“Gil himself doesn’t believe what he’s singing.” Whoa. That’s deep like the state we find our people (African Americans) in today. Ya know how ya know but then ya don’t know? My eyes well up in recognition of Gil n too many of the rest of us not believing who we be. But I’m an idealist who believes in the glass being half full rather than half empty. I stand in the wondrousness of African American who make a way out of no way and who conceive/create life seemingly out of nothing.

God, when hearing this music you just begin to feel invisible, so suddenly unimportant and unimpressive next to music thatis just so deep.

My only fear when listening to this music is will, we, the younger generation have our own Gil, someone who can put himself into the music and pretty much just absorb into the listener.

When I listen to Gil it is almost as if Malcolm X could sing and compose. A man who has lived the nightmare and sings to tell his people about struggle in the only way he knows it will be fully digested, through soul music.

It is such a shame that Gil is not a household name for the younger generation. Why do the teachers and the elders and radio stations that play the soul music and listen to the jams of yesteryear never speak of Gil.

Was he not fully understood or heard in his heyday? Was he slept on? When I hip my friends to his music its always like “what the %#@*!”, where has this been? This music is not being passed on like it should.

This is beautiful music, I love your site, and everybody who thinks they love black music I make sure they know about this site before I’m through talking to them.

Don’t go anywhere, please.

Peace.

why do so many of our geniuses fall victim to addiction?

is this the price of the gift?

i’ve heard the stories about gil, being hold up in small motel rooms in new york. coming out only long enough to cash a royalty check of 50k or more, buying an enormous stash of drugs, and disappearing back into the darkness. no way for anyone to live, yet alone a genius.

so once again i ask, is this the price of the gift? damn.

Greetings. A few years ago another poet (who was there back in the day) told me that Gil Scott Heron was not speaking to be famous. He said that Gil Scott Heron was speaking from the depths of his heart, his soul, and his vision. He wanted to be a part of change. This person thought that the addiction was, at least in part, due to all the attention and all the pressure on him. I can imagine. And for some people, being insightful and feeling something down every street and around every corner makes it damned difficult to live in this world.

Somewhere y’all said that we all have an addict in our family. Yeah. Or two or three or four. Drugs, alcohol, depression running rampant through the veins.

Oh, Gil. Oh, us.

one love,
Ekere

the blues signifies our past and present circumstances. the ability to effectively communicate across a wide audience ultimately demonstrates how one can rise above specific circumstances. this is an inherent quality of this deceptively simple song form. and if it is true that part of life is struggle, this is an enviable position as most people seem to relate to struggle and love to hear stories about how to overcome. so i suppose striving is good. expressing one’s ‘i am’ ness through word and song is better. being an example of what you know to be true has it’s place as well. yet how a person chooses to live his or her life is ultimately just that – a choice. some may place emphasis or judgment on nascent circumstances that seem to influence the present and often telegraph the future. but the blues – as far as i hear it – is not intended to be permanent or self-fulfilling prophesy. the blues is more about comprehending life. broken down into ‘pieces’, when placed in proper perspective, balancing a person’s life should be fair and weighed by consideration of the total good as well as so-called failures. that’s where hope comes in. we hope for the good but are not overcome by the bad. if the standard of manhood is defined by entities outside and contrary to the culture in question then the result will be that manhood will continue to be illusive. it is only when we start to define for ourselves what manhood is and make the means to attainment a viable part of the cultural experience that self determination will appear on the horizon. gil is a man; a talented man. being talented does not make gil infallible or incorruptable. i do not know the circumstances revolving around a person’s addiction to whatever drug. some addictions directly harm the person. there are other addictions such as the conspicuous pursuit of fame, wealth and class that do far more harm to many. i do not think that using drugs negates gil’s ability to comprehend and communicate. i also do not believe the abuse of drugs is the sign of weakness or shame. being sensitive to the plight of others is a form of conscientiousness that few act upon. there is also danger in allowing one’s self to be open. sometimes it seems as though all people need is enlightenment but then again everyone grows at their own rate. it is the classic conflct of theoretical revolution versus the Essex approach. perhaps drug abuse and bunker mentality are just different reactions to the same frustration. in some ways we are all pieces until we come together on some level and realize commonality. all Auset/Isis needed was one (significant) piece of a man to rebuild a dynasty. using men who were considered by some less than whole, Elijah Muhammad when into prisons and built one of the most powerful movements in America. it may sound cold-blooded but even if you have to forget about the man, proceed with the plan. especially when the paln is a good. nurture the truth of what the music relates until it grows inside and be that truth. sometimes songs are just songs and sometimes songs are social commentary. it is upon the listener to determine the dynamics by which art lives. harmony is behind the art of bridging seemingly unrelated pieces.

FATE lead me to this site.

1. I come here and see my future son’s name: Youngblood !!! Now I know it’s meant to be

2. I came across Gil Scott Heron’s song GIVE HER A CALL on youtube.com. A link was posted to another song of his, but for some reason I was drawn to the title of GIVE HER A CALL.

I hope he calls the woman, but I, too, thinks he won’t call. It is as if calling her is the incentive for him to get back to his life. However, I think he’d rather keep this girl a phone call away. I don’t think he really wants to go THERE with her again. She probably makes him want to be better, be the better him or some jive. Anyway for my sake: I HOPE HE CALLS! Give her a call MAN!!!

That “get back to my life” is powerful. Isn’t he living life now? So what life does he have to get back to: the life where he felt worthy of the girl he isn’t calling?

Does anyone have the lyrics to this song?