Gil Scott-Heron, RIP

My favorite song of his is "Johannesburg," but the most appropriate selection for Hit & Run has to be this one:

For more on Scott-Heron's life, art, and troubles, go here.

Comments

[An 11 year old Kanye fan]

Who the fuck is Gil Scott-Heron?

[Slap the Enlightened!]

Here. Presumably he died happy, given that it's been a long, long, time since whitey has been on the moon. There are actually people who took him seriously.

[Hugh Akston]

The irony of your statement is staggering.

[xenia onatopp]

Racist fuck is racist.

[AlmightyJB]

Seems like he understood the relationship between massive government spending, the taxes required to pay for it, and the impact of those taxes on the economy.

[rather]

Seems like he understood the relationship between massive government spending, the taxes required to pay for it, and the impact of those taxes on the economy.

But the irony is that this man benefited from the system he abhorred, and more than most.

[rather retarded]

What's a non sequitur?

[Paul]

That he did. "Taxes takin' my whole damn check".

If Gil-Scott Heron wrote that anti-government screed today, he'd be called a libertoid tea-bagger.

Confounding politics are confounding.

In rememberence, I'm gonna cue up "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" on my MP3 player. RIP.

[Erico LeSeuave]

The Mofo Godfather of Rap.
Think early 1970's

[Douglas Fletcher]

No wonder he was a crackhead, I'd want to forget an achievement like that, too.

[A 19-year-old QOTSA fan]

Who the fuck is Gil Scott-Heron?

[Warty]

Why would a Queens fan know dick about ancient rappers, anyway? I've never heard of this guy.

[Tom Morello]

Who the fuck is Gil Scott-Heron?

[Dumb Bunny]

I kind of tropical bird, I think.

[SIV]

"One Settler One Bullet"

[Fist of Etiquette]

I have no musical ability and appreciate anyone who does, so RIP Gil Scott-Heron.

[Art-P.O.G.]

+to that

[Public]

I have no musical ability and appreciate anyone

We hear ya.

[AlmightyJB]

Word. That's good shit.

[xenia onatopp]

His music made a big impression on me back in the day; The Revolution Will Not Be Televised was huge on early seventies hippie radio, at least in Boston. I'm with Jesse on Johannesburg; my other favorite was always Winter in America.
Anyway, thanks for posting this, Jesse; I'm glad to know that me and my high school friends aren't the only ones who took note of his death.

[James Bond]

She always enjoyed a good squeeze.

[xenia onatopp]

Once again, Mr. Bond, the pleasure was all yours.

[SIV]

I read the New Yorker piece all the way though:

Spent all his money on cocaine and lottery tickets...

[John]

Throw in some women and it sounds like a full life.

[Warty]

"I spent most of my money on birds, booze, and fast cars. The rest I squandered."

[sloopyinca]

"It takes the whole British army and the navy
To take the ball off George Best."

[Mokers]

We Almost Lost Detroit.

[John]

Jesus Jesse, the dude dies and you choose that for the Youtube link? He kind of also did this little ditty people might have heard of.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?f.....GaRtqrlGy8

I guess when Don Feiger died, you didn't put up My Sharona did you?

[John]

And that song is totally relevent to Hit and Run because it ended up being used in a Nike commercial back in the 90s proving once again that every artist who does anything interesting ends up stuffed and mounted in front of the temple of commercialism.

[MNG]

"every artist who does anything interesting ends up stuffed and mounted in front of the temple of commercialism"

+1

I'm always reminded of works of painting that were controversial for their time which reprints now hang in many bank lobbies...

[xenia onatopp]

Over the last 15 years I've occasionally run across stories about his troubles, and it's always made me wonder who owns the publishing rights to his music. Because if he retained the rights, he should have made a shit ton of money from those Nike ads, and more recently from Kanye's song, but he seems not to have had access to that kind of cash, unless he had a really epic ability to blow money. A combined booze/coke/lottery jones is a money eater, sure, but one that usually only lands guys on disability on the streets. I know at least two guys who've managed to juggle that combo for over a decade on around 50k a year; they're on the brink of disaster pretty often, but apparently that's why god invented second mortgages and bankruptcies.

