The Other Side of Gil Scott-Heron

My name is Monique de Latour.

I'm from New Zealand.

I met Gil Scott-Heron in 1995,

in Australia, and we ended up in a relationship,

and I took these photos over a five year period.

I've had these photos for a long time

and nobody's ever seen them.

And I was just documenting my life

and he was in my life.

He just got so used to me with the camera.

I think it was like the camera wasn't there anymore.

I guess the photos really show two sides of him.

He was always very happy on stage.

Is it a place where he couldn't do

the other things I had to see.

I photographed that as well.

♪ Sometimes I feel like I'm just standing in place ♪

♪ Ain't no real race ♪

♪ And ain't no other side ♪

He has a song called The Other Side

and I guess I photographed the other side,

what a lot of people don't see.

It's just sad that the drugs

had really just taken so much from him,

because he had so much to give.

Those photographs were really just very personal

and meant for him to see himself.

I used to stick them up in the house

and he would rip them down.

He didn't like to look at himself at all.

Didn't like to see himself in the mirror.

He used to say to me, I wish you...

I wish you knew me before I was like this.

You know he has a song and there's a line from it.

He says, Go away, I can't stand to see your face

because you've seen the weakest me.

And now you know I'm only human

instead of all the things I'd like to be.

He has so much to give and he's still alive now,

and I still have hope for him

that he can pull himself together somehow

and be able to share those gifts that he has with everyone.

You know, that would just be a beautiful thing to see.

♪ Go away ♪

♪ I can't stand to see your face ♪

♪ 'Cause you've seen the weakest me ♪

♪ And now you know I'm only human ♪

♪ Instead of all the things I'd like to be ♪

♪ The world is just a simple circle ♪