Gil Scott-Heron: Black Wax

Largely regarded as the godfather of hip hop and self-declared bluesologist, Melody Maker once called Gil Scott-Heron “the most dangerous musician alive”. Scott-Heron and the musicians he called his ‘co-conspirators’, including Brian Jackson and the Midnight Band, were true innovators and a threat, delivering driving political and social commentary over music which exposed the inequity and rot of the Nixon and Reagan eras. Over forty years later, the names of the presidents have changed, but the stark contrast between an ideal of democracy and the reality of inequity still proliferates. Gil Scott-Heron is as relevant today as he was then.

Black Wax (1982) is the film documenting the singular work and message of Gil Scott-Heron at the height of his success. Director Robert Mugge is hyper-focused on Scott-Heron, with the background switching between the stage, the streets of DC, and a surreal wax museum nightclub where Scott-Heron confronts the ghosts of America’s past. Black Wax is a unique film in that it doesn’t attempt to dissect who Gil was, but instead presents him entirely through his music and his spoken word.

Gil Scott-Heron’s deft poetics, grounded in social and political insight that foreshadowed what was to come in hip hop, were always delivered with his joyful expression for life and his commitment to uniting people. In that spirit, we invite all—both fans and those keen to learn more—to join special guests and DJs in a celebration of Gil Scott-Heron, followed by an exclusive Australian cinema screening of Black Wax, to be introduced live by the filmmaker, music documentarian and author, Robert Mugge.