Selling his catalog or signing a recording contract that gave ownership to his record company could have been the problem; he wouldn't have been the first musician to make that mistake. It's just always made me curious.

Yeah, I know, that's what Google is for.

[John]

Sadly I bet he didn't. Like many pioneers in music, he probably got ripped off.

[Anonymouse]

Read the article ? his crack habit was supported by ASCAP, in the form of sampling royalties mostly it appears. He specifically mentions that he gets money every time artists like Kanye use his shit.

[John]

Good for him.

[Public]

Do you have any requests for when you finally die?

[John]

Yes, for ananopussy to join me in the great beyond.

[MNG]

Will you grapple with him throughout eternity like the two dudes in the Alternative Factor?

[sloopyinca]

No. John will slay him like the Balrog as they descend into the darkest places of Hell. John will then return to earth as John the White, where he will help the men (and walking, talking trees) of H&R overcome the evil duo of Max and Tony, as they attempt to destroy the blogosphere.

[Public]

And boring hundreds in the process.

[John]

The go away if it bores you. No one will miss you and your various retarded screennames.

[rather]

I would miss him John. I am sure 'ananopussy' is a regular. H&R comment threads make me feel I am reading a good book, and I don't want to reach the end.

I've come to realize that is why J sub D's death broke my heart. He was a main character that broke the cardinal rule.

[sloopyinca]

I've come to realize that is why J sub D's death broke my heart.

Is that why you've only been an asshole half of the time lately?

[Banjos]

Damn, I had no idea. I haven't been following H&R as closely lately. I'm bummed. Also, Ken, is right, you have been surprisingly decent.

[rather]

He received sweet tributes. Start here
http://reason.com/blog/2011/05/11/j-sub-d-rip

[John]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VL_Fk3IfZg4

The revolution will not be televised. But it will become a Nike Commercial. Market rules all.

[AlmightyJB]

How fucking ironic.

[Spiny Norman]

Which cruise line was it that used Iggy Pop's Lust for Life? It just doesn't get any better than that.

[John]

Royal Caribbean if I remember right.

[xenia onatopp]

I think The Pogues "If I Should Fall From Grace With God" in those Subaru ads is the new champ. Hockey mom driving 3 sleeping kids home talking about the importance of safety and Shane McGowan is singing a about DEATH. Hello?

[John]

That one really hurt even worse than the Cowboy Junkies Blue Moon Song for Elvis on a cruise commercial.

[Brett L]

I cried that day. Jimi for Pontiac, and The Clash for whatever, I thought, had broken me. But hearing The Pogues in a car commercial still got me.

[xenia onatopp]

A couple of weeks ago my 26 year old daughter was down from Bennington for the weekend. She normally watches TV shows online because she doesn't have cable, so she had never seen that ad; the first time it came on I could hear her kind of shriek, then a second later she ran upstairs to ask me if she'd really just seen and heard what she thought she had. Her first reaction was that the only thing less appropriate would be Shane McGowan in the background in a toothpaste commercial.

[Brett L]

Winner!

[SIV]

I think Nissan was using TV Eye for an SUV commercial for a while. Lust For Life and The Passenger were in ads at the same time. I recall watching TV and hearing all three in the space of an hour once.

[Len]

Don't forget "The Bottle". I remember it well and it fit for the times.

[John]

He was a brilliant guy. He was what most rap artists would like to think they are. In a just world he would be almost as famous as Dylan and more famous than a whole lot of mediocrities who stand in his shadow.

[Alt Barfman]

BARF

[John]

You think he wasn't a brilliant guy ananopussy? I think the Revolution will not be televised is quite clever. And as other people point out, he had other good songs as well. He was certainly toubled, but he did not like for talent.

What is the matter ananopussy, do angry black men scare you?

[Public]

You think he wasn't a brilliant guy?

You think "brilliant" is an objective term? Or a subjective opinion? You make pronouncements and spout opinions as if they are indisputable facts.

[John]

res ipsa loquitur

Listen to The Revolution Will Not Be Televised sometime. It is brilliant and quite funny as well as meaningful. Every bit as good as anything Dylan ever wrote.

[John]

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Ho.....In_Germany

Deadly ecoli outbreak in Europe from "organic cucumbers". WTF is wrong with people. No instead of sythetic fertilizers, lets cover our food in shit. That will be so much healthier and safer.

