Gil Scott Heron On blues and poetry
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- Опубліковано 1 жов 2024
- I do not own the rights to this. However, I am grateful for what Gil had to say.
“These people had taken the blues as a poetry form back in the 20’s and the teens during the Harlem Renaissance, and they had fine tuned the blues. They had sanded it down so that it became a remarkable sort of an art form.
But what happened was that in many instances we didn’t learn about that. We learned about the kind of poetry that nobody could understand.
Like, on 17th Street and 9th Avenue when I was a teenager, man, we didn’t want to hear nothing about poetry. Somebody’d say something about poetry and we’d say “oh yeah, where’s he at? Bring him on over here.” ‘Cause we was into shooting the jumper, and that was damn near all.
So, in the 9th grade a teacher just sneaked up on us and put these pieces of paper on the table, told everybody to read them, and then tell her what we thought about it.
So I said, “well, that’s alright. Shit, I’ll try it.” I looked at the poem and the poem said:
what now upside the wall I see/a shadow of an image, me.
I said, “God damn. Let me read this again.”
In the back of the room somebody said “hey, this must be deep.” You know, like “this must be deep” is like a drape that we throw over everything, you know…like, “this must be deep” means that like, I recognize all of these words individually, but damn if I can get anything out of the order in which they currently appear. This must be deep.
I mean, because you figure it must be deep in this book you say “well, why the hell would they put it in this book if it didn’t mean nothing?” Because ordinarily you’d read that and say “hey, this must be nonsense.” But you don’t want to say that with the teacher standing right next to you…”why you give me this?” So you say “hey, this must be deep.”
And what happens is that when a lot of folks get ready to write poetry that’s what they decide they going to be - deep. They decide they going to be poetic.
So they come up to me sometimes they say “hey, read my poem.” And I read it…and the only thing I can say to them is “hey, this must be deep.”
Because being influenced by the kind of poetry that we were all introduced to…people feel as though like, the way to be poetic is that there are certain little parts of it that can’t nobody understand.”
This is probably the coolest human that there ever was.
And Curtis Mayfield
Truly
I Agree !!!
1972,,,
Working at the Chess King(clothing store) my gay co-
Worker came in his earth shoe clogs...
Quote,,,
U must take this album home
&
Listen to it.
Grat album.
My buddy had a sugar bowl haircut!
He most likely did that...
To save & for albums.lol
Facts Luke Houben
This man found every avenue to get his message out. This is harder than stand up.
I saw him play in San Fran in about 2000 at the Kennel Klub on Divisadero, to about 300 people. He played well, and sang OK but very lethargically. He was almost nodding out a few times, like permanently wrecked from drugs. He never stood up. Was him solo with an electric piano and he sat the whole time. When he tried to do a talk like this, it was much shorter and not very coherent, and not at all energetic, unlike in this video. Was sad. I know he did some more coherent shows sometimes after that, but not always. I almost didn't post this, but it's worth saying, because all that stuff is part of his story.
"this must be deep"... I laughed so hard. Super relatable.
I'm from this Era and share his background. This brother is real and talks like Richard Pryor. I still listen to urban master poet and musician Gill Scott Heron and his right hand man Brian Jackson. They are still bringing the truth today with art sadly missing in today's music 🎶. God bless you brothers and sisters we are all connected regardless of color and culture.
I’m so grateful this footage exists
So am I. This comes from a video called Black Wax that is absolutely amazing. Here is another excerpt ua-cam.com/video/aARyxcwPwyE/v-deo.html
I would love to see Common play GIL in a movie about his life !!!!!
His voice and looks are so on point its crazy
So right..
Joey w g. Make a great movie right
Yes!!!!
Facts
Man. He was something special.
ive watched this prolly about 100 times now
Because he speaking real shit
billy green is dead
Must'f been *deep.*
Alexandra Giannoutsos love it
"It never seems to matter when it's Billy Green who's dead" is such a powerful message.
Michael what does it actually mean? I Dont get it?
Billy Green is a very common name, like 'Joe Bloggs' or 'John Peters'. The very average name disassociates you with the concept that the person is real, making you feel as though it is just a hypothetical person - the person doesn't matter at all. When 'Billy Green' is the one who is dead, it's just another average person who doesn't matter to you - you're not affected by their existence so you don't even stop to think about the possibility that they matter to anyone. The economy affects you directly, so you pay attention to that. People die everyday, so when an average person dies you tend not to bat an eyelid. You hear they died from an OD so you just label them as a junkie and be on with your way. When someone you know and care about is a junkie, you do what you can to help them. If someone you know dies, it's tragic and memorable because it directly affects you, but 'Billy Green' is a nobody to you so you are not affected in the slightest and it doesn't matter to you whether he's alive or dead.
Michael ok thanks 👌👌
@@Michael69 This is partially correct...(see my comment)
Opinion.
Always heart breaking, life affirming. The 'simplicity' he brings is timeless.. ❤️💔
Gil. Gil. Gil. I wish you were still here.
actually Mr G S Heron put poetic relevance in such clear context and describes in a novel way what the jazz and blues lyricists had as he says fine-tuned the language in the 20s . love the recitation billy green is dead about not hearing , caring , or seeing what’s coming
A conversation on 125 st and his last cd was very good
Realness
And thats a for sho right on!
I love Gil Scott-Heron seeing him a couple of times, once back in the day, at the Renaissance in Detroit it was an outdoor concert and it was cold, as hell outside and winter in America. that day every time he would sing the bar" it's winter in America" the wind would blow twice as hard, twice as cold. On key. Great concert froze my behind off... but it was winter in America. In DETROIT Michigan.
a clip every writer should watch
During
The Winter
In A Amerika!
