Saul Williams - a great poet and singer/songwriter

Viggo
Viggo Posts: 274
edited July 2008 in Other Music
I am amazed by this guy:

Check out these:
From Def Poetry Jam: http://youtube.com/watch?v=jzY2-GRDiPM

List of demands: http://youtube.com/watch?v=l1llNYAlYrc
When the Clock Strikes Me: http://youtube.com/watch?v=bJsi0Q1T1PM

What do you think?
It's okay, It's okay
You don't have to run and hide away
It's okay, it's okay
I love you anyway
2007: Pearl Jam concert in Düsseldorf (21. June)
2007: Chris Cornell concert in Kristiansand (2. July)
2007: The Who concert in Kristiansand (4. July)
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • dharma69
    dharma69 Posts: 1,275
    There's certainly worse wasting time and taking up space in the musical landscape than he and "...Niggy Tardust".
    "I'm here to see Pearl Jam."- Bono

    ...signed...the token black Pearl Jam fan.

    FaceSpace
  • JordyWordy
    JordyWordy Posts: 2,261
    i like him. would love to see him live
  • Sian-of-the-dead
    Sian-of-the-dead Posts: 8,963
    I love Saul Williams... he's touring in May but I can't go :(
    Been to this many PJ shows: Reading 2006 London 2007 Manchester & London 2009 Dublin, Belfast, London, Nijmegen & Berlin 2010 Manchester 1 & Manchester 2 2012...

    ... and I still think Drive-By Truckers are better.
  • audiodave
    audiodave Posts: 1,623
    Saul Williams is fantastic, and it boggles my mind that more people don't know who he is!

    As Sian said...he's touring, but I can't go either. I'm gutted.
    ~AKA Dave-of-the-dead~

    I don't wanna think, I wanna feel

    Dublin 23/08/06 Lisbon I 04/09/06 Lisbon II 05/09/06 Paris 11/09/06 Verona 16/09/06

    London 18/06/07 Dusseldorf 21/06/07 Copenhagen 26/06/07 Nijmegen 28/06/07
  • Sian-of-the-dead
    Sian-of-the-dead Posts: 8,963
    I have to listen to him now.... :rolleyes:

    *flicks on Coded Language*

    :D
    Been to this many PJ shows: Reading 2006 London 2007 Manchester & London 2009 Dublin, Belfast, London, Nijmegen & Berlin 2010 Manchester 1 & Manchester 2 2012...

    ... and I still think Drive-By Truckers are better.
  • nepal
    nepal Posts: 143
    First time saw him on the movie SLAM which was, and still is, an awesome film. Didn't know who he was back then. The music.. well I've heard the last album, it wasn't bad but not exactly a mindblowing either.
    ...the dreams ain't broken down here now,
    they're walking with a limp
  • muppet
    muppet Posts: 980
    Latest album isn't amazing but the rest of his work is. Absoulte genius.
  • audiodave
    audiodave Posts: 1,623
    muppet wrote:
    Latest album isn't amazing but the rest of his work is. Absoulte genius.
    Agreed. He worked very closely with Trent Reznor on his last album, and that comes through a lot in the sound of it. I think it actually detracts from his work to have such a heavy influence from Trent, and this is coming from a huge NIN fan.

    His first two albums, Amethyst Rock Star and Saul Williams are both amazing, especially lyrically. The man is fantastic with words.
    ~AKA Dave-of-the-dead~

    I don't wanna think, I wanna feel

    Dublin 23/08/06 Lisbon I 04/09/06 Lisbon II 05/09/06 Paris 11/09/06 Verona 16/09/06

    London 18/06/07 Dusseldorf 21/06/07 Copenhagen 26/06/07 Nijmegen 28/06/07
  • JaneNY
    JaneNY Posts: 4,438
    I love his work. Went to his shows in Montreal and Toronto recently and they were electrifying (you should wear earplugs though - they rival NIN in db level). Saul said in some interview recently that he is opening for NIN in the US (we hope he means both US and Canada) and Rage somewhere else. Someone also posted on ETS that he will be at Lolla, but I'm not sure about that yet - its not at the main site.
    R.i.p. Rigoberto Alpizar.
    R.i.p. My Dad - May 28, 2007
    R.i.p. Black Tail (cat) - Sept. 20, 2008
  • audiodave
    audiodave Posts: 1,623
    JaneNY wrote:
    I love his work. Went to his shows in Montreal and Toronto recently and they were electrifying (you should wear earplugs though - they rival NIN in db level). Saul said in some interview recently that he is opening for NIN in the US (we hope he means both US and Canada) and Rage somewhere else. Someone also posted on ETS that he will be at Lolla, but I'm not sure about that yet - its not at the main site.
    Have you been to a solo Saul Williams show then? What kind of material does he play?