[MNG]

Dude, it's not like shit-on-food e coli is unheard of in the non-organic market.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2.....ite_note-1

As long as organic happy folks are not forcing it on anyone God bless em.

[John]

They can do what they like. But they are nuts. Let me take my chances with pesticides and chemicals.

[rogue biologist]

"pesticides and chemicals" that are use d in the food production industry will not do anything against e coli.

Perhaps antibiotics would, but you would be a fool to use them (rapid resistance, already a problem in livestock).

The only thing that would help against coli which the organic folks don't do is gamma irradiation.

[Brett L]

They also won't spread it from contaminated "fertilizer". If they don't boil shit long enough, e coli. spread.

[John]

If you don't put unsterilized manure on the plants, they never get infected with e-coli.

[yonemoto]

often these things happen because a livestock animal wanders off of its range and dies in an irrigation ditch, and has nothing to do with the fertilizer.

Commercial organic manure is usually boiled (there was a dirty jobs ep on that) and local farmers' heaps are usually growing bacteria which maintain the temp at 60 C, high enough to kill coli.

[yonemoto]

...if you think about it, it doesn't make sense for manure to carry enough of a coliform load to cause an outbreak. You have to have a place where the coli can grow to concentrations of trillions and trillions of cells. A dead livestock carcass out in the sun for a week is perfect for enriching and delivering a gigantic bolus of coli - that will still only hurt an injure in the hundreds or so.

[db]

Agreed. People should be allowed to take whatever risks they wish. I wonder, however, how many organic foodies truly understand the potential risks. As I like to tell my organic-food-evangelizing friends, there are good reasons we have things like synthetic fertilizers and insecticides, and they have a lot to do with stopping outbreaks of disease and famine. I never quite understand why people who are so opposed to synthetic fertilizers and insecticides are simultaneously opposed to genetically modified crops. Seems like the best solution for people who have an aversion to synthetics would be GM'd crops grown "organically." They might be able to approach the yields and disease/insect resistance afforded by synthetics without all the evil CHEMMIKILLS!!!1!!

[sloopyinca]

Perhaps these people were using shit-covered cucumbers for less common reasons that rounding out their salad plates. They are European, after all, and used to having things thrust into their many orifices.

[rather]

you're such an idiot

[sloopyinca]

Thanks! Coming from you, that's a compliment.

[AlmightyJB]

I was watching "A 1000 Ways to Die" and there was this chick who had some disorder that made her crave dirt, so she eats dirt out of her tree-hugging neighbors gardern who of course compost everything including his own feces. Pretty gross. They went through they detailed description of dying from e coli. It was pretty freakin' horrible.

[MNG]

As long as police officers have worn uniforms and carried badges, criminals have dressed like them to try to win the trust of potential victims. Now the impersonators are far more sophisticated, according to nearly a dozen city police chiefs and detectives across the country.

In South Florida, seemingly an incubator of law-breaking innovation, police impersonators have become better organized and, most troubling to law enforcement officials, more violent. The practice is so common that the Miami-Dade Police Department has a Police Impersonator Unit.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05.....s.html?hpw

[sloopyinca]

Since this is a music thread, this belongs here as a response to minge's post.

[Brett L]

WTF? Cops NEVER drive bimmers on a chase. Period. If a BMW tries to pull you over, run away.

[MNG]

In Russia, Prisons for Police Thrive

Like a scene from a felon's daydream, all the inmates at a prison compound here in western Russia ? some 2,000 of them ? are former policemen, prosecutors, tax inspectors, customs agents and judges.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05.....ns.html?hp

[MNG]

Chinese dog eaters and dog lovers spar over animal rights

http://www.washingtonpost.com/

[sloopyinca]

"The cat rovers were conspicuousry sirent."

[Almanian]

LACIST!

[yonemoto]

"The cat robbers were conspicuousry sirent."

FIFY.

The most awful thing is how difficult it is for my mother to say the letter "v". After forty years of living in the states, she ekes out a "buuuiii", god bless her.

[sloopyinca]

So solly. Sometime many words sound arike.

