Jackson Free Press

Mister Ice Creamy Man: "I'm sad and reflective today after hearing about the passing of Gil Scott-Heron, one of my favorite artists ever. His brotherly like spoken words planted a 'critical thinking' seed in my young and fertile my mind around 1975, when I heard these lyrics from his signature piece titled 'The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.'

"''Green Acres,' 'The Beverly Hillbillies,' and Hooterville Junction will no longer be so damned relevant, and women will not care if Dick finally gets down with Jane on 'Search for Tomorrow' because black people will be in the street looking for a brighter day. The revolution will not be televised.'

"It was hard for me to accept what he said because I really liked 'Green Acres,' 'Petticoat (Hooterville) Junction' and the other television shows. Nevertheless, Gil Scott-Heron's words opened a new door for me. While my peers listened to the pop, disco, funk. soul and R&B music genres, I immersed myself in the music, poetry, and expressions of artists like Gil Scott-Heron and Nikki Giovanni. After I finished art school, I really understood why the revolution would not be televised, because the revolution is in my mind.

"Therefore, I need to share with the kids the wisdom and knowledge my adopted brother Gil shared with me. On today's ice cream run, I'll pay tribute to brother Gil Scott-Heron by playing the entire re-mastered CD of 'Small Talk on 125th Street and Lennox' through the loud speaker of my Mister Ice Creamy truck."