Wow. Gil Scott-Heron is dead. What dreadfully sad news. Not terribly shocking news -- Scott-Heron had a tough time with life -- but sad.
According to the CP, he died in New York on Friday, after returning home from a trip and falling ill. He was 62.
Scott-Heron: the poet laureate of jazz-funk, sometimes called the Godfather of rap, a musical innovator, one of the most important black American artists of the past 50 years, a spoken word artist with a political agenda and a knack for some sweet, sweet soul.
He wrote about black American life in the post civil rights era, in what could be a harsh, bitter voice -- Home is Where the Hatred is, Whitey on the Moon -- or a stark poignancy Angel Dust (if you watch ONE of these embedded videos, scroll down and watch that one - the bass is sick - the whole thing is great), The Bottle. His best known work is the media critique The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. He was critical and angry, but he could also be very funny.
He was a genius and, from what I saw of him in documentaries, an engaging character with a huge smile. But he had serious issues with crack cocaine addiction, eventually landing himself in jail for possession in 2001 and again for a parole violation in 2006. He also lived for years with HIV, as revealed in an interview with New York magazine in 2008.
So famous, so rich, so talented, so cute. Ughh… this is more adorable than a monkey riding a dog. Yet another reminder that Jay-Z and Beyonce have the life you want.
Here’s a clip of husband Shawn capturing wifey Bey belting out, “Make love to me…” over naked piano notes in a dressing room prior to her American Idol appearance.
How great does this woman sound? Seriously. No mic, no nothin’. All that soul and range and volume captured on a rapper’s smartphone.
Sir Peter Blake, who turns 80 this year, created one of history’s most iconic record jackets in The Beatles’ Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. But as the artist famous for his interpretations of pinup girls, wrestlers and pop-cultural figures told TimeOut Hong Kong, he believes he hasn’t gotten enough props for his contribution to one of rock’s most heralded LPs.
“I still feel the whole thing was unfair,” says Blake, who is sick of being asked about the Fab Four. “The cover is just as important as the music—it’s an integral part, and should be rewarded [as such]. The Beatles have never really been aware of that, or they’ve consciously decided to not do it.”
Just as important as the music? Easy, sir.
While I wholly agree that cover art (and music videos, for that matter) can enhance (or, sometimes, detract from) the album experience, Blake comes off a touch ungrateful here. Is art really about back-pats and thumbs-up? Or could finding a home for your art on the shelf of every single baby boomer be reward enough?
British DJ, producer and artist Mark Ronson, best known for his stellar work with Amy Winehouse on Back to Black, told The Sun that a studio session with American rock outfit The Black Lips nearly left him dead.
While working on a track for the Lips called “Raw Meat,” presumably a delicate, heartfelt ballad, the producer and band started consuming liver sashimi to get in the mood. Then, they all got sick. Perhaps because they were eating raw, bacteria-ridden meat.
“Mark’s fever was so high, his brain was cooking,” said the Lips’ Cole Alexander.
As previously reported here, the most buzzed-about newfangled slow-jam sensation is The Weeknd, the vowel-deprived alias of Toronto’s Abel Tesfay. Well, the rep grows bigger. Not only was Drake’s R&Buddy added to OVO Fest (July 31, Molson Amphitheatre), which last year brought both Jay-Z and Eminem to arguably the most star-studded Canadian hip-hop night ever, but Tesfay’s song “High for This” was selected to set the mood for the eighth and final season of HBO’s Entourage, a show known for its on-point tune selections. To top it off, four unreleased songs leaked recently, and the potential first joint, “Rolling Stone,” from The Weeknd’s proper LP is available too. Dude is setting himself up to be huge.
Finally, some good news for beleaguered Sebastian Bach. The Skid Row screamer is putting the final touches on a new solo disc set for release this fall and his spirits - which pretty much bottomed out in the wake of his split from wife Maria Bierk after 18 years (!) together - seem vastly improved judging by comments made on his Facebook page.
Beloved 90s-era British rockers The Verve may be no more, but founding members Nick McCabe and Simon Jones are readying to launch their new combo, the Black Ships, with pedigreed partners Mig Schillace (Portishead/Goldfrapp) and electronic innovator Davide Rossi, whose string compositions have been used by the likes of The Verve, Coldplayand Goldfrapp.
According to a somewhat overwrought posting by McCabe on the Black Ships’ website, “You just know when things are right. The four of us met in various circumstances and each meeting was accompanied by this feeling of ‘we’ve absolutely got to do more together.’ And here we are.”
A marquee alliance of musicians including Paul Simon and Carlos Santana are voicing their opposition to the American Recording Academy's elimination of more than 30 categories from the Grammy Awards.
According to Rolling Stone Magazine, the artists - many past Grammy winners themselves - claim that the Recording Academy unfairly targeted ethnic music in selecting categories for elimination and are demanding that the organization reinstate them.
Susan Boyle wants to work with Lady Gaga, which is a collaboration I could totally get behind.
The adult contemporary star has named GaGa and Rihanna as recording artists she would like to work with on her next record.
She's sold over ten million albums worldwide with her first two releases - never underestimate the sale value of sticking a choir and orchestra behind a classic rock song - so, she should really be able to work with whoever she wants, no?
"I'd be interested in an album of duets. There are so many people I'd love to sing with. Lady Gaga would be fun. But then, so would Donny Osmond. I really like Adele and Rihanna," Boyle told the Daily Record. I know! Can we have them all on one song? Maybe a cover of You Shook Me All Night Long? With, like, cellos and bagpipes and the Vienna Boys Choir? It'll be a smash. I can't WAIT for the tour.
The 50-year old Scottish singer recently teamed up with America's Got Talent contestant 11-year old Jackie Evancho for her track A Mother's Prayer.
"It was a pleasure to record such a beautiful song as A Mother's Prayer with Jackie," Boyle said. "She has so much talent for someone so young and I wish her a long and successful career, she certainly deserves it."
April 2011