[Brett L]

When I was in China, our guide told us a story (we asked what the small, dressed, animal was in a butcher shop window was, he told us "dog") about an American thinking she was in a pet shop and buying a live puppy that got delivered to her in a paper bag, in pieces.

[AlmightyJB]

I wonder if his political views got the attention of the federalies.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43.....ork_times/

[John]

I think "anarchists" are some of the biggest douchebag thugs in existence. They are not "anarchists" they are just thugs who like to show up an break shit.

That said, that is rediculous. Fuck the FBI. If the guy organizes a demonstration and destroys private property or does something illegal, nail him. Otherwise, who cares?

[AlmightyJB]

Agrred and Agreed. It's funny how must of the demonstrations this "anarchist" show up at are organized by the CWA. They're all just a bunch of un-informed losers.

[MNG]

" Mr. Crow, whose e-mail address contains the phrase "quixotic dreaming," describes anarchism as a kind of locally oriented self-help movement, a variety of "social libertarianism."

Seems like he might have something in common with libertarians. The leftist anarchists I know don't like the state but they see the state as a tool of large corporations so they target the latter. I know, I know, corporations actually don't have any influence whatsoever because you are free to not work for them and not buy their products and such, but some folks that disagree with that are not evil.

[yonemoto]

look many libertarians would agree that corporations have the potential to be evil (because of that whole limited liability thing). All we want you guys to understand is that corporations != free enterprise.

[Brett L]

Wait, which entity grants them this "limited liabilty" thing you speak of?

[yonemoto]

uhm government?

[yonemoto]

again, not every profit-making entity is a corporation. However you would be a sucker if you didn't incorporate, because then you would be taxed on income instead of profit, which is total bullshit. If we had 0% income tax, then maybe we would have more small unincorporated businesses, which would be more legally liable for the shit they do. Fucking liberals.

[AlmightyJB]

The front page link for this was "Awaiting a Ban". As in, we the media demand the government "do something" about this. If this "drug" has all of the horrible effects that his article claims then it seems like this is a self-correcting problem. I mean if you snort drano it's gonna fuck you up but no one's trying to ban it.

http://www.dispatch.com/live/c.....ml?sid=101

[MNG]

Good news

http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....story.html

A harassment charge has been dropped in the case of a 35-year-old Colorado man who faced prosecution for displaying his middle finger to a Colorado State Patrol trooper.

The American Civil Liberties Union had argued that while the gesture may be have been rude, it amounted to protected free speech.

(Query: Why is there no equivalent conservative legal group which fights the cops like the ACLU?)

Infuriating news

Quick quiz: Which of the following would be considered "assaulting a police officer"?

1.Punching a police officer in the face.

2.Standing behind a gate holding it closed while an officer tries to push it open.

3.Sitting in your car grabbing the steering wheel while an officer tries to drag you out of your car.

4.Standing at a Metro station with your hands in your pockets, refusing to take them out of your pockets when an officer commands you to.
If you guessed just #1, you are wrong.

According to the DC Court of Appeals, #1, #2, and #3 all qualify.

http://greatergreaterwashingto.....you-think/

[MNG]

Good news for those who value liberty of movement

Hundreds of Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip arrived here by the busload on Saturday to pass through the reopened border into Egypt, taking the first tangible steps out of a four-year Israeli blockade.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05.....pt.html?hp

[PapayaSF]

Reading that sentence, one might think that it was the Israelis who have been blocking the border with Egypt... which I suppose was the point of writing it that way.

[MNG]

Egypt's monitoring of Rafah was part of their agreements with Israel, something they've always expressed less than hearty interest in but which Israel has always urged them to live up to.

[PapayaSF]

Oh, I don't know. For decades Egypt has wanted close contact with "Palestinians" about as much as Jordan does.

[John]

http://datechguyblog.com/2011/.....bers-mean/

Weinergate. 48 year old Congressman sends picture of his errect penis to some attractive coed college newspaper reporter. These people are fucking animals. You must have to be some kind of devient to get elected to Congress.

[John]

And the coed is apparently a very attractive young black woman.

Brown sugar!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NP2DkFaAJOI

[John]

I would imagine his name is pronounced "Whiner" as in stop whinning. But it you could have a ball runing against him in 2012. You could just constantly mispronounce his name as "weener" and have people follow him around playing "Brown Sugar" at all his campaign events.

