Gil Scott-Heron, RIP

The internet is abuzz with the passing of legendary poet Gil Scott-Heron, one of my favourite poets and musician. In no particular order, here are my top five GSH songs:

Jose Campos Torres (From the Mind of Gil Scott-Heron): it's the way he utters "the dogs are in the street" that grips me still.

Running (from We're New Here, also from I'm New Here [one of my favourite albums last year]):

H2Ogate Blues (from Winter in America):

Whitey's On The Moon (Mixing pop and politics, he asks me what the use is, I offer him embarassment and the usual excuses)

and yes, first and always

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (from Small Talk at 125th and Lexington)

Time, the Avenger and Devourer of Worlds

I'll be the first to admit that these are not the happiest of times inside my head. Yesterday I blamed my writing for taking me to places that tire me out emotionally. However if I'm truthful there's more to it than that. While I usually keep dayjob things to the fringes, I can't avoid the fact that my time in my current organizational role is coming to an end. There's a lot of uncertainty as to where I'll be posted (though thankfully it's certain that I will be posted somewhere) but the ramifications could end determining where I work for the next few years.

As soon as you start talking about things in terms of years, it starts to put other things into perspective - I mentioned on twitter earlier today that my online reading queue has 373 books listed as waiting to be read - most of which I can access readily. I currently read approximately 24-30 books a year, which I consider a good rate, but relatively inadequate to the task at hand. Assuming I can maintain that pace, and only add 10 books a year to my waiting list (woefully underestimating the amount of material I've racked up in the previous 10 years), it will take me anywhere between 12 and 22 years to catch up on my reading.

Let's not talk about the 800 films in my movie queue.

Nor the notes and sketches I've been developing for six novels.

It's hard to avoid the realization that even if I've only (and extremely optimistically) lived 1/3 of my life, I've probably already mentally made more plans than I can reasonably accomplish before I finish the other 2/3 of it that brings me to further realize what it is that I fear most: running out of time.

I'm not afraid of trying and failing, I'm afraid of never having the chance to try and fail, of just not getting around to it and putting things off, though increasingly it looks like I'm just burying myself under a pile of things.

I suppose I need to discriminate better.

(I've been listening to a lot of new Gil Scott-Heron remix album lately and that hasn't helped, especially "Running" with the lines:

To be running and not in fear
Because the thing I fear cannot be escaped, eluded, avoided,
Hidden from, protected from, gotten away from,

)

Music Update

In a way, it's been a quiet month for music, something of an ironic statement considering half the music world is gearing up for SXSW, but only in that I haven't really picked up too much music. A few new releases, such as the latest from Titus Andronicus, The Monitor, a phenomenal concept album that makes me fall in love with rock 'n' roll all over again.

Mostly I've been spending time with some old releases, notably last year's pop darlings, The Pains of Being Pure At Heart.

I'm really enjoying the rawness of the latest Gil Scott-Heron, but also spent a couple of mornings on youtube trying to find some other recordings, like H2O Gate Blues:

On the otherhand, Les Savy Fav's debut album 3/5 was a completely different kind of rawness, especially when compared to the more angular work of their more recent albums. Check out this medley of "Who Rocks The Party" from their second album, The Cat and the Cobra, and "New Teen Anthem" from 3/5.

Eluvium, in contrast, charts a far more introspective piano sound, on his latest, Similes:

Finally, Ben Harper's live concert album from the Montreal Jazz Festival was good, but kinda got lost in the shuffle.