jh-1

notwithstanding the fact i couldn't listen to his music for 20 yrs after college because of all the dimwits i knew there who addled themselves on acid in his holy name (worst: the cat who had a strat / marshall / fuzzface / crybaby / univibe and could make all the same noises but play _not one lick_ of music), watching joe boyd's a film about jimi hendrix is a potent reminder just how strong and 'riginal jimi's thang was (his '67 monterey performance is still awe-inspiring -- how powerful, organic, and in control of his material / instrument / audience he is) and what mega-success coupled with bad decisionmaking cost him (his '70 isle of wight performance is almost painful to watch -- how phased-out, burnt-out, out of synch and just plumb exhausted he seems). also striking: what self-serving shits almost all the interview subjects cone across like, how anxious they appear to bask in his celebrity and _vibe_. (exceptions: his dad and harlem g-f fayne pridgeon.) good thang about the dvd: you get to see some of the ints that didn't make the original cut, like mitch mitchell (who was on-screen in the released film for something like 10 seconds) and road mgr gerry stickells. for gtrists of a certain age, jh was like the water we grew up swimming in. it was easy to miss his influence 'cos he was everywhere. since then, only van halen and stevie vaughan have been nearly as influential, and compared to jimi, they seem like pale shadows.