‘The Revolution will not be televised!’
…….. it will be on social media !….. I wonder what GSH would have made of the youtube/ Instagram/ Twitter facade……🤔
Folks dyin left and right but it never seems to matter when billy green is dead.
Such a deep and beautiful man.
Who's the bums who disliked this??
Damn.... right on
Billy Green is the US Dollar (Greenback Bill)... "This must be deep"
The Overdose is Inflation and America's Drug Economy is King(pin)...
I feel that the analogy you’re applying to this is a bit of a stretch. It seems to be that he’s making a commentary on no one caring when bad news happens to some faceless John Doe, but when it’s your own loved one, we act fast.
A poet's lines can have several meanings. So , I think you both may be right.
@@marcusg6438 It's just my interpretation. I'm one of them complicated poets!
@@gshaw3638 not trying to be right, just being me
Legend
Gil is the man!
Seeing Richard Pryor mannerisms all up and down this speech - such a "deep" influence!
I grow up with him on the music & poet back in the the day he is great on both
"Blues information"
Go ahead my man... The style the talk...I miss. He's in my parent's gen. I miss them so much.
The messiah came in many forms. Gil ❤️
THANK YOU FOR TAKING ME DOWN MEMORY LANE!!! RESPECT TO GIL-SCOTT HERON! R.I.P.
EDUCATION of life knowledge we should all know and understand. Much Love to this 'Gentleman'. Grew up on his knowledge of life knowledge and communication.
That poem at the end though..is deep hahah.
How have I never heard about this man till now?! 🤯🔥
Your good people If u love Gil Scott it's u it's me
"This must be deep"!
I love it!
THE ONES WHOSE DOING THE MOST TALKING ARE THE ONES WHO NEED TO DO THE MOST LISTENING....
Could listen to this guy all night… that’s a wrap.
Only 47 comments.. people need to catch on
What a fantastic way with words. This was enlightening and entertaining while being genuine and funny. I think I want to be a poet, I want to write something that somebody else says, "damn, this must be deep."
Definitely a great American POET.
Gil! 💞🙏😊💯
This man was so incredible and so beautiful ❤️❤️
What a Dude!!! Just Beautiful!!!! ❤️😎🙏
The Guy that played Ghost in the series POWER is going to portray Gil Scott, Denzel has the movie rights to it
he definitely could of did stand up comedy if he wanted
I Love Gil-Scott heron:-) very funny and Polit
gone to soon such a tragic end
This man was incredible. With many talent and soooooo beautiful aww❤️😍
So jealous of that beard.
wow that must be deep
gil had some bars man....
A Real one ☝🏾 RIP to a prescient and a legend
If they ever make a biopic about this man's life, Common should play him.
he has the cheek bones for sure, him and Nigél Thatch could pull off the role, and possibly Will Kane as a third option. they all seem to have similar height and cheek bones, all they need is good makeup/ lighting, a realistic wig, and certain camera angles to add to the illusion
That damn part "you say my son is taking dope" part. Describes the opioid 'crisis' to a tee. Spitting bars.
Hey Common, you know you're gonna end up playing Gil at some time in your life, right?
Much Gratitude
1 of a kind SIP
I wonder where he was at in DC in this video.
Wax Museum Nightclub
Genius!
Does anyone know if the poem that "must be deep" is a real poem?
I found this comment looking for an answer. I can't find this poem on the internet, but when I told this bit to my chosen fam they were like, "I've read that." Lol
ugh i love him
This must be deep!
True say
Hat off.A
Nice
R I P MR GIL SCOTT HERON ! :LYRIK POETRY FOR SOUL FOOD ! :WE LOVE YOUR MUSIC GIL IN HANNOVER CITY :-) BEST MEMORIES ON THE CONCERT ! REMAEMBER ME CAPITOL CONCERT !
The first time I saw at Avery Fisher Hall had no idea he was 6 6 got to see him do Angel Dust live👊
legendary
I saw the thunder and heard the lightning! And felt the burden of his shame
They don't know what they are doing
They could hardly understand
That they're only arresting
Pieces of a man
@@GeorgeStimson such a deep dark song but beautiful at the same time, Gil Scott is the Man
So true!
02:36
This man was prophetic 🙌🏽👑🦍
👁️👁️
Gil was out of this world. Something special in a ju. Human being
I enjoy this Brother, he was ahead of his time.
He looks like a black Abraham Lincoln.
with the mullet/fro and beard combo he looked kind of like a black Bob ross... without the beard he would've looked more like a young jimi Hendrix
Not a mullet fro. We called it a shag fro back in the day
i'm in love with that guy
What is that poem he was reading
SO HANDSOME 😍...
I didn’t know Kareem Abdul jabar was a singer
😢💯😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢
This must be deep ❤️
A pure genius
Remarkable.
Dam this was deep
Rip gah
how old is he in this video?
This was made in 1982. I "borrowed" this short snippet for my students. Here is a more compete video. Gil was amazing. ua-cam.com/video/s8NblY2h-yY/v-deo.html
33
@@GeorgeStimsonout of curiosity, what class did you use this video for?
YES !
Anyone know what shooting the jumper means?
Basketball jump shot. As many youth in the community enjoys a game of basketball.
Shooting the jumper is basketball,
🏀
I wonder how that boy in the background that was excited to be on camera is doing rn