    I saw him supporting NIN a few years ago but I didn't know any of his work then.
    ~AKA Dave-of-the-dead~

    I don't wanna think, I wanna feel

    Dublin 23/08/06 Lisbon I 04/09/06 Lisbon II 05/09/06 Paris 11/09/06 Verona 16/09/06

    London 18/06/07 Dusseldorf 21/06/07 Copenhagen 26/06/07 Nijmegen 28/06/07
  • mensane
    mensane Posts: 912
    he is playing bumbershoot in seattle. i saw him when he played here a couple of months ago. great show!
  • JaneNY
    JaneNY Posts: 4,438
    audiodave wrote:
    Have you been to a solo Saul Williams show then? What kind of material does he play?

    I saw him supporting NIN a few years ago but I didn't know any of his work then.

    Yes - he is currently on tour. He is doing material from both Niggy Tardust and self-titled. He did Grippo, Convict Colony, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Niggy Tardust, Ritual, Gunshots by Computer (off Y34rZ3r0r3m1x3d (NIN)), Black Stacy, several spoken work poems including Sha Clack Clak, and a piece by Bjork - Independence? or something like that. He has CXKidtronik handling synth and percussion. Oh, of course he did List of Demands too. Banged and Blown Through.

    Well I guess I could link you to the pics of the setlist my daughter caught after the show (they are crappy cell phone pics as they kids had the good cameras when I wanted to take these and post but anyway):
    http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q118/PJningal/ATT00001.jpg
    http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q118/PJningal/Saulsetlist2.jpg
    http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q118/PJningal/Saulsetlist3.jpg

    Ritual isn't on there but he did it.
    R.i.p. Rigoberto Alpizar.
    R.i.p. My Dad - May 28, 2007
    R.i.p. Black Tail (cat) - Sept. 20, 2008
  • Viggo
    Viggo Posts: 274
    This guy is awsome. Would love to see him and Eddie together one day on the same stage.

    He is actually coming to Norway this summer and I am going. The same week Kings of Leon plays (maybe the day after).

    He has done a great cover of "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" by U2. You can find it on youtube or you download his new album for FREE. Jesus, I can't immagine an artist giving away his newest album for free. He is.
    It's okay, It's okay
    You don't have to run and hide away
    It's okay, it's okay
    I love you anyway
    2007: Pearl Jam concert in Düsseldorf (21. June)
    2007: Chris Cornell concert in Kristiansand (2. July)
    2007: The Who concert in Kristiansand (4. July)
  • clark_kent
    clark_kent Posts: 166
    audiodave wrote:
    Agreed. He worked very closely with Trent Reznor on his last album, and that comes through a lot in the sound of it. I think it actually detracts from his work to have such a heavy influence from Trent, and this is coming from a huge NIN fan.

    His first two albums, Amethyst Rock Star and Saul Williams are both amazing, especially lyrically. The man is fantastic with words.

    maybe i need to try one of those, cos im not getting him. i have niggy tardust and it's kinda mediocre. it does sound like a latter-days nin album with a different vocalist. generally though, i'm not much into spoken word/poetry so maybe he's just not my thing. i've never been a lyrics guy, always much more about the music and the sound. thus, love sigur ros, baffled by saul williams.
    "You've never been out of college, you don't know what it's like out there. I've worked in the private sector... they expect results." -Ray

    Denny Crane!
  • muppet
    muppet Posts: 980
    clark_kent wrote:
    maybe i need to try one of those, cos im not getting him. i have niggy tardust and it's kinda mediocre. it does sound like a latter-days nin album with a different vocalist. generally though, i'm not much into spoken word/poetry so maybe he's just not my thing. i've never been a lyrics guy, always much more about the music and the sound. thus, love sigur ros, baffled by saul williams.

    I think the lyrics are the best thing that Williams has going for him, but he's still got some great beats. I wasn't too impressed with NiggyTardust.

    Amethyst Rock Star (produced by Rick Rubin, I think) and his self titled are good ones to start with.

Categories