[MNG]

Oh no John, running with another story with from Brietbart with skant evidence has not worked out for you in the past dude...Why you continue your abusive relationship with that less than truthful suitor is beyond me after he has left you hanging out there before.

Soon you'll be calling for Shirley Sherrod to be fired!

http://www.politico.com/news/s.....55877.html

[sloopyinca]

They're beating Weiner to death on the comments page.

[huh huh]

beating weiner to death

[John]

We know MNG. He is a Democrat. And you have a prime directive never to admit a Demcocrat is ever wrong about anything. But the rest of us are free to laugh at another congressional pervert. He says his twitter account was hacked, yet he mysteriously deleted the offending tweet instead of saving it as evidence so they could find the real tweeter.

It must suck to go through life not being able to think for yourself and always having to defend one side no matter how indefensible.

[MNG]

John
I'm actually no fan of Weiner, but you would think you would be a bit more cautious about accepting Breitbart stories given your past history with this. Just as a tip, when a story seems to good to be true, when it is open to several explanations other than the one that most pleases you, or if it comes from a less than reliable source you might want to give it a few days before jumping on it as true.

[John]

Your no fan, but you will defend him to the death. Sure.

[MNG]

Poor John, you don't see the difference between "not being guillible" and "defending someone to death." I've not defended Weiner at all here, I've just cautioned you about buying into yet another Brietbart story so quickly.

This is a funny thing with you. You accuse me of "defending Democrats at all cost." That's pretty funny considering in the past two weeks I've criticized Obama for egregiously breaking the law (War Powers Act) and his promises (DOJ raids). So that's palpably untrue.

What riles you, what has always riled you, is when people don't join you in your suicide missions up various partisans hills. When people don't decry what you decry as loudly or as quickly you get your rankles up. You see partisans and conspirators everywhere (my fav was when you called the H&R staff closet liberals [I love search thingee!]). All this despite the numerous times your quick hill running has left you stranded buying into questionable stories which eventually run out of support. But you're not dissuaded, you charge on up the next hill the next time some conservative blog-o-hoax cranks out the latest carelessly looked into outrage. Charge on young man, charge on, upwards and onwards in your Kulture War!

[John]

You are not defending him, you are just saying that since Breitbart broke it, it must be a lie, despite the obvious evidence to the contrary.

We get it MNG. DEMOCRATS GOOD.

[MNG]

Run up the hill by yourself John, don't get mad at us who are going to check things out first.

[MNG]

This is like when I defended Christine O'Donnell agains the 'witchraft' thing. If you looked at the entire tape and gave her the benefit of the doubt it was not clear she at anytime said she was a witch. She said she dated a guy who dabbled in the occult.

I guess I defended her because Democrats are good or something. Or maybe I hate to rush to judgment like you do (or rather like you do if you don't like the person's party).

Another of my favs was when I linked to work by the Independent Institute countering one of your rush to judgment memes and you immediately dismissed them as a liberal think tank.

Run up that hill, run faster!

[John]

Also if you would bother to read my link it explains why this guy's excuses don't add up. And when the comenters on Politico, hardly a right wing group, are killing him. I would say he is in a lot of trouble.

And last I looked it was the Obama administration who fired Sherod. She never worked for Breitbart did she?

[MNG]

"And last I looked it was the Obama administration who fired Sherod. She never worked for Breitbart did she?"

So he fooled you and Tom Vilisack. He didn't fool me though if you remember. The reason why you fell into the former group and I didn't is I tend to apply a bit more skepticism before running with a story. But hey, do what you like, I'm sure Shirley Sherrod will be found guilty for not plowing the streets of NYC soon and your guillibility will be redeemed.

[John]

Somehow it is Breitbart's fault that Obama fired an "allegedly" innocent person? And even taking at in the best possible light saying "I was once a racist and used my position the screw white people but I am better now" doesn't exactly flatter Sherod.

The tape is what it is. If you don't think Sherod should have been fired, your complaint is with Obama not Breitbart.

[MNG]

"Somehow it is Breitbart's fault"

Who's talking about fault? What I said is you were duped, and you should be careful taking things from that source as true lest you be duped yet again.

