Gil Scott-Heron Passes Away
If you check the top of my Tumblr page, you’ll see that I’ve installed a new banner. It’s a temporary banner, but one I felt the need to put up anyway. It’s there to commemorate Gil Scott-Heron, my favorite poet, who died four days ago at age 62. It’s always a bit sad whenever a source of great inspiration passes away. Gil Scott-Heron’s poetry and music, particularly his debut album, had an indelible mark on my own art, forever changing the way I perceived and wrote poetry. He was also one of three big influences for my new short film, Wholly Aware. He was one of my personal heroes, and he will surely be missed.
“The revolution will not be televised” is a term that has been over-used to the point of cliché, and it’s been floating in the air like none other these past few days due to Scott-Heron’s death. But there’s a reason quotes like that become so culturally salient in the first place. The phrase is a potent cultural discourse that is as challenging as it is profound. But that was Gil Scott-Heron to a tee, challenging and profound.
