I knew Gil Scott-Heron's message would be lost amidst the masses' general confusion when, in the nineties, his epic statement "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" was restated (by KRS-One, of all people) in a Nike commercial. Perhaps the only positive from that travesty was Scott-Heron received a well-deserved royalty check.
Something about my last post really struck a chord with me, as did the comments from Cody B, deadmandeadman, and Bartleby. Bartleby, in particular, summarized the thread perfectly when she wrote "It’s a shame that Black rock is still underrated by everyone including the Black community who for some reasons believe that you can’t express your true ethnicity if you play rock."
Unfortunately, Americans (including many African-Americans) seem satisfied to limit sonic expressions of "urban ethnicity" to drum machines, puerile melodies and choruses, and female booty cheeks undulating in front of a video camera as a rapper pops the cork off a bottle of bubbly, white foam splashing against those aforementioned cheeks, simulating a reference to the male orgasm.
All of it is quite rote, actually.
This means that artists of color who play rock remain unrecognized from the broader white audience because, of course, "black folks don't (can't) play rock music." These same artists go unrecognized from audiences of color because rock is "white boy music."
This, too, is quite rote, actually.
But these circumscribed thoughts extend past black artists playing rock, and stretch to curse artists like Scott-Heron and his partner, Brian Jackson, neither of whom fit into stereotypical definitions of "soul" or "R&B."
In keeping with the theme of "alternative" soul music I started with the Ohio Players' "What The Hell," I present the live version of Scott-Heron & Jackson's "Home Is Where The Hatred Is." Recorded live in Boston in 1976, this song, perhaps more than any other in the pair's sterling catalog, chronicles pain: the pain of the street, the pain of not fitting in, and the pain of feeling lost and unwelcome in your country of birth.
It is a difficult song to listen to, and I find the track's extended break almost as affecting as Hendrix's "Star Spangled Banner." And of course, Scott-Heron's lyrics are sharp as a needle to the inner arm:
Home is where I live inside my white powder dreams Home was once an empty vacuum But it's filled now with my silent screams Home is where the needle marks Tried to heal my broken heart And it might not be such a bad idea If I never went home again
P&L, Soultronica
My Trusted MOGs
Not much to say here..This ranks as one of my all time fave albums, by one of my all time fave artists. Did this one back in the summertime
Brilliant,Soul
My Trusted MOGs
I appreciate your conviction when you say Black Community , however what faction are you reverring to. I spent 1972-1976 in the heart of Detroit City and can tell you all my friends of color played not only rock but the "black arists that play rock". Chief among them was Gil Scott-Heron who I think spoke to the guy living in the urban city. This song is not hard to listen to for those of who lived in the City and expierenced its hard living every day.The community I was around was the one getting high .Wheras the church going one wouldn't anything to with rock . Making general staements for a community at large really doesn't do either side any good.
My Trusted MOGs
I forgot to mention I find your attack on female body parts amusing because if you look at the drawing of Its Your World you might notice that its a drawing of of womans vagina if you look past the ape part just thought you should know.
My Trusted MOGs
Believe me, I lament the lack of black voices in rock...I talk about it all the time. All I know is that the onset of the disco era saw major labels latching onto the cheaper to make products that a producer and a few studio guys could cook up and abandoning, for the most part, black bands. Also, music, which had been a mainstay of instruction in grade schools was starting to be phased out (especially in urban areas). I really think the major labels have done their best to segregate and compartmentalize folks into easy to market to groups. Maybe not for much longer, but for now, they control the gold, so they make the rules. Just look how they have marginalized non-bling hip hop. If the folks writing large checks want bling, they will get bling. Gil moved to Arista when the record biz was still looking for quality and label people didn't have to answer to a bean counter. Hell, you don't need a golden ear to know Gil is incredible.
One final note..back in the early 90's when George Clinton was revving up again he played 2 shows in Chicago. One on the South side where the audience was 90% black and one downtown where the crowd was 90% white. Both shows featured plenty of Rock and I think everybody was fine with it.
My Trusted MOGs
You should not generalise as General Colin Powell would have said and I agree. However, you can't deny the fact that the question of race exists in music and for reasons which I can't explain rock is tinted white, or a pale shade thereof.
The track may be demanding however it's real aural pleasure.
Thank you, you and Cody for carrying the light.
My Trusted MOGs
If it's America no doubt race is involved...
My Trusted MOGs
So, it seems my venting caused a bit of a stir. As far as generalizations, I didn't think I made them so much as I was relaying my experiences.
Cody: Dude, why is it you're always scooping me on the beats? (Jokes, jokes.) But that's cool. Sound minds think alike.
I've seen GSH a handful of times in NYC, with varying degrees of satisfaction. It seems Gil really has been struggling recently, though. I heard he was jailed on a drug charge, and his Wikipedia entry also says this. (The links to the purported original sources are dead, though, so I couldn't confirm.) I hope he can get himself right, music or not.
cpetersonart3: Welcome to the SSE and thank you for contributing.
Mme. Bartleby: No, thank you falettinme be myself. Again.