[John]

Then if no one is at fault in the Sherod affair, it must have been true and she deserved to be fired. Thanks for clearing that up.

[MNG]

I'm sorry you were duped and I was not John.

But that's happened before. I'm just trying to save you from it happening again.

[TungTeller]

Wow I never even thought about it like that before.

http://www.real-privacy.tk

[Neu Mejican]

RIP to GSH.

Sorry to see the thread used for thread-jacking weekend headlines.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkxHL60ZrIg

A tribute to the man from many moons ago.

[-]

Leave it at the top long enough and it turns into cheese.

[Slap the Enlightened!]

Military coup possible in Greece

[John]

We need a man who can make a plan work!

[Brett L]

I've always thought that the Greeks could only be effectively ruled through a junta. Or maybe a tyranny.

[John]

I have always thought the same about California.

[rather]

LOL

[Brett L]

They could certainly give the Romans lessons on voting themselves bread and circuses in a republic.

[tarylcabot]

most appropriate selection for Hit & Run has to be Whitey on the Moon.

Have always viewed it as the quintessential libertarian track.

[Comment Tater]

Really? Libertarianism is "quintessentially" collectivist? Let's examine the lyrics.

A rat done bit my sister Nell.
(with Whitey on the moon)
[The Apollo missions are to blame for your rat infestation?]
...

I can't pay no doctor bill.
(but Whitey's on the moon)
[NASA's budget would be better spent on ruinous social programs?]

Ten years from now I'll be payin' still.
(while Whitey's on the moon)
[Sounds like you could use a good financial adviser.]

The man jus' upped my rent las' night.
('cause Whitey's on the moon)
[Rent controls--a socialist invention--create housing shortages, which necessarily lead to higher rents.]

No hot water, no toilets, no lights.
(but Whitey's on the moon)
[Have you ever considered working for Blackie?]

...

Taxes takin' my whole damn check
[Wait, so now you're against runaway government spending?]
...

The price of food is goin' up
[Blame government intervention in the marketplace]

An' as if all that shit wuzn't enough:
A rat done bit my sister Nell
[I know. You said that already.]

(with Whitey on the moon)
[Yup. Whitey sent the rats.]

...

Was all that money I made las' year
(for Whitey on the moon?)
[Yes. Not counting what you spent on blow and hookers.]

How come there ain't no money here?
[See above.]

Y'know I jus' 'bout had my fill
(of Whitey on the moon)
[He's also responsible for coloring the moon white.]

I think I'll sen' these doctor bills,
Airmail special
(to Whitey on the moon)
[That'll show him!]

[yonemoto]

you missed the part where GSH correctly attributed his financial troubles to loose monetary policy, rampant inflation, the proceeds of which went to put whitey on the moon.

[Comment Tater]

That's funny. Somehow the policies of the Federal Reserve affect only "people of color."

What I didn't miss is the racist, collectivist message in that particular song. Blaming all your woes on Whitey? Please. What if he had blamed a particular set of white people...say, the Jews? Would he still be a "libertarian" pet?

[MlR]

Yep.

That's some libertarian hero.

[tarylcabot]

Taxes takin' my whole damn check because Whitey's on the moon, has been my libertarian take on the song.

[LungLadder]

Dude will indeed be missed by many.

http://www.privacy-web.no.tc

[Thomas Sabo]

good

[designer Police sunglasses]

nice -<a href="http://www.eyewearbest.com/best-police-eyewear-344.html">designer Police sunglasses</a>

[www.iphone-5-release.net]

http://www.iphone-5-release.net | We Are The Top Source of Up To Date News, Information, and Rumors About the iPhone 5, iPhone 6. Our Team Updates You Hourly So You Are Always Informed.(http://iphone-5-release.net/) iphone 5

[pandora beads uk]

thanks for sharing...

[ray ban sale]

most people would prefer to select ray ban sale sunglasses

[thomas sabo charms]

2011 New Style Thomas Sabo Jewellery On Sale. Buy cheap thomas sabo charms, thomas sabo bracelets, thomas sabo necklaces and other thomas sabo jewellery from thomassaboonlines.com. http://www.thomassaboonlines.com/charms