The Magic of Two In One: Both Rhythm and Lead
Arguably the greatest rock 'n roll artist of all time, Hendrix was, unfortunately, handicapped by circumstance: poverty, family turmoil, racism. And to think that despite all those headwinds, he rose through the music industry to the very top, being the highest paid performer at the time of his death in 1970. My own sense is that he wasn't so much gifted, since he started with nothing, as he was supremely creative and dedicated to that fact.
Here are a few snapshots that shine a brief light:
* When he was a boy he carried a broom around with him in order to practice what we would call 'air guitar'. Despite this obvious interest, his education lacked a musical focus and his first instrument, a cast-off one-string ukulele, didn't appear until he was in his mid-teens. Exhibit A for poor schools.
* His name change, to "Jimi" instead of "Jimmy", along with the idea of burning his guitar after performances, were ideas hatched by his manager and other hangers on; these profile raisers did have the desired effect however.
* He was a musical perfectionist, irritating his bandmates with his insistence on getting the sound exactly right when recording in the studio.
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Each band or performer is graded on four things:
1. Innovation
2. Influence in my life--as a typical American
3. Integrity: the band's approach to music (just making a buck or honing a craft?)
4. Immortality--am I, a typical American--still eager to hear their music
10/9/8/8 = 35 out of a perfect 40
1. Innovation
2. Influence in my life--as a typical American
3. Integrity: the band's approach to music (just making a buck or honing a craft?)
4. Immortality--am I, a typical American--still eager to hear their music
10/9/8/8 = 35 out of a perfect 40
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When, as a 13-year-old at a kids' dance party, I heard the line "...let me stand next to your fire." I remember thinking this was 'my' music, and dancing accordingly.
Yes to all of this! His death was so avoidable (choking on vomit?)- and he was hardly as reckless as most of his contemporaries. Such a same we only have a few albums from someone who should have remained relevant well into the 1970s.
ReplyDeleteIf we travel back in time to 1970 and create a scenario by which Hendrix lives, any prescription would have to include a reckoning with his dislike of large crowds, and a focus on personal health.
ReplyDeleteSince the music industry wasn't as dependent on touring for generating cashflow as it is now, his newly built studio in New York would allow him to slow down, take his time getting his recordings exactly as he wished, and limit his public appearances to perhaps one a year. The price he could command for a once-a-year concert would be staggering.
Then, combine this with personal health. If, as it seems, sleeplessness was a problem (death was the result of taking too many prescription sleeping pills), he needed a personal trainer or a buddy to jog, walk, work in the garden, whatever with. Too bad the '70s health craze came a decade too late.