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Scott W. Hicks wrote on December 19, 2008 report
So what can I tell my cool-ass 23-year-old, hip hop, African American son about the 70’s Gil Scott, that would help Mac understand how Black Jesus rolled the blackness down, that time. “Secrets.”
How best to describe to Mac how his native Detroiter dad was verily stabbed in the soul by having to enter the Martin Strand theater by the side, “colored” entrance, in 1967 uptown Marietta, Georgia, to check out Sidney Poitier in “In The Heat Of The Night,” by other than spinning “First Minute Of A New Day.” "Winter In America" might just do it.
Once checked out Black Jesus in Detroit. Too much time has now passed. Can’t remember where. Could have been the Masonic Auditorium – ain’t nuthin.’ Heron and Brian Jackson colluded on NOT rolling the local blackness down that evening. Wouldn’t expound that evening on "How We Almost Lost Detroit," no matter how much we boisterously encouraged Him to, although He had already built certain “Bridges.” We did, however, experience what it meant to be "On A Racetrack In France". Amen.
And so we were, upright black men - brothers - getting off on Grover, D Byrd, Ayers, Charlie Earland, but especially Black Jesus – Brother Gil Scott – rolling down our own communal revolution. Meanwhile, He spoke of "Corners."
Mac can never know. Not in "Angola, Louisiana," rather, deep in the heart of us. And it still isn’t televised. Most certainly NOT in hi-def.
