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Best known for his polemic The Revolution Will Not Be Televised Gil Scott-Heron was a musical icon who defied characterization He tantalized audiences with his charismatic stage presence and his biting observant lyrics in such singles as The Bottle and Johannesburg provide a time capsule for a decade marked by turbulence uncertainty and racism While he was exalted by his devoted fans as the black Bob Dylan a term he hated and widely sampled by the likes of Kanye West Prince Common and Elvis Costello he had never really achieved mainstream success Yet he maintained a cult following throughout his lifeeven as hegrappled with the personal demons that fueled so many of his lyrics Scott-Heron performed and occasionally recorded well into his later years until eventually succumbing to his life-long struggle with addiction He passed away in the end to what had become a hermit-like existenceIn this biography Marcus Baram--a friend and acquaintance of Gil Scott-Herons--will trace thevolatile journeyof a trouble musical genius From southern roots in Tennessee toNew York City hell chartScott-Herons odyssey a drug addicts twisted path to redemption and enduring fame In Gil Scott-Heron Pieces of a ManMarcus Baram puts the complicated icon into full focus.