Gil Scott-Heron – The Last Holiday. A Memoir.

Take a look at the Music section of your local bookstore. Shelf after shelf of books feeding off the familiar narrative of rise, fall and – ideally – rise again. Time and time again, early promise and hits give way to drugs, booze and other expression-sapping destructive distractions, with a latter-day “comeback” - where applicable – adding a spot of positivity towards the end.

Gil Scott-Heron‘s career fits this mould perfectly. Success as a poet and a novelist, and a string of strong, socially conscious jazz-influenced soul/funk albums in the 70′s and early 80′s screeched to a halt as Scott-Heron succumbed to the damage dealt by the same inner city “vultures” many of his greatest works rail against, his long-delayed return with 2010′s excellent I’m New Here album curtailed by death at 62 last May.

Anyone expecting a conventional “My Drugs Hell” lamentation has picked up the wrong book. Apart from the odd reference to personal upheaval, the hows and whys of Scott-Heron’s downfall aren’t discussed. The Last Holiday is far from a conventional memoir. Written in stops and starts between the ’90s and 2010, it started life as a third-person narrative (the one chapter that survives from this stage proves this wasn’t such a hot idea), evolving into an account of Stevie Wonder’s 1980-81 Hotter Than July tour, part of Wonder’s ultimately triumphant campaign to have Martin Luther King’s birthday recognised as a national holiday in the US. Autobiographical elements – Chicago-born Scott-Heron’s childhood in racially segregated Jackson, Tennessee, early interest in music and writing, youthful days as a student activist and budding author – were eventually added to explain how Scott-Heron ended up playing an active part in these events. There’s little space spared for the sad confusion that gradually took centre-stage in Scott-Heron’s life after the tour concluded in February 1981.

It is telling that Scott-Heron’s opted to place someone else’s tour at the centre of the book. The Last Holiday is quick to praise others, whereas the author’s own accomplishments are often skimmed over. Seminal albums like Winter in America barely get a look-in, pioneering anti-Apartheid anthem (and big hit) ’Johannesburg’ doesn’t get a mention, the furious – and very, very funny – protest-funk gem ‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised’ is brought up mainly because Scott-Heron feels it painted him into a proto-rap, overly-politicised corner where his subtler, musically diverse talents tended to be overlooked.

Scott-Heron’s generosity of spirit in crediting key collaborators is hugely endearing, as is his inability to take himself too seriously. Then there’s his talent for observing events from an unexpected angle. For example, rather than play up his own role in the momentous day in the time-honoured traditions of autobiographical ego-massaging, Scott-Heron’s account of the mass rally staged on January 15, 1981 (MLK’s birthday) in Washington, DC during the Hotter Than July tour focuses on the trials and eventual triumph of a young essay competition winner, making for riveting reading even if you’re already familiar with Wonder’s Martin Luther King Day campaign. Scott-Heron’s gifts as a writer mean he manages to make even the tedium of touring into an engaging read, and the few star-studded anecdotes – especially the one starring Bob Marley and The Wailers – are interesting and thoughtful.

When Scott-Heron finally zooms in on his personal life during the last few (the only post-1981) chapters, describing a stroke and estranged relationships with his children and ex-partners, the impact is all the more dramatic. In stark contrast of the overall high spirits of what has gone before, the introspective regret of the final chapter is especially unforgettable in its heartbreaking candour. From eyewitness accounts of key events in recent American history to unforgiving self-analysis of a recovering addict, The Last Holiday is a key addition to the Gil Scott-Heron canon.