"The Invisible Man"
Song by Scott Cooley from the album Sense Of Belonging
| Position | #13 |
| Released | 2010 |
| Recorded | Scott Cooley Music Productions studio, East Lansing, Michigan |
| Genre | alternative acoustic, Americana |
| Length | 5:02 |
| Label | Scott Cooley Records |
| Personnel | Scott Cooley - vocals, guitars, bass, percussion |
| Publisher | Scott Cooley Music Publishing |
| Producer | Scott Cooley |
| Format | Compact Disc, MP3, FLAC, OGG |
| Writer | words/music by Scott Richard Cooley |
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Notes
The Invisible Man is probably the saddest song I've ever written. The inspiration was a series of articles published in the Flint, Michigan daily newspaper The Flint Journal about a "tent city" in Flint that had grown into a homeless community in an old parking lot at a closed General Motors factory. The fenced-in parking lot had at least one opening people cut to get through to a former concrete-paved lot that had cracks in the pavement where trees and foliage had grown up, concealing the fact that people lived there in makeshift tents in the warmer months. It was unique that this was almost like a city park, close to civilization, but at the same time almost totally hidden from it - no one knew it was there even though they drove by it every day. Online commenters to the stories told of hearing of this place but never knowing where it was - that it was an urban legend or myth.
Most residents were middle-aged male alcoholic veterans who were former GM employees. The stories discussed their stories of their backgrounds, how they became homeless, and their daily life. Pictures showed standard belongings for each included a plastic tarp, an igloo cooler, and a bag of clothes and miscellaneous personal items. While the series explored their options in winter and why they chose to live in this particular location, it simultaneously publicized their presence to GM, the owners of the property, who once it had been brought to their attention, had the cops kick them out. If you don't hear about the homeless, and don't see them in your daily travels, and don't seek out information about them on the internet or on television, the only time you might even be reminded they exist is at Christmas time, so as an average person with a home, you might not ponder their plight. This series of feature articles that told their story in my original hometown compelled me to write this song. It's one of my most powerful songs, and one of my best.
