Gil Scott Heron uber-BOS, but this is really a 6-way tie for me so far.
As superlative as this track is, it is a shame that so many of Gil Scott-Heron's other politically themed works
have been largely forgotten. In particular, 1981's
"B-Movie", written after Reagan won his first term,
is still startlingly relevant.
"The idea concerns the fact that this country wants nostalgia. They want to go back as far as they can -- even
if it's only as far as last week. Not to face now or tomorrow, but to face backwards. And yesterday was the
day of our cinema heroes riding to the rescue at the last possible moment. The day of the man in the white hat
or the man on the white horse -- or the man who always came to save America at the last moment -- someone
always came to save America at the last moment... especially in 'B' movies. And when America found itself
having a hard time facing the future, they looked for people like John Wayne. But since John Wayne was no
longer available, they settled for Ronald Reagan. And it has placed us in a situation that we can only look at
like a 'B' movie."
