Search results
Oct 31, 2017 · What does the phrase "the revolution will not be televised" actually mean? originally appeared on Quora-the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world.
"The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" is a satirical poem and Black Liberation song by Gil Scott-Heron. Scott-Heron first recorded it for his 1970 album Small Talk at 125th and Lenox, on which he recited the lyrics, accompanied by congas and bongo drums.
- First Verse
- Second Verse
- Third Verse
- Fourth Verse
- Fifth Verse
- Sixth Verse
- Seventh Verse
- Eighth Verse
“You will not be able to stay home brother”– In 1971, Joan Baez wore a ‘Stay Home For Peace’ shirt urging sailors on warships returning from Vietnam to stay home rather than deploy once again on th...“You will not be able to plug in, turn on and cop out”– A technological age revamp of American psychologist and author, Timothy Leary’s pro-LSD mantra: “Turn on, tune in, drop out”. In Scott-Heron’...“You will not be able to lose yourself on Skag”– Following the psychedelic 1960s, the ‘70s brought about the opioid crisis as heroin (skag) became the new rampant drug craze. This was, in part, a c...“And skip out for beer during commercials”– As a result of the economic impact of the Vietnam War, Governmental instability and the subsequent recession, smaller breweries folded, and beer became m...“…will not be brought to you by Xerox in four parts without commercial interruption”– Photocopying machine manufacturer, Xerox, began sponsoring commercial free TV broadcasts.“…will not show you pictures of Nixon blowing a bugle”– From Lord Tennyson to the Jingling Geordie’s Hole, blowing a bugle in poetry history means to sound an announcement or open up a new opportun...“…and leading a charge by John Mitchell, General Abrams, and Spiro Agnew”– Mitchell was Attorney General under Nixon, Abrams was the media figurehead of the Vietnam War, and Spiro Agnew was vice pr...“To eat hog maws confiscated from a Harlem sanctuary”– Refers to the cheap “soul food” cuts of a pig that were often served up in Harlem soup kitchens. The implication in relation to the bugle-blow...“…will not be brought to you by the Schaefer Award Theatre”– This was an archival anthology of movies that aired on several US TV stations between 1959-70. These movies were sponsored by Schaefer B...“And will not star Natalie Woods and Steve McQueen or Bullwinkle and Julia” – Natalie Woods and Steve McQueen starred together in the 1963 film Love with the Proper Stranger. The film controversial...“…will not give your mouth sex appeal”– This was the advertising slogan of Ultra Brite – the product that sexualised dental hygiene. While it whitened teeth, it was not as effective at keeping them...“…will not get rid of the nubs”– An advert for the new Gillette Techmatic Razor referred to stubble as the nuds. A symbol of corporations trying to tap their brand into society at large by altering...“There will be no pictures of you and Willie Mays”– A black baseball player referred to as the first ‘five-tool-player’ in the game’s history. He was also a trailblazer for racial equality in the s...“Pushing that shopping cart down the block on the dead run or trying to slide that colour TV into a stolen ambulance”– A reference to the looting that had begun to beset political protests that end...“NBC will not be able to predict the winner at 8:32”– A reference to the fact that NBC predicted the winner of the previous presidential election only 32 minutes after the polls closed based on pre...“There will be no pictures of pigs shooting down brothers on the instant replay”– In other words, ‘there will be no pictures of the cops shooting black men’. In 1970 alone, eight unarmed black men...“There will be no pictures of Whitney Young being run out of Harlem on a rail with a brand new process”– Whitney Young was a Civil Rights activist who proved pivotal in changing employment discrimi...“There will be no slow-motion or still lifes of Ray Wilkins strolling through Watts in a red, black and green liberation jumpsuit, that he was saving for just the proper occasion”– Ray Wilkins was...“Green Acres, Beverley Hillbillies, and Hooterville Junction will no longer be so damn relevant” – Green Acres and Beverley Hillbillies were sitcoms that poked fun at the development disparities be...“And women will not care if Dick finally got down with Jane on Search for Tomorrow” – Dick and Jane are the two main characters in a series of children’s books designed to help American kindergarte...“Because black people will all be in the street looking for a brighter day” – The Brighter Daywas a radio show with an explicitly religious theme. The show ended with the final farewell: “The micro...“There will be no pictures on the 11 O’clock News, and no pictures of hairy armed women liberationists”– A common media talking point regarding the second-wave feminist movement was to focus on the...“And Jackie Onassis blowing her nose”– Jackie Onassis was John F. Kennedy’s widow, and Scott-Heron is referring to the raw televised images of her mourning her late husband during the Kennedy memor...“The theme song will not be written by Jim Webb or Francis Scott Keys. Nor song by Glen Campbell, Tom Jones, Johnny Cash, Englebert Humperdinck, or The Rare Earth”– Of these songwriters and musicia...“…will not be right back after a message about a white tornado, white lightning or white people”– White tornado refers to the advertising slogan of the household cleaning product, Ajax. White Light...“You will not have to worry about a dove in your bedroom”– An advertising slogan deployed by Dove deodorant.“The tiger in your tank”– An advertising slogan for Esso’s new formula of fuel: “Put a tiger in your tank.”“Or the Giant in your toilet bowl”– An advertising slogan used by Liquid-Plumr who likened their product to the unblocking impact that a giant might achieve with a plunger. Surely if you’re in need...The Revolution Will Be Televised is a British television satire show starring Heydon Prowse and Jolyon Rubinstein, which was first screened on BBC Three in August 2012. [1] [2] Writing for The Guardian, Sam Wollaston said it's "Sacha Baron Cohen with a bit more substance then, or Mark Steel with a few more laughs". [3]
- Comedy , Satire
So, 40 years after Scott-Heron’s call for action, and on the eve of Martin Luther King Day 2014, we can be pretty sure he was right: The revolution will indeed not be televised. It will,...
Jan 22, 2024 · By asserting ‘the revolution will not be televised’, he anticipates that the real change is grassroots, raw, and direct—not filtered through the agenda-driven lens of broadcasters. He skewers the idea of mass media as a mediating tool for the masses, become a sedative instead.
People also ask
Did Gil Scott-Heron write the revolution will not be televised?
Will the revolution be televised?
Why would black Americans not see the Revolution on TV?
Was 'the Revolution' the first rap song?
Dec 31, 2014 · It makes a point that everything is skewed towards white people, television, advertising, TV shows, with black people being portrayed in condescending or stereotypical racial roles. "The revolution will be no re-run brother, the revolution will be live." This is a '60s Black Power tune written by Gill Scott-Heron.
