posted by CommonSense at 10:52 PM on April 19, 2007
GSH is awesome. Winter In America, Ain't no such Thing as a Superman, so good.
posted by juv3nal at 11:25 PM on April 19, 2007
posted by juv3nal at 11:25 PM on April 19, 2007
Okay people. Sometimes it sucks, yes. But jazz isn't always bad. Sometimes jazz is our friend. So ya gotta quit using it as a derogatory term or you'll make me angry.
You wouldn't like me when I'm angry... [starts turning a lovely shade of green]
posted by miss lynnster at 11:34 PM on April 19, 2007 [1 favorite]
You wouldn't like me when I'm angry... [starts turning a lovely shade of green]
posted by miss lynnster at 11:34 PM on April 19, 2007 [1 favorite]
[starts turning a lovely shade of green]
Uh-oh. I thinks she's gonna rip her top off.
posted by chillmost at 11:58 PM on April 19, 2007
Uh-oh. I thinks she's gonna rip her top off.
posted by chillmost at 11:58 PM on April 19, 2007
Oh no no... the weather changed so it's far too cold for that silliness now.
posted by miss lynnster at 12:05 AM on April 20, 2007
posted by miss lynnster at 12:05 AM on April 20, 2007
One of the first concerts I ever saw. In, believe it or not, New Hampshire. I still ocassionally randomly thank my mom for bringing me to that.
posted by lumpenprole at 12:07 AM on April 20, 2007
posted by lumpenprole at 12:07 AM on April 20, 2007
In the same vein as the first comment here the Kleptones mixed together a song called Revolverution (right click, save target as) with lyrics including
"The revolution will be brought to you by Apple Mac and PC World, with Nokia and Motorola providing SMS updates."
"The revolution will operate a job share, or flexitime option so you can have it at your leisure because the revolution will be digitised."
"The revolution will have a new twist, sponsored by Levis, with a sticker campaign written in an illegible graffiti style font."
It ends, as you'd expect, with the Italian version of supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Top notch stuff.
posted by muthecow at 1:15 AM on April 20, 2007 [1 favorite]
"The revolution will be brought to you by Apple Mac and PC World, with Nokia and Motorola providing SMS updates."
"The revolution will operate a job share, or flexitime option so you can have it at your leisure because the revolution will be digitised."
"The revolution will have a new twist, sponsored by Levis, with a sticker campaign written in an illegible graffiti style font."
It ends, as you'd expect, with the Italian version of supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Top notch stuff.
posted by muthecow at 1:15 AM on April 20, 2007 [1 favorite]
You wouldn't like me when I'm angry...
Gigantic, muscular arms sprout from the waistband of miss lynnster's trousers.
posted by Eideteker at 3:48 AM on April 20, 2007
Gigantic, muscular arms sprout from the waistband of miss lynnster's trousers.
posted by Eideteker at 3:48 AM on April 20, 2007
The revolution will not be ...downloaded?
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:19 AM on April 20, 2007
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:19 AM on April 20, 2007
I first saw GSH on Saturday Night Live. Tell me What's the word?- Johannesburgg! When was that 197?? Thanks for the post. I had to go to iTunes and get a few GSH tunes.
posted by Gungho at 7:05 AM on April 20, 2007
posted by Gungho at 7:05 AM on April 20, 2007
My man! And that applies to both GSH and the worthy Kattullus. Don't let me hear any complaints about "YouTube posts"—this stuff is making me very happy.
posted by languagehat at 8:16 AM on April 20, 2007
posted by languagehat at 8:16 AM on April 20, 2007
White thighs? I think you're thinking of The Last Poets
You're absolutely right; my regrets.
*back to the GSH lurve*
posted by jokeefe at 11:04 AM on April 20, 2007
You're absolutely right; my regrets.
*back to the GSH lurve*
posted by jokeefe at 11:04 AM on April 20, 2007
OK, having watched that Hardtalk interview (third link), I'm freshly pissed off at TV interviewers. What an annoying woman: "No, really, rap is evil isn't it? Admit it!!" I have even more respect for GSH than I did before for keeping his cool so admirably. Note to reporters: it's stupid using the same bullying approach to artists that you would use to axe murderers or (outside the US) to politicians. It just makes you look like a jerk.
posted by languagehat at 11:20 AM on April 20, 2007
posted by languagehat at 11:20 AM on April 20, 2007
I have to say that this is the closest I have come to really liking music that prominently features a saxophone as its main instrument.
posted by !Jim
Ha!! I thought I was alone in that. Every time I say I don't particularly like saxophone people look at me like I was a lawyer from Harvard who shouldn't be expressing opinions about music. And yeah, GSH and Los Tigres del Norte (completely unrelated) are two of very few musicians who I don't mind that they use so much saxophone.
posted by micayetoca at 12:34 PM on April 20, 2007
posted by !Jim
Ha!! I thought I was alone in that. Every time I say I don't particularly like saxophone people look at me like I was a lawyer from Harvard who shouldn't be expressing opinions about music. And yeah, GSH and Los Tigres del Norte (completely unrelated) are two of very few musicians who I don't mind that they use so much saxophone.
posted by micayetoca at 12:34 PM on April 20, 2007
In 1972, I thought he was awesome. My black roommate would snicker at me when he (or the Last Poets) would dis Whitey.
In 1982 I saw him live and he had some crappy loud electric guitarist and I gave up on him.
But the interview...what an intelligent and evolved human being.
And Winter in America, yes, one of the best songs of all time.
posted by kozad at 5:06 PM on April 20, 2007
In 1982 I saw him live and he had some crappy loud electric guitarist and I gave up on him.
But the interview...what an intelligent and evolved human being.
And Winter in America, yes, one of the best songs of all time.
posted by kozad at 5:06 PM on April 20, 2007
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This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
In 4 parts of less than ten minutes each.
There will be no pixelated buffering on the youtube.
There will be no pixelated buffering on the youtube.
There will be no pixelated buffering on the youtube.
The revolution will not be right back after a massage
South Park will not be added several times by russian teenagers
Only to be removed for copyright violations.
etc, etc, etc.
posted by seanyboy at 5:29 PM on April 19, 2007 [9 favorites]